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