Henry Silva was born on September 23, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York, a city that would play a significant role in shaping his early life and career. At the tender age of 13, he made the bold decision to quit public school, opting instead to attend drama classes to hone his craft. To support himself, he took on a job as a dishwasher in a Manhattan hotel, a humble beginning that would eventually lead to greater things.
As he grew older, Silva's passion for acting only intensified, and by 1955, he had worked his way up from dishwasher to waiter. Feeling ready to take the next step, he auditioned for the prestigious Actors Studio, where he was one of only five students selected from a pool of over 2,500 applicants.
The Actors Studio's production of Michael V. Gazzo's play "A Hatful of Rain" proved to be a groundbreaking success, transferring from the classroom to Broadway and featuring Silva alongside a talented group of students, including Ben Gazzara, Shelley Winters, Harry Guardino, Anthony Franciosa, and others.
The success of "A Hatful of Rain" led to Silva's move to Hollywood, where he quickly established himself as a talented character actor, taking on a wide range of roles in films such as The Bravados (1958),Green Mansions (1959),Ocean's Eleven (1960),The Manchurian Candidate (1962),and Johnny Cool (1963).
However, it was an offer from an Italian producer that would change the course of Silva's career. He was asked to star in a spaghetti Western, The Hills Run Red (1966),a film that would catapult him to stardom in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France. Silva's fluency in Italian and Spanish, as well as his ability to bring gritty realism to his roles, made him a hot commodity in Europe.
After his success in the spaghetti Western, Silva returned to the United States, where he co-starred with Frank Sinatra in the film Contract on Cherry Street (1977). He then signed on to play the role of Kane, the evil adversary of Buck Rogers, in the film and television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979).
Today, Silva resides in the San Fernando Valley, but continues to make frequent trips to Europe to work on film projects. A dedicated jogger, he puts in five miles a day to stay in shape and relieve tension.
