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