Elton was born in London, in the parish of Lambeth, in August 1794, and was trained for the law in the office of a solicitor named Springhall in
Verulam Buildings,
Gray's Inn. His father, whose name was Elt, was a schoolmaster in the neighbourhood of
Tottenham Court Road, and got up plays among his scholars. In these, at the
Sans Souci Theatre in
Leicester Place, and subsequently at Pym's private theatre, Wilson Street,
Gray's Inn Lane, Elton acted, as a youth. After joining a strolling company, he appeared, in 1823, as utility actor at the Olympic, playing in
A Fish out of Water, where he made the acquaintance of
Tyrone Power. At Christmas he went to the Liverpool Amphitheatre, where the following year, after a summer engagement at Birmingham, under
Alfred Bunn, he played Napoleon in the spectacle of the
Battle of Waterloo. He then, at the
Theatre Royal, Liverpool, played Cominius in
Coriolanus. After starring in Chester, Worcester, Shrewsbury, and elsewhere, he attracted in Manchester the favourable notice of
Charles Young, with whom he appeared in Norwich and Cambridge. His efforts in
Shakespearean parts were not very successful. With a fair country reputation, however, he came in 1831 to the
Garrick Theatre in Whitechapel, opening under Conquest and Wynn in
Richard III. Great popularity attended him at the
East End. In October 1832 he was at the
Strand Theatre, whence he went to the Surrey. An unsuccessful engagement at the
Haymarket, under Morris, in 1833 came to a speedy termination. He then returned to the minor theatres, was in the spring of 1836 at the
Adelphi, and 10 January 1837 at
Covent Garden, under Osbaldiston's management, made a success as the
eponymous
Walter Tyrrell. On the production, 26 June 1837, at the Haymarket of
The Bridal adapted by
Sheridan Knowles from the ''
Maid's Tragedy of Beaumont and Fletcher, he gained much credit as Amintor. He was then engaged for Covent Garden, at which house he was the original Beauséant in The Lady of Lyons''. At
Drury Lane, 1839–40, he played Romeo and Rolls, and was the original Rizzio in
Haynes's
Mary Stuart. He then retired to the minor theatres, and in 1841-2 returned with Macready to Drury Lane. The theatre closed 14 June 1843. Before the termination of the season he accepted an engagement of a month from
William H. Murray of the
Theatre Royal, Edinburgh. In addition to the characters mentioned above, Elton was good as Edgar in
King Lear. He was the original
Eugene Aram, Thierry, and Waller in
The Love Chase of
Sheridan Knowles. Elton contributed to periodical literature, and gave lectures on drama at the
National Hall, Holborn. He was one of the original promoters of the
General Theatrical Fund Association. In 1843, at the end of his month's engagement in Edinburgh, he boarded the
Pegasus for London and was drowned when the ship struck rocks near
Holy Island and went down. A strong sensation was caused by his death, and benefits for his children, to which liberal subscriptions were sent, took place at many theatres. The chair at a preliminary meeting in London for the purpose was taken by
Charles Dickens. ==Family==