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Frank Silvera (July 24, 1914 – June 11, 1970) was an American actor and theatrical director.

Silvera was born in Kingston, Jamaica the son of a mixed race Jamaican mother, Gertrude Bell and Spanish 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 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).

Silvera made guest appearances in numerous television series, mainly dramas and westerns, including Studio One in Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bat Masterson, Thriller, Riverboat, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, The Untouchables, and Bonanza. In 1962 he portrayed Dr. Koslenko in The Twilight Zone episode "Person or Persons Unknown", opposite Richard Long. That year, he also played Minarii, a Polynesian man in the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty, again starring Marlon Brando. In 1963, Silvera was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Monsieur Duval in The Lady of the Camellias.

In 1964, Silvera and Vantile Whitfield founded the Theatre of Being, a Los Angeles-based theatre dedicated to providing black actors with non-stereotypical roles. One of their first projects was producing The Amen Corner by African-American writer James Baldwin. Silvera and Whitfield financed the play themselves and with donations from friends. It opened on March 4, 1964 and would gross $200,000 within the year, moving to Broadway in April 1965. Beah Richards won critical acclaim for her performance as the lead.

Silvera was killed on June 11, 1970, after accidentally electrocuting himself while repairing a garbage disposal unit in his kitchen sink.

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Frank Alvin Silvera (Kingston, Jamaica, 24 de juliol de 1914 - Pasadena, Califòrnia, 11 de juny de 1970) va ser un actor i director teatral nord-americà.

Frank (Alvin) Silvera est un acteur américain d'origine jamaïcaine, né le 24 juillet 1914 à Kingston (Jamaïque ; alors Empire britannique) et mort le 11 juin 1970 à Pasadena (Californie).

Au théâtre, Frank Silvera joue notamment à Broadway (New York), où il débute en 1940. Là, ses deuxième et troisième pièces sont Camino Real de Tennessee Williams (1953, avec Joseph Anthony et Jo Van Fleet) et Colombe de Jean Anouilh (1954, avec Julie Harris dans le rôle-titre et Eli Wallach).

Par la suite à Broadway, citons également A Hatful of Rain de Michael V. Gazzo (1955-1956, avec Ben Gazzara puis Steve McQueen, Shelley Winters puis Vivian Blaine) et La Dame aux camélias d'Alexandre Dumas fils (1963, avec Susan Strasberg dans le rôle-titre et Lou Antonio).

Sa dernière pièce à Broadway (dont il est en outre le metteur en scène) est Le Coin des Amen de James Baldwin (avec Juanita Moore), représentée en 1965.

Au cinéma, il contribue à vingt-cinq films américains, les quatre premiers sortis en 1952 (dont Viva Zapata ! d'Elia Kazan, avec Marlon Brando).

Il tourne dans les deux premiers longs métrages de Stanley Kubrick, Fear and Desire (1953, avec Paul Mazursky) et Le Baiser du tueur (1955, avec Jamie Smith et Irene Kane). Ultérieurement, mentionnons La Diablesse en collant rose de George Cukor (1960, avec Anthony Quinn et Sophia Loren), ainsi que les westerns L'Homme de la Sierra de Sidney J. Furie (1966, avec Marlon Brando et Anjanette Comer) et Hombre de Martin Ritt (1967, avec Paul Newman et Fredric March).

Son dernier film est le western Valdez d'Edwin Sherin (avec Burt Lancaster et Susan Clark), sorti le 9 avril 1971, près de dix mois après sa mort prématurée accidentelle, à 55 ans, à la suite d'une électrocution.

Pour la télévision, Frank Silvera contribue à quarante-huit séries entre 1949 et 1971 (diffusion posthume), dont Au nom de la loi (un épisode, 1958), La Quatrième Dimension (un épisode, 1962), Les Mystères de l'Ouest (un épisode, 1967) et Le Grand Chaparral (quatorze épisodes, 1967-1970, dans le rôle récurrent de Don Sebastian Montoya).

S'ajoutent trois téléfilms, les deux premiers diffusés en 1968 et 1971 (chacun en deux parties, dans le cadre de l'émission Le Monde merveilleux de Disney); le troisième, tourné en 1970, est diffusé seulement en 1976 (plus de six ans après sa mort).

Source: Article "Frank Silvera" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.