CAST AND CREW
Mr Kubrick's masterpiece, in retrospect
Cast and Crew
Mr Kubrick's masterpiece, in retrospect
Cast and Crew
You might expect that anyone who was involved with the making of "2001: A Space Odyssey" would want people to know about it. Not one of the original cast won any great subsequent recognition in the world of acting, and we are left with occasional appearances by Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea, who played the leads as astronauts Frank Poole and David Bowman respectively, to maintain the thirty- year link back to what, for us, are their moments of glory. That is not to imply that, in their own terms, any one of these people did not enjoy more significant achievements, but that is outside the scope of 2001.
Some time ago, I put some effort into trying to track down original cast and crew members. It would have been useful additional material to provide for "30 Years On" readers, and I was asked by the organisers of 1997's Cyberfest in Urbana if I could help in that way. I had to abandon the idea, as it proved impossible to trace any reference to most of the actors involved in 2001.
The pictures and biographical notes appearing below are taken directly from the 2001 "Facts for Editorial Reference", shown in my "2001 through Other Eyes" page. Remember that these words and pictures were published in 1968. I have added brief references to introduce each one.
The only information I can provide with certainty as to the subsequent careers of any of these actors is that Leonard Rossiter is no longer with us, having died at a very early age after achieving considerable respect for his mainly- television work in the U.K.; that Robert Beatty, who was born in 1909, died in 1992; and that Douglas Rain, having always been busy on stage in his native Canada, continues to this day to reject all requests for comment regarding his creation of "the voice of Hal" (I was advised that Rain "had a not- too- pleasant association with the film" and was consequently "not keen on pursuing your kind invitation" to break his silence).
If anyone has any knowledge of what has become of cast or crew members of 2001, I would be interested to hear of it and perhaps pass it on through these Web pages.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - CAST MEMBERS
| Since 1968, Keir Dullea
has remained active, especially as a stage actor. He presented a video in 1970, "A Primer for 2001: A Space Odyssey", which is still available. Among
other appearances, Dullea provided a video greeting for the audience at Cyberfest, the University of Illinois'
celebration of the "birth" of Hal in March 1997, and in April 1998 took part in an American Film Institute
"Webcast" link- up with Arthur C. Clarke. An additional "sketch" of Dullea was published in the theatre program for 2001, reproduced in my Program page. | |
 | KEIR DULLEA, who plays Mission Commander David Bowman, in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, achieved overnight international stardom for his portrayal of David in "David and Lisa" for which he received the Best Actor Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Dullea was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but regards New York as his home town, having lived there since the age of three. He became interested in the theatre after he had attended San Francisco State College, and received his dramatic training at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse where he studied for two years under Stanford Meisner. To support himself he sold ice- cream from a pushcart and later worked as a carpenter with a construction firm. Dullea began his acting career as a resident juvenile at the Totem Pole Playhouse in Pennsylvania. He made his Broadway debut in 1956 in a revue called "Sticks and Stones" and three years later appeared off- Broadway in "Season of Choice." His training also included stock company productions at the Berkshire Playhouse and Philadelphia's Hedgerow Theatre. In 1961, Dullea made his screen debut in "The Hoodlum Priest." His subsequent screen credits include "The Thin Red Line," "Mail Order Bride," :"The Naked Hours" and "Madame X." His most recent film prior to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY was the highly lauded "The Fox." |
| Apart from the credits
listed below, Gary
Lockwood will always be remembered by Star Trek fans for the part he played in
the original televised episode of that series (which I also refer to in my Legacy
page). Lockwood made a personal appearance at Cyberfest (having to convince more than one person of his
real identity!) and joined Keir Dullea in the AFI Webcast (see above). You might also like to refer to the
twice- autographed picture in the Extras page. Lockwood's career to date was also summarised, like Dullea's, in the 2001 Theatre program.
| |
| GARY LOCKWOOD, seen as the astronaut Frank Poole, in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, became a household name to television audiences via his performance in the title role of the long- running MGM-TV series, "The Lieutenant." Lockwood, a six- foot ex- football player, began his movie career as a double for Tony Perkins in basketball sequences of "Tall Story," Josh Logan, who produced and directed the film, took an interest in him and gave him a part in the picture. This led to an important supporting role in "There Was a Little Girl," a Broadway play starring Jane Fonda and directed by Logan. Elia Kazan saw his performance in the play, featured him in "Splendor in the Grass" and put him under contract. He was then lent to producer Jerry Wald and co- starred with Elvis Presley in "Wild in the Country," following this with another Presley film, "It Happened at the World's Fair." His subsequent pictures were "Fire Creek" and "Vegas." On television, in addition to "The Lieutenant," he has been seen in "Bus Stop," "Follow the Sun" and the "Lloyd Bridges Show." A native of Newhall, California, Lockwood graduated from William S. Hart High School there, probably the only high school named after a motion picture star. |  |
| William Sylvester will always be Dr Heywood Floyd, despite the best efforts of Roy Scheider in "2010" | As indicated above, Douglas Rain prefers not to express his feelings about Hal in public, and for many people this may well be the only opportunity they ever have to see the face behind the voice. | ||
 | WILLIAM SYLVESTER, born in Oakland, Calif., studied at the University of California and received his acting training at London's Royal Academy. He first won notice on the London stage in "Dark of the Moon" and, following other stage successes there, appeared on Broadway in "Mister Johnson." He has toured with the Old Vic Company and regularly appears in television roles. Sylvester's most recent screen credits include "Gorgo," "Offbeat" and "Devil Doll." |  | DOUGLAS RAIN studied acting at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta, Canada, and at the Old Vic School in England, later appearing with the Old Vic Company. A charter member of the Stratford, Ontario Festival Company, he is particularly remembered for his portrayal of "Henry V" in 1966. He also scored in Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" in the Shaw Festival at Niagara- on- the- Lake, and last year returned to London for the leading role in "The Hollow Crown." |
| Leonard Rossiter was at the peak of his career on British television when he died at a tragically young age. Surprisingly, perhaps, he was best known for his comedy parts, and his most loved role was as the lead in the popular series "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin". | If you have difficulty recognising Daniel Richter, that is hardly surprising, as his expertise as a mime artist and his slim build were well disguised under his Moonwatcher costume. | ||
 | LEONARD ROSSITER, born in Liverpool and educated at Liverpool Collegiate School, is one of England's most prominent stage, screen and television actors. He has appeared with the Bristol Old Vic and in such plays as Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh," Shaw's "Arms and the Man" and "Semi Detached," the latter both in London and New York. "A Kind of Loving" was his first film, followed by "This Sporting Life," "Billy Liar," "King Rat" and "Diamonds for Breakfast," among many others. |  | DANIEL RICHTER, born in Darien, Conn., attended the Kent School there, then studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has taught at the American Mime School, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Gene Frankel Theatre Workshop in New York, and for four years toured the United States, staging mime shows in major cities and at universities. Richter has made his home in England for the past three years. He makes his screen debut in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. |
| Margaret Tyzack sat with Leonard Rossiter on the orbiting Hilton, quizzing William Sylvester (as Heywood Floyd) on the situation at Clavius Base on the Moon. It was her husband who was "doing some underwater research in the Baltic". | Robert Beatty's role was "Halvorsen" ("that was an excellent speech you gave us, Dr. Floyd"... it certainly "beefed up morale"), and we have to turn to Clarke's book to learn that he was "Administrator" of the area on the Moon where the monolith was uncovered. | ||
 | MARGARET TYZACK won the Gilbert Prize while attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her long list of stage credits include "The Flowering Cherry," "The Silver Box," the Royal Shakespeare Company Production of "The Lower Depths," "Macbeth" and "The Ginger Man," and she has starred in more than 100 television plays. "Ring of Spies" was her only motion picture prior to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. |  | ROBERT BEATTY, Canadian- born, enrolled at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts after receiving a B.A. degree at Toronto University. London stage audiences have applauded him in "The PhiladelphiaStory," "Born Yesterday," "Two for the Seesaw" and "A Difference of Opinion," and his film credits include "Man on a Tightrope," "Something of Value" and "The Amorous Prawn." Following 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, he joined Richard Burton in MGM's "Where Eagles Dare." |
| Sean Sullivan was cast as Michaels (Dr Roy Michaels, described by Clarke as "a grizzled little geophysicist"!), who accompanied Floyd and Halvorsen to the Tycho excavation ("Anybody hungry?" "They're getting better at it") and was present when the monolith emitted its screeching signal. | |||
 | SEAN SULLIVAN, born in Toronto, won two Best Actor awards at the Dominion Drama Festival and has played many leading roles on the Toronto stage. He starred in and also directed "Of Mice and Men," "The Rainmaker" and "Golden Boy" and has appeared on Canadian television in more than 200 plays. He produced the award- winning film, "The Dangerous Age," and on the British screen has starred in "Nobody Waved Goodbye," "The Young Ones" and "During One Night." | ||
It often surprises people to learn how many actors did in fact appear in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Think of them. All the "ape" people. Spacecraft crew. "Passers by" on the space station. Frank's parents. Attendees at the Clavius Base conference, and that photographer. Visitors to the Tycho excavation. Mission Controller. Martin Amer and the BBC anchor man. The unfortunate trio of Hunter, Kaminsky and Kimball. Surveyors at Clavius Base. The Voiceprint Identification receptionist. Miller of Station Security. "Squirt" (shown as Heywood Floyd's daughter - in reality Stanley Kubrick's own daughter Vivian, who was not credited with her birthday request for a "telephone" (bright kid, she had no difficulty recognising that a bushbaby was much more to Dad's liking) and is today a respected film producer in her own right).
The following is the most complete list I have been able to create of the full list of actors. Heather Downham provided us with her memorable act as the somersaulting hostess. Frank Miller was in reality a U.S. Air Force Traffic Controller, hired by Kubrick to provide the most convincing possible voice for Mission Control ("Roger your one-niner-three-zero"). I cannot advise on the specific part that any of the other actors played, nor do I have any information about any of them.
 | John Ashley | | Glenn Beck | | Jimmy Bell | | Edward Bishop | | Penny Brahms | | Edwina Carroll |
| David Charkham | | Simon Davis | | Jonathan Daw | | Peter Delmar | | Heather Downham | | Terry Duggan |
| David Fleetwood | | Alan Gifford | | Ann Gillis | | Danny Grover | | Sean Hawley | | David Hines |
| Tony Jackson | | John Jordan | | Mike Lovell | | Scott Mackie | | Laurence Marchant | | Frank Miller |
| Darryl Paes | | Joe Refalo | | Andy Wallace | | Bill Weston | | Bob Wilyman | | Richard Wood |
| Stanley Kubrick | designed and directed the Special Photographic Effects |
| Wally Veevers Douglas Trumbull Con Pederson Tom Howard | supervised the Special Photographic Effects |
| Tony
Masters Harry Lange Ernest Archer | were the Production Designers |
| Ray Lovejoy | was Film Editor |
| Hardy Amies | created the Wardrobe |
| Geoffrey Unsworth | was Director of Photography |
| John Alcott | was responsible for Additional Photography |
| Derek Cracknell | was First Assistant Director |
| Colin J. Cantwell Bruce Logan Bryan Loftus David Osborne Frederick Martin John Jack Malick | comprised the Special Photographic Effects Unit |
| Kelvin Pike | was Camera Operator |
| John Hoesli | was Art Director |
| Winston Ryder | was Sound Editor |
| Stuart Freeborn | was responsible for Make-Up |
| David de Wilde | was Editorial Assistant |
| A. W. Watkins | was Sound Supervisor |
| H. L. Bird | was Sound Mixer |
| J. B. Smith | was Chief Dubbing Mixer |
| Frederick I. Ordway III | was Scientific Consultant |
I would like to say "thank you" to everyone involved in making "2001: A Space Odyssey", and would welcome any information that anyone may be able to pass on about them.
The kind of charming little note that turns up in my mailbox from time to time:
My grandfather worked at Elstree Studios and participated in the building of of the space craft - he was a carpenter... 2001 was the last film he made before he retired. (Penny Ling)
Actor photographs and profiles: Copyright © 1968 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
This page: Copyright © 1998 by Underman