William Sylvester

William Sylvester (January 31, 1922 – January 25, 1995) was an American actor born in Oakland, California, to Joseph Silvester, an Italian immigrant, and his American wife, Gertrude Bailey Silvester. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and afterward relocated to Britain to pursue a professional acting career, training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. While living in the United Kingdom, he married British actress Veronica Hurst.

Sylvester built his early career as a fixture of British B films during the 1950s and 1960s, a period when American and Canadian actors were sought to broaden the domestic appeal of British productions in the United States. He received top billing in House of Blackmail (1953), directed by Maurice Elvey, and reteamed with Elvey the following year for What Every Woman Wants (1954). His British film work also included A Stranger Came Home (1954) for Hammer, Dublin Nightmare (1958), Offbeat (1961), Information Received (1961), Incident at Midnight (1963), Blind Corner (1964), and Ring of Spies (1964). He took lead roles in four British horror films: Gorgo (1961), Devil Doll (1964), Devils of Darkness (1965), and The Hand of Night (1968).

His most prominent screen credit came when director Stanley Kubrick cast him as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Following that role, Sylvester appeared in supporting parts in films including Busting (1974), The Hindenburg (1975), and Heaven Can Wait (1978). His television work encompassed a wide range of productions, among them a 1959 BBC adaptation of Julius Caesar in which he played Mark Antony, as well as appearances on Danger Man, The Saint, The Baron, The High Chaparral, Banacek, Harry O, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Quincy, M.E. He also held a regular role on the one-season science-fiction series Gemini Man, created by Steven Bochco.

Alongside his screen career, Sylvester appeared on Broadway between 1956 and 1962, with credits including the drama Mister Johnson, Saint Joan, and Macbeth. He retired from acting in the early 1980s and died in Sacramento, California, on January 25, 1995, six days before what would have been his 73rd birthday.