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William Sylvester
Highest Rated: 92% 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Lowest Rated: 17% Busting (1974)
Birthday: Jan 31, 1922
Birthplace: Oakland, California, USA
American film and TV actor William Sylvester left his most enduring cinematic legacy with a brief but crucial expository role in director Stanley Kubrick's epic 1968 space adventure, "2001: A Space Odyssey." Although his somewhat remote performance as Dr. Heywood Floyd (a scientist sent early in the film to investigate a magnetic anomaly on the surface of the moon) was all but overshadowed by that of iconic on-board computer HAL 9000, the film's primary antagonist, it nevertheless provided grist for one of the story's central themes: human evolution. Sylvester, a native of Oakland, California, moved to England after WWII, kick-starting his acting career by appearing in dozens of British-made B-films. After finding some success in the horror genre, including lead roles in the monster feature "Gorgo" (1961) and the campy "Devil Doll," Sylvester returned to the United States in the late 1960s to earn his most famous film credit, gradually fading away in the 1970s with minor roles on American TV.
Photos
William Sylvester
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
17% |
|
Busting | Mr. Weldman (Character) | - | 1974 |
71% |
|
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | Tom Henderson (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Syndicate | Burt Hickey (Character) | - | 1968 |
92% |
|
2001: A Space Odyssey | Dr. Heywood R. Floyd (Character) | $1.3M | 1968 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Treasure of Kenya | Burt Hickey (Character) | - | 1967 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Hand of Night | Paul Carver (Character) | - | 1966 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Beast of Morocco | Paul Carver (Character) | - | 1966 |
No Score Yet |
|
Devils of Darkness | Paul Baxter (Character) | - | 1965 |
33% |
|
Devil Doll | Mark English (Character) | - | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ring of Treason | Gordon Lonsdale (Character) | - | 1964 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Blind Corner | Paul Gregory (Character) | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Man in the Dark | Paul Gregory (Character) | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Incident at Midnight | Vince Warren (Character) | - | 1963 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Information Received | Rick Hogan (Character) | - | 1962 |
No Score Yet |
|
Gorgo | Sam Slade (Character) | - | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Offbeat |
Layton/ |
- | 1961 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | High Tide at Noon | Alec Douglas (Character) | - | 1957 |
No Score Yet |
|
Postmark for Danger | Dave Forrester (Character) | - | 1955 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | What Every Woman Wants | Unknown (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet |
|
The Stranger Came Home | Philip Vickers (Character) | - | 1954 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | House of Blackmail | Jimmy (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Yellow Balloon | Len Turner (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Albert R.N. | Lieutenant `Texas' Norton (Character) | - | 1953 |
No Score Yet |
|
Appointment in London | Major Mac Baker (Character) | - | 1953 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
87% | 98% | Mystery Science Theater 3000 | Unknown (Character) | 1998 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Six Million Dollar Man | Frederick CollinsRichard O'Brien:Breen (Guest Star) | 1975 1977 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | McCloud | Jason Howard (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Harry O | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1975-1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cannon | .Elliot Markham (Guest Star) | 1976 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kojak | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Bonanza | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1970 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Green Acres | Pilot (Guest Star) | 1970-1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The High Chaparral | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Paul Berwick (Guest Star) | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | El Santo | Ralph Damien (Guest Star) | 1965-1966 |