Henry Sedley (actor)

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]

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

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. "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. "Yachtsman, Jockey, Actor - Can You Beat It?". The Ardmore Daily Press. 1922-01-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. "Cut Off If She Weds Yale Man of Tragedy Fame". Record-Journal. 1913-06-28. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  6. "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. "Dorothea Ballard Smith Soon to Receive Her $2,000,000". The Boston Globe. 1921-07-29. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  10. "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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