Henry Sedley

Henry McDonald Sedley (1881–1962 ) 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.

Prior to achieving fame in silent film, he owned several racehorses and was a champion jockey. Born in New York in 1881, he attended St. Paul's school, Andover, and the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale University, He bought a 70-foot racing yacht from Alfred G. Vanderbilt, and was described as a bon vivant. In 1907 he reached a settlement for $300. 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. In 1912, he was in the news when a young woman's grandmother forbade her from marrying him.

He was a stage actor for five years prior to transitioning to film in the late 1910s. 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, Early in his career he roomed with Adolphe Menjou, and the two shared their possessions and paychecks.

His early film roles included The Daredevil, Thunderbolts of Fate, and The Kaiser's Bride. He had two sisters, Eleanor and Barbara.

Partial filmography The Hidden Hand (1917), a serial Just for Tonight (1918) as Crandall Marriage for Convenience (1919) as Howard Pollard Taxi as Duke Beamer Voices as Justin Lord The Woman God Changed (1921) as Alastair De Vries The Silver Lining as Mr. Baxter Straight Is the Way as Jonathan Squoggs The Last Call (1922) Find the Woman (1922) John Smith (1922) as Lawyer The Exciters (1923) The Custard Cup (1923) as Frank Bosley The Devil's Partner (1923) as Henri, Jeanne's Father The Broken Violin For Another Woman (1924) The Last Chord (1925) The Fool (1925) One Hour of Love (1927) as Tom Webb Married Alive (1927) as Max Ferbur Blonde or Brunette (1927) as Turney Million Dollar Mystery as Leo Braine Web of Fate (1927) as Linton The Racket (1928) as Spike His Last Haul (1928) as Blackmailer Tropic Madness (1928) as Johnson The Bride of the Colorado (1928) as Regan The Ghost Talks (1929) The Man from Arizona (1932) as Buck Gallagher Fighting for Justice (1932) as Bull Barnard Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934) as The Baron's friend