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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
January 31, 1922
Died
January 25, 1995
Place of Birth
Oakland, California, USA
Also Known As
- William R. Sylvester
William Sylvester
1.0 Popularity
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
7.0
Sam Slade (archive footage)
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
2013
6.5
Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)
2001: The Making of a Myth
2001
6.0
Self (archive footage)
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
1995
3.0
TV Commentator Howard
First Family
1980
5.0
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
1979
7.0
Lt. General Preston Myers
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979
6.6
Nuclear Reporter
Heaven Can Wait
1978
4.5
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
1977
7.1
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
7.5
Joe Crawford
Quincy, M.E.
1976
Credits
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
as Sam Slade (archive footage)
2013
7.0
2001: The Making of a Myth
as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (archive footage) (uncredited)
2001
6.5
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
as Self (archive footage)
1995
6.0
First Family
as TV Commentator Howard
1980
3.0
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
1979
5.0
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
as Lt. General Preston Myers
1979
7.0
Heaven Can Wait
as Nuclear Reporter
1978
6.6
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
1977
4.5
The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
1977
7.1
Quincy, M.E.
as Joe Crawford
1976
7.5
Gemini Man
as Leonard Driscoll
1976
6.9
Riding with Death
as Leonard Driscoll
1976
2.6
The Hindenburg
as Luftwaffe Colonel
1975
6.3
Switch
as Ellis
1975
6.7
Harry O
1974
4.6
Busting
as Mr. Weldman
1974
6.2
The Six Million Dollar Man
as Frederick Collins
1974
7.3
The Six Million Dollar Man
as Admiral Prescott
1974
7.3
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
as Tom Henderson
1973
6.1
The Magician
as Peter Hayden
1973
6.7
Banacek
as Dr. Stahl
1972
8.6
Cannon
1971
6.6
San Francisco International Airport
as Colonel Wilkins
1970
0.0
The Lawyer
as Paul Harrison
1970
5.0
The Challengers
as Brad York
1970
5.0
McCloud
1970
7.1
Marcus Welby, M.D.
as Paul Berwick
1969
6.5
The Syndicate
as Burt Hickey
1968
4.0
The Hand of Night
as Paul Carver
1968
4.3
Red and Blue
as Trumpeter
1968
6.0
2001: A Space Odyssey
as Dr. Heywood Floyd
1968
8.1
The High Chaparral
as Jack Simmons
1967
6.6
The High Chaparral
as Lafe Croswell
1967
6.6
The F.B.I.
as Tom Barber
1965
5.4
Green Acres
1965
7.3
The Troubleshooters
as Al Stevens
1965
5.0
Devils of Darkness
as Paul Baxter
1965
5.1
Devil Doll
as Mark English
1964
4.6
Ring of Spies
as Gordon Lonsdale
1964
6.9
Blind Corner
as Paul Gregory
1964
4.2
Incident at Midnight
as Vince Warren
1963
7.0
The Saint
as Foots Fortunati
1962
7.4
The Saint
as Ralph Damien
1962
7.4
Information Received
as Rick Hogan
1961
0.0
🎬
Drama 61-67
as Mark Lander
1961
0.0
Gorgo
as Sam Slade
1961
5.3
Offbeat
as Layton / Steve Ross
1961
6.1
Whirlpool
as Hermann
1959
6.2
🎬
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
1958
0.0
Dublin Nightmare
as John Kevin
1958
5.6
High Tide at Noon
as Alec Douglas
1957
6.0
Portrait of Alison
as Dave Forrester
1955
6.2
The Stranger Came Home
as Philip Vickers
1954
5.1
What Every Woman Wants
as Jim Barnes
1954
6.3
Albert R.N.
as Texas
1953
7.2
House of Blackmail
as Jimmy
1953
6.0
Appointment in London
as Mac
1953
6.4
The Yellow Balloon
as Len Turner
1953
5.6
They Were Not Divided
as American Soldier (uncredited)
1950
6.0
Give Us This Day
as Giovanni
1949
5.6