Elrington was born in 1688 in London, near Golden Square, was apprenticed by his father, who 'had the honour to serve the late Duke of Montagu',[1] to a French upholsterer in Covent Garden.
[2] In 1712 Elrington was engaged by Joseph Ashbury, the manager of the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, at which house he appeared, taking from the first leading parts in tragedy and comedy — The History of Timon of Athens the Man-hater in Thomas Shadwell's alteration of Shakespeare, Colonel Blunt in Sir Robert Howard's The Committee, or the Faithful Irishman, Lord Townly in The Provoked Husband etc.
[2] Elrington made occasional visits to London, playing, 24 January 1715, at Drury Lane, Cassius in Julius Cæsar, appearing subsequently as Torrismond in the Spanish Friar, Hotspur, Orestes, Sylla in Caius Marius, Mithridates, &c., and the first to play the Earl of Pembroke in Nicholas Rowe's Lady Jane Grey.
On 1 October 1728, when, in consequence of the illness of Barton Booth, he reappeared as Varanes in Theodosius at Drury Lane, of which during the following season he was the mainstay.
A story is told by Thomas Davies[7] of Cibber refusing Elrington the part of Torrismond in the Spanish Friar, and resisting aristocratic pressure which was brought to bear upon him.
[8][6] Benjamin Victor says, however, that Elrington owned that the Tamerlane of Booth overpowered him, and that having never felt the force of such an actor he was not aware that it was within the power of a mortal to soar so much above him and shrink him into nothing.
[6] Philip Highfill states "Judging from what little we know, Thomas Elrington [was] one of the most important actors alive during the transitional period between Betterton and Garrick".
[9] Elrington left three sons, two of whom, Joseph and Richard, took to the stage, and a daughter, an actress, who married an actor named Wrightson.
[6] Before his death Elrington had started a project to build a new theatre in Cork, it was completed and on 11 August 1741 Frances sold it and another one in Waterford.