Howard Da Silva

Howard Da Silva was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4th May, 1909. He moved to Hollywood where he acted in several films including I'm Still Alive (1940), Strange Alibi (1941), The Sea Wolf (1941), Sergeant York (1941), Native Land (1942), Five Were Chosen (1942), The Lost Weekend (1945), The Blue Dahlia (1946), and Variety Girl(1947).

In 1947 the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) began an investigation into the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry. The HUAC interviewed 41 people who were working in Hollywood. These people attended voluntarily and became known as "friendly witnesses". When Robert Taylor was interviewed he claimed: "I can name a few who seem to sort of disrupt things once in a while. Whether or not they are Communists I don't know. One chap we have currently, I think is Howard Da Silva. He always seems to have something to say at the wrong time."

Called before the HUAC, Da Silva, refused to answer any questions and was blacklisted. After this was lifted he appeared in David and Lisa (1962), Hamlet (1964), Nevada Smith(1966), The Great Gatsby (1974), Hollywood on Trial (1976) and the Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977). Howard Da Silva died in New York on 16th February, 1986.