William Sylvester
Acting • Born 1922-01-31 – Died 1995-01-25
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
60 credits
2001: A Space Odyssey
Movie • 1968
Dr. Heywood Floyd
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Movie • 1973
Tom Henderson
Gorgo
Movie • 1961
Sam Slade
Devil Doll
Movie • 1964
Mark English
The Hindenburg
Movie • 1975
Luftwaffe Colonel
First Family
Movie • 1980
TV Commentator Howard
The Hand of Night
Movie • 1968
Paul Carver
2001: The Making of a Myth
Movie • 2001
Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)
Devils of Darkness
Movie • 1965
Paul Baxter
Busting
Movie • 1974
Mr. Weldman
Give Us This Day
Movie • 1949
Giovanni
Blind Corner
Movie • 1964
Paul Gregory
The Stranger Came Home
Movie • 1954
Philip Vickers
Offbeat
Movie • 1961
Layton / Steve Ross
High Tide at Noon
Movie • 1957
Alec Douglas
Portrait of Alison
Movie • 1955
Dave Forrester
House of Blackmail
Movie • 1953
Jimmy
Dublin Nightmare
Movie • 1958
John Kevin
Information Received
Movie • 1961
Rick Hogan
Whirlpool
Movie • 1959
Hermann
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Movie • 1958
Ring of Spies
Movie • 1964
Gordon Lonsdale
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
Movie • 2013
Sam Slade (archive footage)
Incident at Midnight
Movie • 1963
Vince Warren
The Yellow Balloon
Movie • 1953
Len Turner
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
Movie • 1995
Self (archive footage)
Riding with Death
Movie • 1976
Leonard Driscoll
The Syndicate
Movie • 1968
Burt Hickey
The Challengers
Movie • 1970
Brad York
What Every Woman Wants
Movie • 1954
Jim Barnes
Appointment in London
Movie • 1953
Mac
Red and Blue
Movie • 1968
Trumpeter
Albert R.N.
Movie • 1953
Texas
They Were Not Divided
Movie • 1950
American Soldier (uncredited)
The Lawyer
Movie • 1970
Paul Harrison
Heaven Can Wait
Movie • 1978
Nuclear Reporter
Green Acres
TV • 1965
The F.B.I.
TV • 1965
Tom Barber
Quincy, M.E.
TV • 1976
Joe Crawford
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
TV • 1979
Lt. General Preston Myers
Marcus Welby, M.D.
TV • 1969
Paul Berwick
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
TV • 1977
The Saint
TV • 1962
Foots Fortunati
Cannon
TV • 1971
Harry O
TV • 1974
Switch
TV • 1975
Ellis
The High Chaparral
TV • 1967
Jack Simmons
McCloud
TV • 1970
Gemini Man
TV • 1976
Leonard Driscoll
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
TV • 1979
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
TV • 1977
The Saint
TV • 1962
Ralph Damien
The Magician
TV • 1973
Peter Hayden
Banacek
TV • 1972
Dr. Stahl
The Six Million Dollar Man
TV • 1974
Frederick Collins
The Six Million Dollar Man
TV • 1974
Admiral Prescott
The High Chaparral
TV • 1967
Lafe Croswell
The Troubleshooters
TV • 1965
Al Stevens
San Francisco International Airport
TV • 1970
Colonel Wilkins
Drama 61-67
TV • 1961
Mark Lander