William Sylvester

Born: 1922-01-31 in Oakland, California, USA

Died: 1995-01-25

Known For: Acting

Biography

William Sylvester (January 31, 1922 – January 25, 1995) was an American TV and film actor. His most famous film credit was Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968). Born in Oakland, California and married at one time to the British actress Veronica Hurst, he moved to England after the Second World War and became a staple of British B films at a time when American and Canadian actors were much in demand in order to give indigenous films some appeal in the US. As a result, he gained top billing in one of his very first films, House of Blackmail (1953), directed by the veteran filmmaker Maurice Elvey, for whom he also made What Every Woman Wants the following year. He also starred in such minor films as The Stranger Came Home (1954, for Hammer), Dublin Nightmare (1958), Offbeat (1960), Information Received (1961), Incident at Midnight, Ring of Spies and Blind Corner (all 1963). There were also lead roles in four British horror films: Gorgo (1960), Devil Doll (1963), Devils of Darkness (1964) and The Hand of Night (1966). Among his many TV credits were a 1959 BBC version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (playing Mark Antony), The Saint, The Baron, The High Chaparral, Harry O and The Six Million Dollar Man. His later films included You Only Live Twice (1967) and, back in the USA after his prominent role for Kubrick, Busting (1973), The Hindenburg (1975) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). He died in Sacramento, California in 1995, aged 72.

Filmography

2013

The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo' as Sam Slade (archive footage)

2001

2001: The Making of a Myth as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)

1995

Roger Moore: A Matter of Class as Self (archive footage)

1980

First Family as TV Commentator Howard

1979

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Lt. General Preston Myers
Big Shamus, Little Shamus

1978

Heaven Can Wait as Nuclear Reporter

1977

1976

Quincy, M.E. as Joe Crawford
Gemini Man as Leonard Driscoll
Riding with Death as Leonard Driscoll

1975

Switch as Ellis
The Hindenburg as Luftwaffe Colonel

1974

The Six Million Dollar Man as Frederick Collins
Harry O
Busting as Mr. Weldman

1973

The Magician as Peter Hayden
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark as Tom Henderson

1972

Banacek as Dr. Stahl

1968

2001: A Space Odyssey as Dr. Heywood Floyd
The Hand of Night as Paul Carver
The Syndicate as Burt Hickey
Red and Blue as Trumpeter

1967

The High Chaparral as Jack Simmons

1965

Green Acres
The F.B.I. as Tom Barber
The Troubleshooters as Al Stevens
Devils of Darkness as Paul Baxter

1964

Devil Doll as Mark English
Blind Corner as Paul Gregory
Ring of Spies as Gordon Lonsdale

1963

Incident at Midnight as Vince Warren

1962

The Saint as Foots Fortunati

1961

Gorgo as Sam Slade
Offbeat as Layton / Steve Ross
Information Received as Rick Hogan

1959

Whirlpool as Hermann

1958

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Dublin Nightmare as John Kevin

1957

High Tide at Noon as Alec Douglas

1955

Portrait of Alison as Dave Forrester

1954

What Every Woman Wants as Jim Barnes
The Stranger Came Home as Philip Vickers

1953

Albert R.N. as Texas
Appointment in London as Mac
The Yellow Balloon as Len Turner
House of Blackmail as Jimmy

1950

They Were Not Divided as American Soldier (uncredited)

1949

Give Us This Day as Giovanni