Actor. He was an English stage and film actor in the first half of the 20th century. Born Henry Hinchliffe Ainley, to a textile worker, Richard Ainley and his wife Ada, he had little to no formal acting education. He was a handsome man with a beautiful stage voice. After being in a managerial role in the theater, he made his professional stage debut as a walk-on for F.R. Benson's company of actors and later joined Herbert Beerbohm Tree's company. Appearing in mainly Shakespearean roles, his first stage role was as a messenger in "Macbeth". He also appeared as Glo'ster in "Henry V" at the Lyceum in London and returned to Leeds to play at the Grand Theatre. By 1912 he played Malvolio and Leontes under the direction of Granville Barker and he also portrayed Hamlet several times, including a 1930 production that was chosen for a Royal Command Performance. In 1921, he became a member of the council of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and served as its president from 1931 to 1933. His film career started in 1914 with silent films and he made at least 30 films. After a break in work, he had the lead role in the 1932 romantic musical, "The First Mrs. Fraser." Including 100 roles on stage, his career in acting was from 1900 to 1936, ending in talkie films. During World War I, he joined the British army in 1916, serving in France and Italy as part of the Royal Garrison Artillery. According to different sources, he was married two or three times, but had many relationships. Although not all listed in his newspaper obituaries in "The Times" and "The Stage," he was the father of at least six to eight children and all were not with his wives. Several of his children pursued a career in acting. According to the "New York Times" obituary, he died at home at age 66 from a long illness.