Born
31 January 1922 (104)
Place of Birth
Oakland, California, USA
Also known as
William R. Sylvester
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 resul...
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'
2013
2001: The Making of a Myth
2001
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class
1995
First Family
1980
Heaven Can Wait
1978
Riding with Death
1976
The Hindenburg
1975
Busting
1974
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
1973
The Lawyer
1970
The Challengers
1970
The Syndicate
1968
The Hand of Night
1968
Red and Blue
1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
1968
Devils of Darkness
1965
Devil Doll
1964
Ring of Spies
1964
Blind Corner
1964
Incident at Midnight
1963
Information Received
1961
Gorgo
1961
Offbeat
1961
Whirlpool
1959
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
1958
Dublin Nightmare
1958
High Tide at Noon
1957
Portrait of Alison
1955
The Stranger Came Home
1954
What Every Woman Wants
1954
Albert R.N.
1953
House of Blackmail
1953
Appointment in London
1953
The Yellow Balloon
1953
They Were Not Divided
1950
Give Us This Day
1949