Henry Silva, Ocean's Eleven and Johnny Cool actor, dies at 95

Henry Silva, a prolific character actor best known for his villain roles in hundreds of films including Ocean's Eleven and The Manchurian Candidate, died Sept. 14 in California. He was 95.

His son Scott confirmed his death, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills to The New York Times.

Silva appeared in over hundreds of movies and TV shows, where he often had memorable turns as tough guys. He played an assassin in Johnny Cool (1963), a drug dealer in A Hatful of Rain (1957), and a corrupt CIA operative in Above the Law (1988).

The actor also appeared in a number of movies opposite Frank Sinatra and other Rat Pack members (a group of performers that also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford), including Ocean's Eleven (1960), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), and Sergeants 3 (1962).

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Henry Silva in 'The Secret Invasion' (1964)

Silva made his final film appearance with a cameo in the 2001 Ocean's Eleven remake starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. On the TV front, Silva brought his signature tough guy persona to various Batman cartoons, including 1992's Batman: The Animated Series and 1997's The New Batman Adventures, voicing supervillain Bane.

"I see a lot of actors who play heavies, but they always play the same heavies," Silva told Chicago Tribune in 2000, about his endurance as Hollywood's villain "I have a seven-minute reel of clips from my movies, and none of the guys are the same. I don't always go to the same place, because that would be boring. I read the page and it tells me who the character is. I don't intrude myself on the page — I let it affect me — but I don't play it safe either."

Martin's daughter Deana Martin paid tribute to Silva on Twitter following the news of his death. "Our hearts are broken at the loss of our dear friend Henry Silva, one of the nicest, kindest and most talented men I've had the pleasure of calling my friend," she wrote. "He was the last surviving star of the original Oceans 11 movie. We love you Henry, you will be missed."

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