Henry Silva, a prolific character actor best known for his villain roles in hundreds of films including Ocean’s Eleven and The Manchurian Candidate, died Sept. 14 in California. He was 95.
Silva died Wednesday of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills in California, his son Scott Silva said.
The actor shared the screen in two of Frank Sinatra’s best-known movies: Ocean’s Eleven in 1960, the Las Vegas heist film that also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and other ‘Rat Pack’ members; and The Manchurian Candidate in 1962, the Cold War thriller.
Silva was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Spanish Harlem.
Silva was also seen on such television series as “Wagon Train” and “The F.B.I.,” and in such films as Warren Beatty’s “Dick Tracy,” Jerry Lewis’ “Cinderfella” and “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,” in which he played a mobster in the 1999 release directed by one of his admirers, Jim Jarmusch.
Martin’s daughter Deana Martin paid tribute to Silva on Twitter following the news of his death. “Our hearts are broken at the loss of our dear friend Henry Silva, one of the nicest, kindest and most talented men I’ve had the pleasure of calling my friend,” she wrote. “He was the last surviving star of the original Oceans 11 movie. We love you Henry, you will be missed.”
