William Sylvester
36 movies · 23 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Jan 31, 1922
- Died
- Jan 25, 1995 (age 72)
- Place of birth
- Oakland, California, USA
- Also known as
- William R. Sylvester
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.
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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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
William Sylvester: movies and TV shows
Acting (59)
- 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)
- 1980 First Family
as TV Commentator Howard
- 1979
- 1979
- 1978 Heaven Can Wait
as Nuclear Reporter
- 1977
- 1977
- 1976
- 1976
- 1976 Riding with Death
as Leonard Driscoll
- 1975 The Hindenburg
as Luftwaffe Colonel
- 1975
- 1974
- 1974 Busting
as Mr. Weldman
- 1974
- 1973 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
as Tom Henderson
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1970 The Lawyer
as Paul Harrison
- 1970 The Challengers
as Brad York
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968 The Syndicate
as Burt Hickey
- 1968 The Hand of Night
as Paul Carver
- 1968 Red and Blue
as Trumpeter
- 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey
as Dr. Heywood Floyd
- 1967
- 1967 You Only Live Twice
as Pentagon Official (uncredited)
- 1965
- 1965
- 1965
- 1965 Devils of Darkness
as Paul Baxter
- 1964 Devil Doll
as Mark English
- 1964 Ring of Spies
as Gordon Lonsdale
- 1964 Blind Corner
as Paul Gregory
- 1963 Incident at Midnight
as Vince Warren
- 1962
- 1961 Information Received
as Rick Hogan
- 1961
- 1961 Gorgo
as Sam Slade
- 1961 Offbeat
as Layton / Steve Ross
- 1960
- 1959 Whirlpool
as Hermann
- 1958
- 1958 Dublin Nightmare
as John Kevin
- 1957 High Tide at Noon
as Alec Douglas
- 1956
- 1955 Portrait of Alison
as Dave Forrester
- 1954 The Unholy Four
as Philip Vickers
- 1954 What Every Woman Wants
as Jim Barnes
- 1953 Albert R.N.
as Texas
- 1953 House of Blackmail
as Jimmy
- 1953 Appointment in London
as Mac
- 1953 The Yellow Balloon
as Len Turner
- 1950 They Were Not Divided
as American Soldier (uncredited)
- 1949 Give Us This Day
as Giovanni
Talk shows and appearances (1)
- 1995