William Sylvester
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 31, 1922
- Died
- January 25, 1995 (aged 72)
- Birthplace
- Oakland, California, USA
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
Movie · as Sam Slade (archive footage)
2001: The Making of a Myth
Movie · as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
First Family
Movie · as TV Commentator Howard
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
TV · as Lt. General Preston Myers · 1 ep
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
TV · as Nelson Milgrim
Heaven Can Wait
Movie · as Nuclear Reporter
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV · 1 ep
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
TV · 1 ep
Riding with Death
Movie · as Leonard Driscoll
Quincy, M.E.
TV · as Joe Crawford · 4 eps
Gemini Man
TV · as Leonard Driscoll · 6 eps
The Hindenburg
Movie · as Luftwaffe Colonel
Switch
TV · as Ellis · 1 ep
Busting
Movie · as Mr. Weldman
Harry O
TV · 2 eps
The Six Million Dollar Man
TV · as Frederick Collins, Admiral Prescott · 1 ep
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Movie · as Tom Henderson
The Magician
TV · as Peter Hayden · 1 ep
Banacek
TV · as Dr. Stahl · 1 ep
Cannon
TV · 1 ep
The Challengers
Movie · as Brad York
The Lawyer
Movie · as Paul Harrison
McCloud
TV · 1 ep
San Francisco International Airport
TV · as Colonel Wilkins · 1 ep
Marcus Welby, M.D.
TV · as Paul Berwick · 1 ep
2001: A Space Odyssey
Movie · as Dr. Heywood Floyd
The Hand of Night
Movie · as Paul Carver
The Syndicate
Movie · as Burt Hickey
Red and Blue
Movie · as Trumpeter
You Only Live Twice
Movie · as Pentagon Official (uncredited)
The High Chaparral
TV · as Jack Simmons, Lafe Croswell · 1 ep
Devils of Darkness
Movie · as Paul Baxter
Green Acres
TV · as Dr. Hoffman · 4 eps
The F.B.I.
TV · as Tom Barber · 1 ep
The Troubleshooters
TV · as Al Stevens, Brian Skinner · 1 ep
Devil Doll
Movie · as Mark English
Blind Corner
Movie · as Paul Gregory
Ring of Spies
Movie · as Gordon Lonsdale
Incident at Midnight
Movie · as Vince Warren
The Saint
TV · as Foots Fortunati, Ralph Damien · 1 ep
Gorgo
Movie · as Sam Slade
Offbeat
Movie · as Layton / Steve Ross
Information Received
Movie · as Rick Hogan
Drama 61-67
TV · as Mark Lander · 1 ep
Danger Man
TV · as James Carpenter / Oscar Schumak · 1 ep
Whirlpool
Movie · as Hermann
Dublin Nightmare
Movie · as John Kevin
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Movie
High Tide at Noon
Movie · as Alec Douglas
Armchair Theatre
TV · as Ed Norman, Sergeant O'Hara · 1 ep
Portrait of Alison
Movie · as Dave Forrester
The Unholy Four
Movie · as Philip Vickers
What Every Woman Wants
Movie · as Jim Barnes
House of Blackmail
Movie · as Jimmy
The Yellow Balloon
Movie · as Len Turner
Appointment in London
Movie · as Mac
Albert R.N.
Movie · as Texas
They Were Not Divided
Movie · as American Soldier (uncredited)
Give Us This Day
Movie · as Giovanni