- Provides an audio commentary for the DVD version of The Return of Mr. Moto (1965) (part of the special features in Peter Lorre's Mr. Moto DVD collection). While making minimal comments about that movie itself, he does address the issue of his heritage. Wryly noting he had been assumed to be everything, including Russian, he specifically denied being of Puerto Rican heritage, which is the most commonly reported. He states that his mother was from northern Spain and that his father was Italian. He was born in Brooklyn but left there when he was only five months old. His father left his mother when Silva was only three months old. Silva says that he was only eight years old when he decided to become an actor, although he didn't do anything about it until his teens. His inspiration was primarily his mother. Apparently, she was a storyteller and, upon returning from shopping, would fill their apartment with vivid characterizations of the grocer, baker etc. Silva concludes by noting that he thinks of his mother every day.
- Of Sicilian and Spanish ancestry, Silva speaks Italian and Spanish fluently. He reportedly did not learn to speak English until he was eight years old.
- Silva excelled at playing bad guys. He did play the titular hero in The Return of Mr. Moto (1965) but later reportedly regarded this role as his worst work ever.
- Had played the same character (Bane) on three different series: Batman: The Animated Series (1992), Superman: The Animated Series (1996) and The New Batman Adventures (1997).
- The 1930 census lists him (as "Harry") living with his divorced mother in Manhattan. This census entry gives both his parents' birthplaces as "Porto Rico".
- Had two sons from his marriage to Ruth Earl: Michael Henry Silva (born September 3, 1969 in Los Angeles) and Scott Stevens Silva (born July 14, 1976 in Los Angeles).
- In 1965, an Italian film producer made Silva an offer to star as a hero for a change and he moved his family overseas. Silva's turning-point picture was a Spaghetti Western, The Hills Run Red (1966), which made him a hot box-office commodity in Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
- After appearing in the remake Ocean's Eleven (2001), he retired from acting after 50 years in the motion picture industry. He passed away on September 14, 2022, only nine days away from what would have been his 96th birthday on September 23.
- Between 1966 and 1977, he starred or co-starred in at least 25 movies, the majority of which were Italian Poliziotteschi films, where he normally played the villain or hitman, or the dark hero, or a combination of the two. These include The Italian Connection (1972), The Boss (1973) and Almost Human (1974).
- Silva also starred as himself in a spoof of "In Search of..."-type shows in the comedy Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) for a segment titled Henry Silva's "Bullshit, or Not!".
- By 1955, Silva felt ready to audition for the Actors Studio. He was accepted. When the Studio staged Michael V. Gazzo's play "A Hatful of Rain" as a classroom project (which itself grew out of an earlier improvisation by Silva, Paul Richards and Cathy Wellman, based on a scene written by Gazzo, entitled "Pot"), it proved so successful that it was presented on Broadway, with students Ben Gazzara, Shelley Winters, Harry Guardino, along with Franciosa, Richards and Silva, in key roles. Silva also appeared in the play's film version.
- Along with Angie Dickinson, he is one of only two actors to appear in both Ocean's Eleven (1960) and its remake Ocean's Eleven (2001). Upon his death on September 14, 2022, Angie Dickinson, is the last living star from the original Ocean's Eleven movie.
- Silva gradually became typecast playing mobsters, robbers and other criminals. However, he did play a comic role as one of the stepbrothers in Jerry Lewis' comedy Cinderfella (1960), a parody of Cinderella with Lewis in the title role.
- His date of birth is often listed as September 15, 1928.
- He had a slight Asian appearance which led to him being cast in Asian roles such as in "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) and especially "The Return of Mr. Moto" (1965).
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