Norton (Elliot) is born in Boston.

The son of William and Mary Norton, Elliot Norton attended the Mather School, and graduates from Boston Latin School and Harvard College. He becomes drama critic for the Boston Post in 1934, then moves to the Boston Daily Record and Sunday Advertiser in 1956. Known for assisting in “play doctoring” (suggesting improvements to shows during their pre-Broadway runs in Boston), Norton covers more than 6,000 productions over more than 48 years, and his last column appears on May 30, 1982. The first annual Elliot Norton Awards for excellence in local theater are presented later that year. A longtime resident of Watertown, Norton dies in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 20, 2003.