---
name: "William Sylvester"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/william-sylvester"
fi1m_id: "william-sylvester"
imdb_id: "nm0843213"
tmdb_id: 247
wikidata_id: "Q1754108"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "31 January 1922"
died: "25 January 1995"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T05:52:14.714090+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# William Sylvester

## Identity

William Sylvester

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/william-sylvester
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** william-sylvester
- **IMDb ID:** nm0843213
- **TMDB ID:** 247
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1754108
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sylvester, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1754108, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0843213/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/247

Actor. Born 31 January 1922 in Oakland, California, USA. Died 25 January 1995.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 31 January 1922, Oakland, California, USA
- **Died:** 25 January 1995
- **Active:** 1968–1978
- **Also known as:** William R. Sylvester
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 2 acting, 1 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 77 (2), 1970s 74 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sylvester, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1754108, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0843213/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/247

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*2001: A Space Odyssey*](https://film.one/film/2001-a-space-odyssey.md) (92)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

William Sylvester (also credited as William R. Sylvester) was an American actor. He was born in Oakland, California, on 31 January 1922 and died in Sacramento, California, on 25 January 1995.

After the Second World War he moved to England and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He became a regular in British B-movies and West End theatre during the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in films such as *Gorgo* (1961) and several Hammer and horror productions. He was married for a time to the British actress Veronica Hurst.

Sylvester gained wider recognition for his role as Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick’s *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968). Later credits included *You Only Live Twice* (1967), *The Hindenburg* (1975) and *Heaven Can Wait* (1978), together with numerous television appearances.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (2) — the average rests on these

- *Heaven Can Wait* (1978), Fi1m 74, as Nuclear Reporter — [page](https://film.one/film/heaven-can-wait.md)
- *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968), Fi1m 92, as Dr. Heywood Floyd — [page](https://film.one/film/2001-a-space-odyssey.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *You Only Live Twice* (1967), Fi1m 62, as Pentagon Official (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/you-only-live-twice.md)

## Complete filmography (59)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *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)
- *First Family* (1980), as TV Commentator Howard
- *Big Shamus, Little Shamus* (1979), series, Actor
- *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century* (1979), series, as Lt. General Preston Myers
- *Heaven Can Wait* (1978), as Nuclear Reporter — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/heaven-can-wait.md)
- *What Really Happened to the Class of '65?* (1977), series, Actor
- *The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries* (1977), series, Actor
- *Quincy, M.E.* (1976), series, as Joe Crawford
- *Gemini Man* (1976), series, as Leonard Driscoll
- *Riding with Death* (1976), as Leonard Driscoll
- *The Hindenburg* (1975), as Luftwaffe Colonel
- *Switch* (1975), series, as Ellis
- *Harry O* (1974), series, Actor
- *Busting* (1974), as Mr. Weldman
- *The Six Million Dollar Man* (1974), series, as Frederick Collins, Admiral Prescott
- *Don't Be Afraid of the Dark* (1973), as Tom Henderson
- *The Magician* (1973), series, as Peter Hayden
- *Banacek* (1972), series, as Dr. Stahl
- *Cannon* (1971), series, Actor
- *San Francisco International Airport* (1970), series, as Colonel Wilkins
- *The Lawyer* (1970), as Paul Harrison
- *The Challengers* (1970), as Brad York
- *McCloud* (1970), series, Actor
- *Marcus Welby, M.D.* (1969), series, 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 — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/2001-a-space-odyssey.md)
- *The High Chaparral* (1967), series, as Jack Simmons, Lafe Croswell
- *You Only Live Twice* (1967), as Pentagon Official (uncredited) — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/you-only-live-twice.md)
- *The F.B.I.* (1965), series, as Tom Barber
- *Green Acres* (1965), series, as Dr. Hoffman
- *The Troubleshooters* (1965), series, as Al Stevens
- *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
- *Incident at Midnight* (1963), as Vince Warren
- *The Saint* (1962), series, as Foots Fortunati, Ralph Damien
- *Information Received* (1961), as Rick Hogan
- *Drama 61-67* (1961), series, as Mark Lander
- *Gorgo* (1961), as Sam Slade
- *Offbeat* (1961), as Layton / Steve Ross
- *Danger Man* (1960), series, as James Carpenter / Oscar Schumak
- *Whirlpool* (1959), as Hermann
- *The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial* (1958), Actor
- *Dublin Nightmare* (1958), as John Kevin
- *High Tide at Noon* (1957), as Alec Douglas
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, as Ed Norman, Sergeant O'Hara
- *Portrait of Alison* (1955), as Dave Forrester
- *The Unholy Four* (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

## Gallery

- ![William Sylvester](https://film.one/media/person/3/gallery-c1a0fc8b07a1.jpg) William Sylvester — Image via TMDB
- ![William Sylvester](https://film.one/media/person/3/gallery-6c1d5fde8ff3.jpg) William Sylvester — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/william-sylvester