William Elton

William Elton (1 May 1847 – 27 January 1903) was an English comedian, actor and singer, who played in London and New York theatres and had a successful career in Australia, playing comic opera and pantomime.

History

Elton was born William John Shuttleworth in Salford, Greater Manchester, son of a surgeon, William Shuttleworth. He was attracted to the theatre while quite young, reportedly appearing at the Adelphi Theatre, Liverpool, at age 10. He spent some of his school years at Scotch College, Melbourne,

By 1867, he was playing comic roles at the Queen's Theatre, Manchester. He toured with Disney Roebuck from 1872 to 1875, then played in South Africa for a year or two, before joining John Hollingshead's company, playing Victorian burlesque, comedy and melodrama at the Gaiety Theatre, London. In 1880 he joined Wallack's Theatre in New York, making his debut as Touchstone in As You Like It. Here he made the acquaintance of scenic artist Phil Goatcher; their paths would cross many times subsequently. He returned to London in 1883, and had several good burlesque roles at the "Gaiety" before sailing off to Australia in 1886 under contract to Williamson, Garner and Musgrove, for whom his first performance was as Mrs Crusoe in a pantomime of Robinson Crusoe.

Australia

Though a relative unknown in Britain, he became a great favorite in Australia, and attracted good houses wherever he appeared.

Elton was known for playing Lurcher opposite Alice Barnett's Mrs Privett in Dorothy, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard, Old Macclesfield in E. G. Lankester's The Guv'nor, Bob Acres in The Rivals, Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer, and Ulysses Tinkler in Arthur Shirley's As Large as Life.