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]
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 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]