Sheridan, W[illiam] E[dward] (1840?–87), actor. Born in Boston, where he made his debut at the Howard Athenaeum in 1858, he became a leading portrayer of villains and tragic figures in Cincinnati until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war, despite a badly injured arm, he continued to be an important actor, his notable roles including Othello, Shylock, and Sir Giles Overreach. Sheridan also was the first American Beamish McCloud in Arrah na Pogue (1865). Following a long San Francisco engagement, he left for a tour of Australia, where he died. Otis Skinner remembered the virile actor with dark, deep‐set eyes as “a man of splendid power, with one of the most intriguing voices I ever listened to.” Others remarked on his voice's striking resonance.