Jack Mercer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack Mercer
Mercer in 1978
Born	Winfield B. Mercer (1910-01-31)January 31, 1910 Worthington, Indiana
Died	December 7, 1984(1984-12-07) (aged 74) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Voice actor animator screenwriter
Years active	1932–1984
Notable work	Popeye the Sailor
Spouse(s)	Margie Hines ​ ​ (m. 1939; div. 1950)​ Virginia Caroll ​ (m. 1950)​

Jack Mercer (born Winfield B. Mercer on January 31, 1910) was a talented American voice actor, animator, and TV writer. He is most famous for being the voice of the cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and Felix the Cat.

Jack's parents were performers in vaudeville and on Broadway. Because of this, Jack also performed on stage when he was younger. He also provided many voices for the Superman cartoons from 1941 to 1942.

Life and Career

Jack Mercer started his career in cartoons as an "inbetweener" at Fleischer Studios. An inbetweener is like an apprentice animator. They draw the frames that go between the main drawings to make the movement smooth.

Jack loved to imitate voices. One time, he even copied the loud, high-pitched voice of one of the studio owner's wives by mistake!

Becoming the Voice of Popeye

The first voice actor for Popeye, William Costello, became difficult to work with. So, he was let go. Jack Mercer had been practicing his own Popeye voice, making it sound just right.

When Lou Fleischer heard Jack singing the Popeye song, he offered him the job! Jack's first cartoon as Popeye was King of the Mardi Gras in 1935.

More Cartoon Voices

Jack continued to voice Popeye for many years. He worked for Fleischer Studios, then for Paramount's Famous Studios, and later for TV cartoons by King Features Syndicate. He even voiced Popeye for a Saturday morning show from 1978 to 1983.

He also recorded lines for the start of the live-action Popeye movie, though Robin Williams played Popeye in the rest of the film.

Jack Mercer voiced many other cartoon characters too. He did all the voices for a series of Felix the Cat cartoons from 1959 to 1962. He also voiced characters like Wimpy and Poopdeck Pappy from Popeye.

In Fleischer's Gulliver's Travels, he voiced Prince David and King Little. For Mister Bug Goes to Town, he voiced Mr. Bumble and Swat the Fly. He even voiced the mad scientist in one of the Superman cartoons. Jack's natural voice was quite high for a man, which allowed him to do some female voices too.

Writing Cartoons

Besides acting, Jack Mercer also wrote many cartoon scripts. He wrote episodes for Popeye, Deputy Dawg, and Milton the Monster.

Personal Life

Jack Mercer's first wife was Margie Hines. She was also a voice actor and voiced Olive Oyl from 1939 to 1944. They divorced, and Jack later married his second wife, Virginia Caroll. They stayed married until Jack's death in 1984.

Jack lived in New York City for a while. When Fleischer Studios moved to Miami, Florida, in 1938, Jack moved there too. After Famous Studios took over the Popeye cartoons, he moved back to New York by 1944. Later in life, he lived briefly in Los Angeles before returning to New York City, settling in Woodside, Queens.

Death

Jack Mercer passed away on December 7, 1984, in Manhattan, New York. He died from health problems related to stomach cancer.

Filmography

Voice Acting

Writer

See also

In Spanish: Jack Mercer para niños