 Coffin's good looks and powerful voice made him one of the most popular stage baritones of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Early in his career, he also had successes with the same team's "Doris" (1889), Solomon and Henry Pottinger Stephens' "The Red Hussar" (1889, as Sir Harry Leighton), F. C. Burnand's adaptation of Edmond Audran's "La Cigale" (1890), and "Captain Therese" (1890), among others.He spent the 1892–93 season in New York City co-starring in several productions with soprano Lillian Russell.