Frank Silvera

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Frank Silvera (July 24, 1914 – June 11, 1970) was an American actor and theatrical director. Silvera was born in Kingston, Jamaica the son of a mixed race Jamaican mother, Gertrude Bell and Spanish Jewish father, Alfred Silvera. His family emigrated to the United States when he was six-years old, settling in Boston. Silvera became interested in acting and began performing in amateur theatrical groups and at church. He graduated from English High School of Boston and then studied at Boston University, followed by the Northeastern Law School. Silvera left Northeastern Law School in 1934, when he was cast in Paul Green's production of Roll Sweet Chariot. He next joined the New England Repertory Theatre where he appeared in productions of MacBeth, Othello and The Emperor Jones. He also worked at Federal Theatre and with the New Hampshire Repertory Theatre. In 1940, Silvera made his Broadway debut in a small role in Big White Fog. His career was interrupted in 1942, when he enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. He was assigned to Camp Robert Smalls, where he and Owen Dodson were in charge of entertainment. Silvera directed and acted in radio programs and appeared in USO shows. Honorably discharged at the war's end in 1945, he joined the cast of Anna Lucasta and became a member of the Actors Studio. In 1952, Silvera made his film debut in the western, The Cimarron Kid. Because of his strongly Latin appearance, he was cast in a variety of ethnic roles in films and television. He was cast as General Huerta in Viva Zapata! which starred Marlon Brando. Silvera also portrayed the role in the stage production, which opened at the Regent Theatre in New York City on February 28, 1952. He appeared in two films directed by Stanley Kubrick, Fear and Desire (1953) and Killer's Kiss (1955). Silvera made guest appearances in numerous television series, mainly dramas and westerns, including Studio One in Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bat Masterson, Thriller, Riverboat, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, The Untouchables, and Bonanza. In 1962 he portrayed Dr. Koslenko in The Twilight Zone episode "Person or Persons Unknown", opposite Richard Long. That year, he also played Minarii, a Polynesian man in the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, again starring Marlon Brando. In 1963, Silvera was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Monsieur Duval in The Lady of the Camellias. In 1964, Silvera and Vantile Whitfield founded the Theatre of Being, a Los Angeles-based theatre dedicated to providing black actors with non-stereotypical roles. One of their first projects was producing The Amen Corner by African-American writer James Baldwin. Silvera and Whitfield financed the play themselves and with donations from friends. It opened on March 4, 1964 and would gross $200,000 within the year, moving to Broadway in April 1965. Beah Richards won critical acclaim for her performance as the lead. Silvera was killed on June 11, 1970, after accidentally electrocuting himself while repairing a garbage disposal unit in his kitchen sink. Description above from the Wikipedia article Frank Silvera, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Birth Location Kingston, British West Indies [now Kingston, Jamaica]
Born 1914-07-24
Died 1970-06-11

Movies

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks as Self (voice)
2004
Perilous Voyage as Gen. Salazar
1976
Valdez Is Coming as Diego
1971
1971
Che! as Goatherd
1969
Uptight as Kyle
1968
1968
The Young Loner as Carlos
1968
1967
Hombre as Mexican Bandit
1967
The Appaloosa as Ramos
1966
Toys in the Attic as Henry Simpson
1963
1962
Key Witness as Det. Rafael Torno
1960
The Mountain Road as Colonel Kwan
1960
1960
Crime and Punishment USA as Lt. Porter
1959
Crowded Paradise as Papa Diaz
1956
Killer's Kiss as Vincent Rapallo
1955
Death Tide as Eric
1955
The Lonely Night as The Narrator
1954
White Mane as Narrator (English) (voice)
1953
1953
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima as Council Administrator Arturo dos Santos
1952
The Fighter as Paulino
1952
Viva Zapata! as Huerta
1952
The Cimarron Kid as Stacey Marshall
1952
A Visit to Picasso as Commentator
1950
Frank Silvera hasn't worked on any movies or TV shows