Sarah Whitley (née Robinson, 1816 – 24 October 1888) is credited as the earliest-born woman known to have appeared in a film.

She was the mother-in-law of cinematic pioneer Louis Le Prince and was filmed by him 10 days before her death, aged 72.

[1] In the 1888 film, Roundhay Garden Scene, Whitley is seen walking or dancing backwards.

[2] She and her husband Joseph, who also appears in the film, were the parents of Le Prince's wife, Elizabeth.

Whitley's death on 24 October 1888, is commemorated by a gravestone in the churchyard of St John's Church, Roundhay.