Edward Ashley (born Edward Cooper; August 12, 1904 – May 5, 2000) was an Australian-born British actor who, after a successful screen career in England, came to Hollywood and landed his most famous role as the dashing and duplicitous George Wickham in the classic MGM adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1940).
While Pride and Prejudice marked the peak of his leading man status in Hollywood, Ashley went on to have a long and prolific career as a dependable character actor. With his polished British demeanor, he was a familiar face in numerous films for decades, often playing military officers or gentlemen in productions like the pirate adventure The Black Swan (1942) and the romantic fantasy The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947).
He also worked extensively in television, making guest appearances in many popular series. His most notable television role was the recurring character of the charmingly roguish “Nobby Ned Wingate” in the classic Western series Maverick during the late 1950s.
