Elizabeth "Bonnie" Thornton (c. 1871-March 13, 1920) was an American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

comedian and singer. She was considered "one of vaudeville's first headliners" and a "popular

seriocomic Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

singer". Thornton was born as Elizabeth Cox around 1871 in the old 4th Ward of New York. In 1885, she married the songwriter and singer James Thornton after a courtship that lasted two years. She began her theater career at age 17 as a seriocomic, performing sentimental and comic songs, and appearing in concert halls. By 1888, Thornton made her debut at Tony Pastor's Theatre as a singing comedian. In 1893, she began performing in vaudeville as a

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

with James Thornton, her husband. She sang James Thornton's music in her performances, and helped make a number of his pieces popular during the time, including the song, "My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon". She performed this new song during the start of the 1893 season at Tony Pastor's, along with the song "After Dark". Thornton became a local favorite at Tony Pastor's, and was sometimes a featured singer on his theater bills. She continued to be an entertainer at Tony's until at least 1903. Thornton also performed in variety acts on stage, and vaudeville on tour. She entertained at Allen's Bal Mabille on Bleecker Street, where James was also a singing waiter. In the 1910s, she and Jim divorced, although at the time of her death, they were reported as husband and wife. Around 1915, Thornton began to run a millinery business in New York City, which she operated until her death. Her last vaudeville performance was with her husband in 1919. She died of double pneumonia in New York City on March 13, 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Bonnie Year of birth unknown 1920 deaths People from New York City Vaudeville performers American milliners 19th-century American women singers 19th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers