His treachery and ability to switch sides back and forth mark him as a true pirate. Also like many crippled pirates, he became a ship's cook. Like many pirates, he had lost a limb in battle somewhere: this would have entitled him to extra loot under most pirate articles. In Black Sails, Silver is clever and opportunistic. Silver is one of the great all-time literary characters and arguably the best-known fictional pirate ever. Silver is at first a loyal ally, but soon his treachery is discovered as he attempts to steal the ship and the treasure. Young Jim Hawkins and his friends set out to find a great treasure: they hire a ship and crew, including the one-legged Silver. He is an important character in the TV show Black Sails as well.
Robert Newton played him several times in the 1950's: his language and dialect are responsible for the 'pirate speak' so popular today ('Arrrr, matey!').
