1922-01-31 Oakland, California, USA
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.
 |
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo' | Sam Slade (archive footage) | 2013-03-19 |
 |
2001: The Making of a Myth | Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2001-01-13 |
 |
Roger Moore: A Matter Of Class | Self (archive footage) | 1995-11-16 |
 |
First Family | TV Commentator Howard | 1980-12-25 |
 |
Heaven Can Wait | Nuclear Reporter | 1978-06-28 |
 |
Riding with Death | Leonard Driscoll | 1976-01-01 |
 |
The Hindenburg | Luftwaffe Colonel | 1975-12-25 |
 |
Busting | Mr. Weldman | 1974-02-27 |
 |
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Tom Henderson | 1973-10-10 |
 |
The Challengers | Brad York | 1970-02-20 |
 |
The Lawyer | Paul Harrison | 1970-03-10 |
 |
The Syndicate | Burt Hickey | 1968-09-16 |
 |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Dr. Heywood Floyd | 1968-04-02 |
 |
The Hand of Night | Paul Carver | 1968-08-11 |
 |
Red and Blue | Trumpeter | 1968-08-08 |
 |
Devils of Darkness | Paul Baxter | 1965-05-01 |
 |
Blind Corner | Paul Gregory | 1964-01-01 |
 |
Devil Doll | Mark English | 1964-09-01 |
 |
Ring of Spies | Gordon Lonsdale | 1964-03-23 |
 |
Incident at Midnight | Vince Warren | 1963-01-01 |
 |
Information Received | Rick Hogan | 1961-08-01 |
 |
Offbeat | Layton / Steve Ross | 1961-01-01 |
 |
Gorgo | Sam Slade | 1961-02-02 |
 |
Whirlpool | Hermann | 1959-03-01 |
 |
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial | 1958-10-10 | |
 |
Dublin Nightmare | John Kevin | 1958-10-01 |
 |
High Tide at Noon | Alec Douglas | 1957-04-30 |
 |
Portrait of Alison | Dave Forrester | 1955-11-29 |
 |
What Every Woman Wants | Jim Barnes | 1954-06-10 |
 |
The Unholy Four | Philip Vickers | 1954-09-24 |
 |
Albert R.N. | Texas | 1953-11-23 |
 |
Appointment in London | Mac | 1953-02-17 |
 |
The Yellow Balloon | Len Turner | 1953-02-10 |
 |
House of Blackmail | Jimmy | 1953-07-13 |
 |
They Were Not Divided | American Soldier (uncredited) | 1950-04-24 |
 |
Give Us This Day | Giovanni | 1949-10-14 |
