Robert William Honner (1809-1852) was born in London and in 1817 was apprenticed for three years to the ballet master Le Clercq the ballet master at the Sans Parel Theatre, later the Adelphi Theatre. He performed unsuccessfully as a ballet dancer in Edinburgh before joining the corps de ballet at London's Coburg Theatre. In 1824 Honner went to the Surrey Theatre, and to the Coburg again soon afterwards. He joined Andrew Ducrow's company playing many characters on tour including Harlequin, Clown and Pantaloon, and acted at Sadler's Wells under Grimaldi in 1827, at the Surry Theatre and the City Theatre in Milton Street in 1829.

In 1836 Robert Honner married the actress Maria Macarthy in 1836 and they appeared together at the Surrey Theatre until 1838. He was the lessee of Sadler's Wells Theatre from 1838 to 1840 and managed the Surrey Theatre from 1842 until 1846. After a short lease of the City of London Theatre he became stage manager of the Standard Theatre, where he remained until his death, and his wife undertook most of the famale leads.