Edward Sedgwick (November 7, 1889 â€" March 7, 1953) was an American
film director, writer, actor and producer.He was born in Galveston,
Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both
stage actors. At the age of four, young Edward Sedgwick joined his
show business family in what was then the Sedgwick Comedy Company, a
vaudeville act, doing a "singing speciality". He played child parts
and did vaudeville acts until he was seven, when he was given his
first comedy part, that of an Irish immigrant, in a comedy written by
his father called Just Over.During this time, he was only on stage
during the summer months. In winter his father took him back to
Galveston and sent him to school. He graduated from St. Mary's
University of Galveston, and was then sent to the Peacock Military
Academy in San Antonio, from which he graduated with the rank of first
lieutenant. After graduation, he seriously contemplated a military
life but the lure of the stage proved stronger and so he rejoined his
father's company, now known as "The Five Sedgwicks." The troupe
consisted of his parents, himself and his two sisters. Forced to close
the act through the father's illness, Sedgwick went into musical
comedy and soon had a company of his own, known as "The Cabaret
Girls," produced, directed and managed by himself. The company was
very successful, and it was only after repeated offers from Romaine
Fielding that he was induced, at the end of his third successful
season, to disband his company and become a film-actor.The two other
family members were Edward's twin sisters Eileen and Josie Sedgwick,
who both later pursued successful silent-movie acting careers.
Sedgwick broke into films as a comedian in 1915, frequently cast as a
zany baseball player. He then became a serial director six years later
in 1921, and moved on to the Tom Mix western unit. Sedgwick's love of
baseball came in handy for the ballpark sequences of Mix's Stepping
Out, Buck Jones’ Hit and Run, William Haines’ Slide, Kelly, Slide,
Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman, and Robert Young’s Death on the
Diamond.
film director, writer, actor and producer.He was born in Galveston,
Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both
stage actors. At the age of four, young Edward Sedgwick joined his
show business family in what was then the Sedgwick Comedy Company, a
vaudeville act, doing a "singing speciality". He played child parts
and did vaudeville acts until he was seven, when he was given his
first comedy part, that of an Irish immigrant, in a comedy written by
his father called Just Over.During this time, he was only on stage
during the summer months. In winter his father took him back to
Galveston and sent him to school. He graduated from St. Mary's
University of Galveston, and was then sent to the Peacock Military
Academy in San Antonio, from which he graduated with the rank of first
lieutenant. After graduation, he seriously contemplated a military
life but the lure of the stage proved stronger and so he rejoined his
father's company, now known as "The Five Sedgwicks." The troupe
consisted of his parents, himself and his two sisters. Forced to close
the act through the father's illness, Sedgwick went into musical
comedy and soon had a company of his own, known as "The Cabaret
Girls," produced, directed and managed by himself. The company was
very successful, and it was only after repeated offers from Romaine
Fielding that he was induced, at the end of his third successful
season, to disband his company and become a film-actor.The two other
family members were Edward's twin sisters Eileen and Josie Sedgwick,
who both later pursued successful silent-movie acting careers.
Sedgwick broke into films as a comedian in 1915, frequently cast as a
zany baseball player. He then became a serial director six years later
in 1921, and moved on to the Tom Mix western unit. Sedgwick's love of
baseball came in handy for the ballpark sequences of Mix's Stepping
Out, Buck Jones’ Hit and Run, William Haines’ Slide, Kelly, Slide,
Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman, and Robert Young’s Death on the
Diamond.
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