Henry Salter was educated in London and Bristol, and at the Sorbonne in Paris, before training as an actor at the Old Vic Theatre School, Bristol. His career in the U.K. included acting and writing for stage and television, directing an acting course at the Old Vic Theatre School, and teaching in the Drama Department of Bristol University.
He came to Australia in the 1970s, becoming Senior Lecturer at Flinders University and eventually Director of the Drama Department of that university. He established the small theatre company Dial-a-Play, and was Artistic Director of Troupe. He freelanced from 1981, acting for the State Theatre Company and writing, directing and acting for Stage Company, Troupe, Patch Theatre and others. He appeared in a number of Australian films and television series.
With Peter Coombe he presented the children's radio programme Tickle Pot on the ABC, and in 1990, at the termination of the programme, he published a book based on the series.