Biography
Howard da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt) was an American actor and director who worked in theatre, film, television and radio. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4 May 1909, he began his career on the New York stage in the late 1920s and appeared in more than fifty feature films.
On Broadway he originated the role of Jud Fry in the 1943 production of Oklahoma! and played Benjamin Franklin in the musical 1776 (1969–1972), reprising the part in the 1972 film. His film roles include Lem in Sergeant York (1941), Nat the bartender in The Lost Weekend (1945), and Louis B. Mayer in Mommie Dearest (1981). He also directed the 1961 Broadway production of Purlie Victorious.
Da Silva was blacklisted in the early 1950s after refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee; he continued stage work during this period and returned to screen roles in the 1960s. He died in Ossining, New York, on 16 February 1986.
