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