Henry William Spencer is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 on the American television dramedy Psych

Psych

Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...

. He is played by American actor Corbin Bernsen

Corbin Bernsen

Corbin Dean Bernsen is an American actor and director, known for his work on television. He is best known for his roles as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series L.A. Law, and as retired police detective Henry Spencer on the USA Network comedy-drama series Psych...

.

Fictional biography

A retired police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

, Henry Spencer raised his only son, Shawn

Shawn Spencer

Shawn Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych played by American actor James Roday. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory, he poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara Police Department...

, to follow in his footsteps, schooling him in detective work from a young age. The character is based loosely on series creator Steve Franks

Steve Franks

Steve Franks is an American screenwriter and musician. He devised the story for the 1999 comedy Big Daddy and wrote the screenplay with Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Franks also created the USA Network original series Psych, and created the band The Friendly Indians who made the theme song...

' father, a police officer who wanted his son to choose a similar career path. He would sometimes try to hone Franks' observational skills by asking how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic which Henry employs with Shawn in the series pilot.

In the penultimate episode of the second season ("Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion"), Chief Vick

Karen Vick

Chief Karen C. Vick is a character on the American comedy detective drama Psych played by Kirsten Nelson.-Fictional biography:...

 set Henry up with her friend Susan "Sue B." from the Mayor's office (played by Corbin Bernsen's wife, Amanda Pays

Amanda Pays

-Personal life:Pays was born in London, England, the daughter of Joan , an actress, and Howard Reginald Pays, a talent agent and former actor. She is the niece of former child actress Mandy Miller, after whom she is named. Her first marriage, from 1984 to 1987, was to Peter Kohn, production manager...

).

He is estranged from his younger brother, Jack, played by Steven Weber

Steven Weber (actor)

Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...

.

In the 14th episode of the fourth season

Psych (season 4)

The fourth season of Psych originally aired in the United States on USA Network from August 7, 2009 to March 10, 2010. It consisted of 16 episodes. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen, and Kirsten Nelson reprised their roles as the main characters...

, "Think Tank

Think tank

A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

", Police Chief Karen Vick offered Henry a job as police liaison between the SBPD and its external divisions (mainly Shawn's psychic detective agency). Henry initially declined the job offer, preferring retired life but later accepted it in the season four finale, while pursuing the serial killer Mr. Yin.

Characterization

Actor Corbin Bernsen describes Henry as "a guy who's very, very disciplined. He always has been disciplined. He believes order is what gets you through the day... The dynamic of the guy is that, though, his own order torments him and when he breaks his rules it drives him nuts, and he probably takes it out on Shawn." Henry is disappointed by Shawn's unwillingness to conform to his ideals, and when the series begins the two appear to have been estranged for some time, to the point that Shawn is unaware that Henry has moved back to Santa Barbara. As the show progresses, the two begin to mend their relationship. Bernsen says that, with Henry's career now behind him and his wife out of his life (he was divorced in 1992), Shawn is essentially the only family he has left, making him more willing to accept his son despite a lingering disappointment. Although Henry expresses disdain at Shawn's new career as a psychic detective, expressing his deep dislike of both private investigator

Private investigator

A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...

s and psychic

Psychic

A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...

s, he appears to be secretly proud of his son's investigational skills and saves newspaper articles concerning Shawn's exploits. Bernsen notes that Shawn is "being everything I [Henry] want him to be, but he's not being it my [Henry's] way," making Shawn's work a source of both pride and frustration.