born in pimlico, london, elen had worked as a barman and a draper's assistant and had packed eggs for the co-op before becoming a singer. he began busking at an early age and found a position singing in a minstrel troupe. his solo success began in 1891 when he started performing in public houses, singing songs in a manner similar to many cockney fruit sellers of the time, known as costermongers - from the old word 'costard' , meaning apple. because of this, he became known as a "coster comedian". for the stage persona he had created, elen dressed in a coster uniform of striped jersey, peaked cap turned towards one ear and a short clay pipe in the side of his mouth. his characters adopted a persona of being constantly bad tempered and pugnacious. in 1907 he starred in a short film called "wait till the work comes round."