Frank Silvera was a Jamaican-born American actor and director who had a remarkable career in film, television and theatre. He was known for his ability to play a wide range of ethnic roles, from Latino to Polynesian to white. He was also a passionate advocate for civil rights and black theatre. He died in 1970 by a tragic accident that shocked his fans and colleagues.
Early Life and Career
Frank Silvera was born on July 24, 1914 in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of a mixed-race Jamaican mother, Gertrude Bell and Portuguese 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 University 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).
Civil Rights Activism and Theatre of Being
By the 1960s, Frank Silvera had become emotionally invested in the ongoing civil rights movement. He openly protested the demeaning roles given to African American actors and actively expressed his dissatisfaction with racist and discriminatory practices in Hollywood and across America. His protest included placing full ads in Hollywood newspapers, attacking the film industry and challenging many of his old acting associates in New York and Hollywood to stand in the fight against segregated America. He also turned his focus to directing and producing by founding the Frank Silvera Theatre of Being in Los Angeles, which trained aspiring young black actors and personally financed the theatre in its early years. Silvera also sponsored black-oriented plays such as James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, which had a successful run on Broadway in the 1970s.
Some of Silvera’s most notable film appearances include One-Eyed Jacks (1961), The Appaloosa (1966), Fear and Desire (1953) and Killer’s Kiss (1955). He also made guest appearances in a number of television shows including The Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Silvera had a recurring role as Don Sebastian Montoya in the TV series The High Chaparral when he died.
Death by Accident
Silvera was killed on June 11, 1970, after accidentally electrocuting himself while repairing a garbage disposal unit in his kitchen sink. He was 55 years old. His death was initially attributed to a heart attack because he had been undergoing treatment for high blood pressure His widow Jeannine Alina Pryor later sued General Electric Company for $10 million for negligence and defective design of the disposal unit.
Silvera’s death was mourned by his fans and colleagues who remembered him as a versatile and talented actor and director who broke racial barriers and championed black theatre. In 1973, the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop Foundation, Inc. was created in honor of Silvera and his efforts to support African American actors and playwrights. The foundation is still active today and has produced many notable works by black writers such as August Wilson, Ntozake Shange and Charles Fuller.
Frank Silvera was a pioneer and a legend in the entertainment industry who left behind a legacy of excellence and diversity. His tragic death by a freak accident was a loss not only for his family and friends, but also for the world of art and culture.
