His birth name necessitated a change to avoid confusion with his namesake who was already registered with the British actors' trade union Equity.
[1] He came from humble beginnings, and used to earn money by collecting sacks of horse manure from the streets and selling them as fertiliser.
[1] He was unsure of what to do with his life, when he decided to follow a group of girls into a building and found himself inside RADA drama school.
[4][5][1] Hedley starred in the Francis Durbridge-scripted BBC series The World of Tim Frazer (transmitted from November 1960 to March 1961), the 18 instalments of which comprised three separate serials of six episodes each.
Initially he was reticent to demean himself by playing a parrot, but quickly changed his mind when he found out he would receive £1,200 for ten minutes' work.
In the late 1980s Hedley appeared in a comical German advert for After Eight Mints, which proved to be extremely popular and the campaign lasted for five years.
[1] Hedley retired from acting relatively early, admitting that he found the wealth and travel opportunities far more enticing than the urge to perform.