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William Sylvester

Acting 72 (deceased) years old Oakland, California, USA ★ 0.8
Born: January 31, 1922
Died: January 25, 1995

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.

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E. Joe Crawford 1976
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man Frederick Collins 1974
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man Admiral Prescott 1974
The Saint
The Saint Foots Fortunati 1962
The Saint
The Saint Ralph Damien 1962

Filmography

Acting Credits (60)

The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo' Sam Slade (archive footage) 2013
2001: The Making of a Myth
2001: The Making of a Myth Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited) 2001
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class Self (archive footage) 1995
First Family
First Family TV Commentator Howard 1980
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
Big Shamus, Little Shamus 1979
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Lt. General Preston Myers 1979
Heaven Can Wait
Heaven Can Wait Nuclear Reporter 1978
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
What Really Happened to the Class of '65? 1977
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries 1977
Quincy, M.E.
Quincy, M.E. Joe Crawford 1976
Gemini Man
Gemini Man Leonard Driscoll 1976
Riding with Death
Riding with Death Leonard Driscoll 1976
The Hindenburg
The Hindenburg Luftwaffe Colonel 1975
Switch
Switch Ellis 1975
Harry O
Harry O 1974
Busting
Busting Mr. Weldman 1974
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man Frederick Collins 1974
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man Admiral Prescott 1974
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Tom Henderson 1973
The Magician
The Magician Peter Hayden 1973
Banacek
Banacek Dr. Stahl 1972
Cannon
Cannon 1971
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport Colonel Wilkins 1970
The Lawyer
The Lawyer Paul Harrison 1970
The Challengers
The Challengers Brad York 1970
McCloud
McCloud 1970
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. Paul Berwick 1969
The Syndicate
The Syndicate Burt Hickey 1968
The Hand of Night
The Hand of Night Paul Carver 1968
Red and Blue
Red and Blue Trumpeter 1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey Dr. Heywood Floyd 1968
The High Chaparral
The High Chaparral Jack Simmons 1967
The High Chaparral
The High Chaparral Lafe Croswell 1967
The F.B.I.
The F.B.I. Tom Barber 1965
Green Acres
Green Acres 1965
The Troubleshooters
The Troubleshooters Al Stevens 1965
Devils of Darkness
Devils of Darkness Paul Baxter 1965
Devil Doll
Devil Doll Mark English 1964
Ring of Spies
Ring of Spies Gordon Lonsdale 1964
Blind Corner
Blind Corner Paul Gregory 1964
Incident at Midnight
Incident at Midnight Vince Warren 1963
The Saint
The Saint Foots Fortunati 1962
The Saint
The Saint Ralph Damien 1962
Information Received
Information Received Rick Hogan 1961
Drama 61-67
Drama 61-67 Mark Lander 1961
Gorgo
Gorgo Sam Slade 1961
Offbeat
Offbeat Layton / Steve Ross 1961
Whirlpool
Whirlpool Hermann 1959
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial 1958
Dublin Nightmare
Dublin Nightmare John Kevin 1958
High Tide at Noon
High Tide at Noon Alec Douglas 1957
Portrait of Alison
Portrait of Alison Dave Forrester 1955
The Stranger Came Home
The Stranger Came Home Philip Vickers 1954
What Every Woman Wants
What Every Woman Wants Jim Barnes 1954
Albert R.N.
Albert R.N. Texas 1953
House of Blackmail
House of Blackmail Jimmy 1953
Appointment in London
Appointment in London Mac 1953
The Yellow Balloon
The Yellow Balloon Len Turner 1953
They Were Not Divided
They Were Not Divided American Soldier (uncredited) 1950
Give Us This Day
Give Us This Day Giovanni 1949

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