Musical Artist - Da Silva, Howard

Da Silva as Benjamin Franklin in 1776

Howard Da Silva was an American actor notable for his appearances in stage productions of Oklahoma!, Fiorello!, and 1776. Da Silva's stage career began in 1930, and he quickly found himself appearing in feature films as well. He appeared in the original Broadway cast for plays such as Oklahoma! and 1776, and accumulated numerous other stage credits in productions such as Alice in Wonderland, The Cradle Will Rock, Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Purlie Victorious, and Casey Jones.

On the big screen, Da Silva appeared in dozens of films including The Sea Wolf, Sergeant York, Tonight We Raid Calais, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, and two different screen adaptations of The Great Gatsby. Da Silva's career was interrupted for much of the 1950s when he was blacklisted after invoking his Fifth Amendment privileges during his testimony before the House Committee on Unamerican Activities, but by the early 1960s the blacklist was broken and he was able to work again.

Beginning in the early 1960s, Da Silva had a successful television career that included guest appearances on The Outer Limits, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mannix, and The Fugitive. Da Silva was also paired with William Shatner on the short-lived series For the People.

Musical Monday Selections:

07/04/16: The Egg (with William Daniels and Ken Howard)

07/03/17: The Lees of Old Virginia (with Ron Holgate and William Daniels)

Musical Monday    Musical Artists - D     Musical Artists A-Z     Home