Henry Sedley
Seena Owen and Henry Sedley in The Woman God Changed (1921)
Facing off with Taylor Holmes in Taxi (1919)

Henry McDonald Sedley (1881–1962[1]) was an American actor. He caused the death of a fellow student while a freshman at Yale University in 1901, which may have been the reason for a young woman being banned by her grandmother from marrying him.[2]

Prior to achieving fame in silent film, he owned several racehorses and was a champion jockey.[3][4] Born in New York in 1881, he attended St. Paul's school, Andover, and the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University,[4] though he did not complete a degree at Yale.[5] He bought a 70 foot racing yacht from Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and was described as a bon vivant.[4]

When a freshman at Yale in 1901, he caused the death of a classmate, Edward F. Corrigan.[2] He was expelled from Yale in the aftermath.[5][6] In 1907 he reached a settlement for $300.[6][7] About the same time, Oliver Barnes, a wealthy friend from Reno, Nevada, took Sedley under his wing and assisted his transition into the film industry.[8] In 1912, he was in the news when a young woman's grandmother forbade her from marrying him.[2][9]

He was a stage actor for five years prior to transitioning to film in the late 1910s.[4][10] Early in his film career he was known for playing villains. He was almost six feet tall. Having a slight build, he was not given to portrayals of physical conflict,[10] but in at least one instance (in Straight is the Way, 1921) his fight scene was highlighted in a review.[11] Early in his career he roomed with Adolphe Menjou, and the two shared their possessions and paychecks.[12]

His early film roles included The Daredevil, Thunderbolts of Fate, and The Kaiser's Bride.[10]

Family

His father, also named Henry Sedley, was an engineer and journalist. His mother was Eleanor Phelps McKeague.[9] His younger brother Parke Godwin Sedley was a stockbroker.[2][13][14] He had two sisters, Eleanor and Barbara.[15]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Henry Sedley". IMDb.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Girl Doesn't Know the Youths She Is Forbidden to Wed". The Evening World. 1912-06-28. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  3. ↑ "Versatile Man is Sedley, Who Appears in Film Play, "The Woman God Changed"". Star Tribune. 1921-06-26. p. 38. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Yachtsman, Jockey, Actor - Can You Beat It?". The Ardmore Daily Press. 1922-01-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. 1 2 "Cut Off If She Weds Yale Man of Tragedy Fame". Record-Journal. 1913-06-28. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  6. 1 2 "Still Rich Even If She Weds a Sedley". The Sun. 1913-06-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. ↑ "Settle Death Suit for $300. Henry McP. Sedley Prosecuted for Killing of Yale Student Corrigan". The New York Times. 1907-08-22. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  8. ↑ "Gilded Youth Who Amuses Himself Spending His Money With Delicious Ease; Breakfast Cost About $1500". Reno Gazette-Journal. 1907-07-09. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  9. 1 2 "Dorothea Ballard Smith Soon to Receive Her $2,000,000". The Boston Globe. 1921-07-29. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  10. 1 2 3 "Henry Sedley a Product of Stage". Detroit Free Press. 1923-12-06. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  11. ↑ "Henry Sedley Falls Hard for Realism on Reel". The San Francisco Examiner. 1921-04-14. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  12. ↑ "Adolphe Menjou at Empire This Week". The Montgomery Advertiser. 1927-01-23. p. 26. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  13. ↑ "History of the Class of 1906: Yale College". 1906.
  14. ↑ "Henry Sedley Passes Away". The Sacramento Bee. 20 January 1899. p. 8.
  15. ↑ "Girl Doesn't Know the Youths She Is Forbidden to Wed". The Evening World. 1912-06-28. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  16. ↑ Soister, John T.; Nicolella, Henry; Joyce, Steve (January 10, 2014). American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. McFarland. ISBN 9780786487905 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Wlaschin, Ken (May 1, 2009). Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 9780786443505 – via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "The Broken Violin". Variety. Vol. 71, no. 7. 1923-07-05. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  19. ↑ Maltin, Leonard; Green, Spencer; Edelman, Rob; Scheinfeld, Michael; Weaver, Tom (September 21, 2015). Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9780147516824 – via Google Books.


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