John Clayton (14 February 1845 – 27 February 1888) was an English actor. After building a career in a range of parts, he became best known for his roles in the farces of Arthur Wing Pinero. With

Arthur Cecil Arthur Cecil Blunt (1 June 1843 – 16 April 1896), better known as Arthur Cecil, was an English actor, comedian, playwright and theatre manager. He is probably best remembered for playing the role of Box in the long-running production of ''Cox a ...

he was joint manager of the Court Theatre in London from 1883 until his death, aged 43, while on tour in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Life and career

Early years

Clayton was born John Alfred Clayton Calthrop at

Gosberton Gosberton is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated south-west of Boston, north of Spalding and north-west of Holbeach. The parish includes the villages of Gosberton Clough and Ris ...

, Lincolnshire, on 14 February 1845, the son of James Thompson Calthrop and his wife Edna, ''née'' Knowles. After some successful amateur experiences he made his first professional appearance on the stage on 27 February 1866, at the

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham; it lost money and after three seasons he retired. A succ ...

, as George Hastings in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...

''. The theatrical newspaper '' The Era'' reported, "He has a good figure, and showed an easy self-possession which enabled him to acquit himself with credit". The paper added that it was doubtful if light comedy was the genre in which the debutant would make his reputation. Over the next decade Clayton appeared in a range of roles in London. At the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout ...

he appeared in a "comedietta" called ''Six Months Ago'', then played Landry Barbeau in the drama ''The Grasshopper'' (1867)."Death of Mr John Clayton", ''The Era'', 3 March 1888, p. 8 He joined the company at the Gaiety Theatre in March 1869, appearing there in T. W. Robertson's comedy ''Dreams'', ''The Old Score'', ''A Life Chase'', and ''Uncle Dick's Darling'', in the last of which he played Joe Lennare to the Dollond of J. L. Toole and the Chevenix of

Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...

.The Death of Mr John Clayton", ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', 28 February 1888, p. 11 At the

Princess's Theatre The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street, London. The building opened in 1828 as the "Queen's Bazaar" and housed a diorama by Clarkson Stanfield and David Roberts. It was converted into a theatre and opened in 1 ...

in February 1876 he played Nigel in a revival of ''The King o' Scots'', and in May of the same year played Jaggers at the Court Theatre in an adaptation of '' Great Expectations''. In November 1876 he made a marked success as Mr Jormell in H. T. Craven's comedy ''Coals of Fire''. In July 1872 Clayton played Joseph Surface in a long-running revival of ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...

'' at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

, after which he made a mark as the distraught father in an adaptation of Sandeau and Decourcelle's ''Marcel''. Irving was beginning to make a reputation at the Lyceum Theatre, where Clayton joined the company in 1873. In 1875 he moved to the Mirror Theatre, playing a highly dramatic role, Hugh Trevor in ''All for Her''. ''

The Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...

'' described his performance as "remarkable". In January, 1877 he returned to the St James's, now under the management of

Mrs John Wood Mrs. John Wood (6 November 1831 (baptised 28 November), Liverpool – 11 January 1915, Birchington-on-Sea), born Matilda Charlotte Vining, was an English actress and theatre manager. Biography Born into a theatrical family, Matilda Charlotte ...

, where he played Osip, in the long-running English version of ''The Danischeffs''. In that year he married Eve Boucicault (1857–1900), daughter of the actor and playwright

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

. In January 1879 he played George D'Alroy in a revival of ''Caste'' at the

Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...

Last years

Together with

, Clayton took over the management of the Court in 1883. They opened in September with a new comedy, ''The Millionaire'' by G. W. Godfrey, in which they appeared with a cast including Mrs John Wood,

Marion Terry Marion Bessie Terry (born Mary Ann Bessy Terry; 13 October 1853 – 21 August 1930) was an English actress. In a career spanning half a century, she played leading roles in more than 125 plays. Always in the shadow of her older and more famous si ...

, and Mrs Beerbohm Tree. After that they presented what ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' called "a series of unhealthy emotional dramas which never caught the public taste". They then turned to farce, commissioning, staging and starring in Arthur W. Pinero's '' The Magistrate'' (1885), which ran for more than a year. They followed it with two more Pinero farces, ''

The Schoolmistress ''The Schoolmistress'' is a farce by Arthur Wing Pinero. It depicts the complications at a girls' boarding school when the headmistress is away, leaving her feckless husband in charge. The play opened at the Court Theatre, London in March 18 ...

'' (1886) and '' Dandy Dick'' (1887). The old Court theatre closed in July 1887 at the end of the run of ''Dandy Dick''. Clayton commissioned a new building on the site from

Walter Emden Walter Lawrence Emden (1847 – 1913) was one of the leading England, English Theater (structure), theatre and music hall architects in the building boom of 1885 to 1915. Biography Emden was the second son of William S. Emden, lessee of Londo ...

. While it was being built Clayton led a provincial touring company, presenting ''The Magistrate'' and ''Dandy Dick'', gaining excellent reviews and good houses. While playing in

in February 1888 Clayton caught a cold, which reportedly developed into

erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, t ...

from which he died on 27 February, aged 43."Obituary", ''The Times'', 28 February 1888, p. 5 He was buried at

Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...

at a service attended by many leading figures from the theatrical profession, including Cecil, Pinero, Mrs John Wood,

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

Squire Bancroft Sir Squire Bancroft (14 May 1841 – 19 April 1926), born Squire White Butterfield, was an English actor-manager. He changed his name to Squire Bancroft Bancroft by deed poll just before his marriage. He and his wife Effie Bancroft are consi ...

, W. H. Kendal,

Brandon Thomas Brandon Thomas may refer to: *Brandon Thomas (playwright) (1848–1914), English actor and playwright who wrote the hit farce, ''Charley's Aunt'' *Brandon Thomas (musician) (born 1980), American rock band singer *Brandon Thomas (American football), ...

, Johnston Forbes Robertson,

George Grossmith George Grossmith (9 December 1847 – 1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical ...

and Oscar Wilde.

References and sources

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, John 1845 births 1888 deaths 19th-century English male actors 19th-century theatre managers Actor-managers English male stage actors