Howard Da Silva

Howard Da Silva

Birth name: Howard Silverblatt
Born: May 4, 1909
Died: February 16, 1986 (at age 76)
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Popularity:
Biography

Howard Da Silva (May 4, 1909 - February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in more than two dozen television programs, and acted in more than fifty feature films. Adept at both drama and musicals on the stage, he appeared in the original 1943 run of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!, and also portrayed the prosecuting attorney in the 1957 stage production of Compulsion. Da Silva was nominated for a 1960 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his work in Fiorello!, a musical about New York City mayor LaGuardia. In 1961, Da Silva directed Purlie Victorious, by Ossie Davis.

Many of his early feature films were of the noir genre and he often played the nemesis in the plot, such as two early post-war roles: that of Eddie Harwood in The Blue Dahlia, and the sadistic Captain Francis Thompson in Two Years Before the Mast (both 1946). Da Silva's characterization of historic figures are among some of his most notable work: he was Lincoln's brawling friend Jack Armstrong in both play (1939) and film (1940) versions of Abe Lincoln in Illinois written by Robert Sherwood; Benjamin Franklin in the 1969-1972 stage musical 1776 and a reprisal of the role for the 1972 film version of the production; Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in The Missiles of October (1974); Franklin D. Roosevelt in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977); and Louis B. Mayer in Mommie Dearest (1981).

Da Silva's American television character work included the defense attorney representing the robot in The Outer Limits episode "I, Robot" (1964), and district attorney Anthony Cleese in For the People (1965). For his performance as Eddie in the Great Performances production of Verna: USO Girl (1978), the actor received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special.

In the 1970s, Da Silva recorded 26 episodes for CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

Early life

He was born Howard Silverblatt in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Bertha (née Sen) and Benjamin Silverblatt, a dress cutter. His parents were both Yiddish-speaking Jews born in Russia. Before beginning his acting career on the stage, he was employed as a steelworker.

Da Silva was a graduate of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and learned the acting trade under the tutelage of Eva Le Gallienne, joining the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1928. He changed his surname to the Portuguese Da Silva, although Silverblatt had no family connection with Portugal or Brazil (the name is sometimes misspelled Howard De Silva).

Career

Da Silva appeared in a number of Broadway musicals, including the role of Larry Foreman in the legendary first production of Marc Blitzstein's musical, The Cradle Will Rock (1938). Later, he costarred in the original 1943 stage production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, playing the role of the psychopathic Jud Fry. He was the easygoing Ben Marino who opposed Tammany Hall in the Pulitzer winning musical Fiorello!.

In 1969, Da Silva originated the role of Benjamin Franklin in the musical 1776. Four days before the show opened on Broadway, he suffered a minor heart attack but refused to seek medical assistance because he wanted to make sure critics saw his performance. After the four official critic performances were over, the cast left to go to the cast party and Da Silva went to the hospital and immediately took a leave of absence from the production. While Da Silva recuperated, his understudy, Rex Everhart, took over the role and performed on the cast recording. Da Silva was able to reprise his role in the 1972 film version and appeared on that soundtrack album.

Da Silva did summer stock at the Pine Brook Country Club, located in the countryside of Nichols, Connecticut, with the Group Theatre (New York) formed by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Da Silva appeared in over 60 motion pictures. Some of his memorable roles include a leading mutineer in The Sea Wolf (1941), playing Ray Milland's bartender in The Lost Weekend (1945), and the half-blind criminal "Chicamaw 'One-Eye' Mobley" in They Live by Night (1949). He also released an album on Monitor Records (MP 595) of political songs and ballads entitled Politics and Poker.

Da Silva returned to the stage. He was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as "Ben Marino" in Fiorello! (1959). After being blacklisted, Da Silva and Nelson left Los Angeles for New York to perform in The World of Sholom Aleichem.

Da Silva was nominated for the British BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Actor for his performance as Dr. Swinford in David and Lisa (1962). Da Silva portrayed Soviet Premier Khrushchev in the television docudrama The Missiles of October (1974). He won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special for his role as Eddie in Verna: U.S.O. Girl (1978) with Sissy Spacek.

Da Silva's TV guest appearances, after the era in which blacklisting was strongest, include such programs as The Outer Limits, Ben Casey, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, Gentle Ben, Mannix, Love, American Style, Kung Fu, and Archie Bunker's Place.

Da Silva also played President Franklin D. Roosevelt in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), Hollywood mogul Louis B. Mayer in Mommie Dearest (1981), and American statesman Benjamin Franklin in 1776 (1972), as well as a documentary depicting the life of Ben Franklin shown at Franklin's house in Philadelphia. He appeared in two different film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. In the 1949 production with Alan Ladd as Gatsby, Da Silva played garage owner George Wilson; in the 1974 film with Robert Redford, Da Silva was Meyer Wolfsheim, the flamboyant gambler with the interesting cufflinks. In his final appearance on screen, Da Silva played a New York photographer fascinated with the reclusive Greta Garbo in the film Garbo Talks (1984), directed by Sidney Lumet.

He also did voice acting in 26 episodes of the popular 1974-82 radio thriller series CBS Radio Mystery Theater (between July 1974 and February 1977). He recorded linking narration for episodes of the British television program Doctor Who broadcast in the United States.

Blacklisting

Da Silva became one of hundreds of artists blacklisted in the entertainment industry during the House Committee on Unamerican Activities investigation into alleged Communist influence in the industry. Following his March 1951 testimony in which he repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, his lead performance in the completed feature film Slaughter Trail was re-shot with actor Brian Donlevy. Da Silva continued to find work on the New York stage, but did not work in feature films again until 1961 when he appeared in his BAFTA nominated performance in David and Lisa. He was eventually cleared of any charges in 1960, but not before his career in television had also stalled, with no work between 1951 and 1959 when he appeared in The Play of the Week. The brief respite was followed by another television career void until his appearance in a 1963 episode of The Defenders. That was the beginning of the end of Da Silva's blacklist, and the show's producer Herb Brodkin paired Da Silva with William Shatner when he created the television series For the People.

Personal life and death

Da Silva married actress Marjorie Nelson in 1949. Da Silva and Nelson divorced in 1960.

Da Silva died of lymphoma, aged 76, in Ossining, New York. His second wife Nancy, as well as two sons and three daughters, survived him.

Acting credits

Stage

Stage work of Howard Da Silva
Opening date Closing date Title Role Theatre Notes Refs
Apr 21, 1930 May 1930 Romeo and Juliet Apothecary Civic Repertory Theatre
Oct 6, 1930 unknown Green !The Green Cockatoo Scaevola Civic Repertory Theatre Written in 1899 by Arthur Schnitzler as Der grüne Kakadu
Oct 6, 1930 Nov 1930 Romeo and Juliet Apothecary Civic Repertory Theatre
Oct 20, 1930 Nov 1930 Siegfried Mr. Patchkoffer, Schumann Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Jean Giraudoux; adaptation by Philip Carr
Dec 1, 1930 Jan 1931 Alison's House Hodges Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Susan Glaspell
Jan 26, 1931 Mar 1931 Camille !Camille Guest Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Alexandre Dumas, fils; translation by Henriette Metcalf
May 11, 1931 May 31, 1931 Alison's House Hodges Ritz Theatre Written by Susan Glaspell
Oct 26, 1932 Oct 1932 Liliom Wolf Beifeld Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Ferenc Molnár; adaptation by Benjamin Glazer
Nov 14, 1932 Nov 1932 Dear Jane Dr. Samuel Johnson Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Eleanor Holmes Hinkley
Dec 12, 1932 Dec 1933 Alice in Wonderland Cook, White Knight Civic Repertory Theatre Based on the Lewis Carroll books; written by Florida Friebus and Eva Le Gallienne
March 6, 1933 April 1933 Cherry !The Cherry Orchard Stationmaster New Amsterdam Theatre Written by Anton Chekhov; translation by Constance Garnett
Dec 10, 1934 Mar 1935 Sailors of Cattaro Sepp Kriz Civic Repertory Theatre From the 1930 German work Die Matrosen von Cattaro by Friedrich Wolf; translation by Keen Wallis; adaptation by Michael Blankfort
Mar 20, 1935 June 1935 Black Pitt Hansy McCulloh Civic Repertory Theatre Written by Albert Maltz
Nov 4, 1937 June 1938 Golden Boy Lewis Belasco Theatre Written by Clifford Odets
Jan 3, 1938 April 1938 Cradle !The Cradle Will Rock Larry Foreman Windsor Theatre Written by Marc Blitzstein
Feb 19, 1938 May 1938 Casey Jones Old Man Fulton Theatre Written by Robert Ardrey
Oct 15, 1938 Dec 1939 Abe Lincoln in Illinois Jack Armstrong Plymouth Theatre Written by Robert E. Sherwood
Nov 2, 1939 Nov 4, 1939 Summer Night Speed St. James Theatre Written by Benjamin Glazer and Vicki Baum
Jan 22, 1940 Apr 13, 1940 Two On An Island The Sightseeing Guide Broadhurst Theatre Written by Elmer Rice
Jan 22, May 31, 1943 May 29, 1948 Oklahoma! Jud Fry St. James Theatre Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein
April 9, 1946 Shootin' Star Saloon proprietor, sheriff Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia Written by Walter Hart and Louis Jacobs
Dec 26, 1947 Feb 7, 1948 Cradle !The Cradle Will Rock (directed) Mansfield Theatre, Broadway Theatre Written by Marc Blitzstein
Oct 18, 1950 Oct 28, 1950 Burning Bright Friend Ed Broadhurst Theatre Written by John Steinbeck
Nov 23, 1954 Jan 2, 1955 Sandhog (produced) Phoenix Theatre Written by Earl Robinson and Waldo Salt, based on St. Columbia and the River by Theodore Dreiser. Rachel Productions was owned by da Silva and Arnold Perl.
Nov 4, 1956 Nov 25, 1956 Diary of a Scoundrel Neel Fedoseitch Mamaev Phoenix Theatre Written by Alexander Ostrovsky; adapted by Rodney Ackland
Oct 24, 1957 Feb 22, 1958 Compulsion Horn The Prosecuting Attorney Ambassador Theatre Based on he 1956 Meyer Levin novel of the same name; later produced as the 1959 film Compulsion.
Nov 23, 1959 Oct 28, 1961 Fiorello! Ben Marino Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway Theatre Based on the book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott;Da Silva nominated for 1960 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Sept 28, 1961 May 13, 1962 Purlie Victorious (directed) Cort Theatre, Longacre Theatre Written by Ossie Davis
Jan 10, 1962 Mar 10, 1962 Romulus Ottaker Music Box Theatre Written by Friedrich Duerrenmatt; adapted by Gore Vidal
Dec 12, 1962 Dec 15, 1962 In the Counting House Max Hartman Biltmore Theater Written by Leslie Weiner
Feb 28, 1963 Jul 10, 1963 Dear Me, The Sky is Falling Paul Hirsch Music Box Theatre Written by Leonard Spigelgass, based on the book by Gertrude Berg and James Yaffe
Oct 14, 1963 Oct 19, 1963 Advocate !The Advocate (directed) ANTA Playhouse Written by Robert Noah
Nov 8, 1964 Jan 7, 1975 Cradle !The Cradle Will Rock (directed) Theatre Four Written by Marc Blitzstein
Nov 10, 1965 Apr 16, 1966 Zulu !The Zulu and the Zayda (writer) Cort Theatre Original story by Dan Jacobson; book adaptation by Howard da Silva and Felix Leon
Dec 06, 1966 Dec 31, 1966 My Sweet Charlie (directed) Longacre Theatre Written by David Westheimer
Jul 06, 1967 Nov 12, 1967 Unknown !The Unknown Soldier and His Wife Archbishop Vivian Beaumont Theater, George Abbott Theater Written by Peter Ustinov
Mar 16, 1969 Feb 13, 1972 1776 Benjamin Franklin 46th Street Theatre, St. James Theatre, Majestic Theatre Based on a book by Peter Stone; adapted by Sherman Edwards
Feb 11, 1982 Feb 28, 1982 World !The World of Sholom Aleichem (conceived) Rialto Theatre Conceived by Howard da Silva and Arnold Perl; written by Perl.

Film

Key to studio abbreviations
20th 20th Century-Fox AIP American International Pictures CP Columbia Pictures
CFD Continental Film Distribution CF Corinth Films Inc. FF Frontier Films Inc.
LFI Lumiere Films, Inc. MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer NYS New York Shakespeare Festival
Oct October Films Par Paramount RKO RKO Radio
UA United Artists Uni Universal WB Warner Bros.
Feature film work of Howard Da Silva
Year Title Role Director Producer Distributor Other cast members Refs.
1935 Once in a Blue Moon (uncredited) Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur Ben Hecht Par Jimmy Savo
1938 Marie Antoinette Toulon (uncredited) Van Dyke !W. S. Van Dyke Hunt Stromberg MGM Norma Shearer, John Barrymore, John Barrymore
1940 Abe Lincoln in Illinois Jack Armstrong Cromwell !John Cromwell Max Gordon RKO Raymond Massey, Ruth Gordon
I'm Still Alive Red Garvey Reis !Irving Reis Frederic Ullman Jr. RKO Kent Taylor, Linda Hayes
1941 At the Stroke of Twelve Angie the Ox Negu !Jean Negulesco Gordon Hollingshead WB Craig Stevens
Three Sons o' Guns Radio announcer (uncredited) stoloff !Benjamin Stoloff William Jacobs WB Wayne Morris
Dog !The Dog in the Orchard Foster Negu !Jean Negulesco WB Barbara Pepper
Bad Men of Missouri Greg Bilson Enright !Ray Enright Harlan Thompson WB Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman
Blues in the Night Sam Paryas Litvak !Anatole Litvak Hal B. Wallis WB Richard Whorf, Priscilla Lane, Betty Field
Navy Blues Petty Officer Bacon !Lloyd Bacon Hal B. Wallis WB Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, Martha Raye, Jack Haley
Nine Lives Are Not Enough City Editor Sutherland !A. Edward Sutherland Bryan Foy WB Ronald Reagan
Sea !The Sea Wolf Harrison Curtiz !Michael Curtiz Hal B. Wallis WB Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield
Steel Against the Sky Bugs Little Sutherland !A. Edward Sutherland Brian Foy WB Alexis Smith, Lloyd Nolan
Strange Alibi Monson Lederman !D. Ross Lederman Brian Boy WB Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry
Sergeant York Lem Howard Hawks Howard Hawks WB Gary Cooper
1942 Keeper of the Flame Jason Rickards Cukor !George Cukor Victor Saville MGM Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn
Big !The Big Shot Sandor Seller !Lewis Seiler Walter MacEwen WB Humphrey Bogart
Bullet Scars Frank Dillon Lederman !D. Ross Lederman WB Regis Toomey
Juke Girl Cully Bernhardt !Curtis Bernhardt Hal B. Wallis WB Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan
Native Land Jim Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand Leo Hurwitz FF Paul Robeson
Omaha !The Omaha Trail Ben Santley Buzzell !Edward Buzzell Jack Chertok MGM James Craig
Reunion in France Anton Stregel Dassin !Jules Dassin Joseph L. Mankiewicz MGM Joan Crawford, John Wayne
Wild Bill Hickok Rides Ringo Enright !Ray Enright Bryan Foy WB Constance Bennett, Bruce Cabot
1943 Tonight We Raid Calais Sgt. Block Braham !John Brahm André Daven 20th Lee J. Cobb, Beulah Bondi
1945 Ed Gardner's Duffy's Tavern Tough guy Walker !Hal Walker Danny Dare Par Bing Crosby
Lost !The Lost Weekend Nat Wilder !Billy Wilder Charles Brackett Par Ray Milland
1946 Blue !The Blue Dahlia Eddie Harwood Marshall !George Marshall John Houseman Par Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake
Two Years Before the Mast Captain Francis A. Thompson Farrow !John Farrow Seton I. Miller Par Brian Donlevy, Barry Fitzgerald
1947 Blaze of Noon Gafferty Farrow !John Farrow Robert Fellows Par Anne Baxter, William Holden
Variety Girl Self Marshall !George Marshall Daniel Dare Par DeForest Kelley, Olga San Juan
1948 Unconquered Martin Garth DeMille !Cecil B. DeMille Cecil B. DeMille Par Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard
1949 They Live by Night Chickamaw Ray !Nicholas Ray John Houseman RKO Farley Granger
Border Incident Owen Parkson Mann !Anthony Mann Nicholas Nayfack MGM Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy
Great1949 !The Great Gatsby Wilson Nugent !Elliott Nugent Richard Maibaum Par Alan Ladd
1950 Three Husbands Dan McCabe Reis !Irving Reis Isadore Goldsmith UA Eve Arden
Tripoli Capt. Demetrios Price !Will Price William H. Pine Par Maureen O'Hara
Under !The Underworld Story Carl Durham Endfield !Cy Endfield Hal E. Chester UA Dan Duryea, Gale Storm
Wyoming Mail Cavanaugh LeBorg !Reginald LeBorg Aubrey Schenck Uni Stephen McNally
1951 Fourteen Hours Deputy Police Chief Moskar Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway 20th Richard Basehart
M (1951 film) Carney Joseph Losey Seymour Nebenzal CP David Wayne
Slaughter Trail Capt. Dempster Allen !Irving Allen Irving Allen RKU Gig Young, Virginia Grey Note
1962 David and Lisa Dr. Alan Swinford Perry !Frank Perry Paul Heller CFD Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin
1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Airport officer Kramer !Stanley Kramer Stanley Kramer US Sid Caesar, Ethel Merman
1964 Outrage !The Outrage Prospector Ritt !Martin Ritt A. Ronald Lubin MGM Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom
Hamlet Claudius Bruce Minnix, Joseph Papp Larry Paulis NYS Michael Alaimo
1966 Nevada Smith Warden Henry Hathaway Joseph E. Levine Par Steve McQueen
1972 1776 Benjamin Franklin Hunt !Peter H. Hunt Jack L. Warner CP William Daniels, Blythe Danner, Ken Howard
1974 Gatsby1974 !The Great Gatsby Meyer Wolfsheim Clayton !Jack Clayton David Merrick Par Robert Redford, Mia Farrow
1975 I'm a Stranger Here Myself Narrator Halpern !David Halpern James C. Gutman Oct John Houseman
1976 Hollywood on Trial Self Halpern !David Helpern James Gutman CF/LFI Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner Jr., Walter Bernstein
1977 Private !The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover Franklin D. Roosevelt Cohen !Larry Cohen Larry Cohen AIP Broderick Crawford, Celeste Holm, José Ferrer
1981 Mommie Dearest Louis B. Mayer Frank Perry Frank Yablans Par Faye Dunaway
1984 Garbo Talks Angelo Dokakis Lumet !Sidney Lumet Burtt Harris, Elliott Kastner MGM/UA Greta Garbo, Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver

Television

Television episode and film work of Howard Da Silva
Year Title Role Notes Refs.
1950 Silver !The Silver Theatre My Heart's in the Highlands
1951 Bigelow !The Bigelow Theatre My Heart's in the Highlands
1959 Play !The Play of the Week Dupont-Dufour Sr. Thieves Carnival
1963 Defenders !The Defenders Peter Cole The Bagman
East Side/West Side Wallace Mapes I Believe E Except After C
Doctors !The Doctors and the Nurses Dr. McClendon Disaster Call
1964 Defenders !The Defenders Arnold Fermuller The Man Who
Outer !The Outer Limits Thurman Cutler I, Robot
1965 For the People Anthony Celese 13 episodes
Ben Casey Ulysses Pagoras The Day They Stole Country General
Ben Casey Cantor Nathan Birmbaum A Nightingale Named Nathan
1966 Man !The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Captain Basil Calhoun The Foreign Legion Affair
Loner !The Loner Gonzales To Hang a Dead Man
Fugitive !The Fugitive Pete Dawes Death is the Door Prize
1967 N.Y.P.D. Dimitchik Old Gangsters Never Die
Gentle Ben Phillip Garrett Battle of Wedlow Woods
1968 Mannix Aram Karmalis You Can Get Killed Out There
1972 Keep the Faith Rabbi Mossman TV film
1973 Love, American Style Doctor Wazanskyi Love and the End of the Line
Kung Fu Otto Schultz The Hoots
1974 Smile Jenny, You're Dead Lt. Humphrey Kenner TV film
Missiles !The Missiles of October Nikita Khrushchev TV film
1976 American !The American Parade Boss Tweed Stop, Thief!
1977 Insight Arnstein - Violinist Arnstein's Miracle
1978 When the Boat Comes In Host American broadcast
Great Performances Eddie Verna:USO Girl
1980 Power Jack Eisenstadt TV film
Greatest !The Greatest Man in the World Conklin TV film
1983 Archie Bunker's Place Abe Rabinowitz The Promotion
Masquerade General Breznin Pilot
1984 American Playhouse Critic The Cafeteria

Radio

CBS Radio Mystery Theater work of Howard Da Silva
Year Date Title Ep. No.
1974 July 31 "The Only Blood" 125
Dec 5 "The Body Snatchers" 183
Dec 24 "A Very Private Miracle" 191
1975 Jan 14 "Faith and the Faker" 205
Feb 14 "The Shadow of the Past" 223
Mar 20 "The Doppelganger" 242
Apr 18 "A Challenge for the Dead" 259
May 8 "Taken for Granite" 270
June 6 "The Transformer" 287
July 2 "Come Back with Me" 301
Aug 5 "Hung Jury" 321
Aug 19 "Welcome for a Dead Man" 329
Sept 18 "The Coffin with the Golden Nails" 346
Sept 28 "The Other Self " 354
Oct 23 "The Sealed Room Murder" 366
Nov 17 "The Moonlighter" 380
Nov 28 "The Frammis" 387
Dec 15 "Burn, Witch, Burn" 396
1976 Jan 19 "There's No Business Like" 418
Feb 19 "Goodbye, Benjamin Flack" 434
Apr 24 "The Prince of Evil" 475
Aug 30 "The Night Shift" 511
Oct 22 "Somebody Help Me!" 540
Dec 14 "The Smoking Pistol" 565
1977 Jan 4 "This Breed Is Doomed" 577
Feb 25 "Legend of Phoenix Hill" 607

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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