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Jack Mercer loved to do his Popeye voice for children
There was one audience Mercer loved performing for.
One of the big perks of being an animation voice legend is that fans look up to you like you're some kind of hero, many of them children who are thrilled to see the face beyond their favorite characters.
In an interview with the Dayton Daily News, Jack Mercer, the voice of Popeye, revealed that he rarely performed the character's voice in public, but when he did, he would usually perform to surprise children visiting him.
To meet their hero can be incredibly inspiring to a child. However, Mercer revealed that when he was a child, he never had any intention of going into the entertainment industry, despite his big dreams.
"My folks didn't want me to go into show business," he said. "I did, but I had to get in through a back door because of my parent's disapproval. I was good at art, so that was my entry into show biz."
Mercer transitioned from art into voice acting, and it wasn't too long before he had taken up the mantle of Popeye himself.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mercer revealed he actually had to be encouraged to audition for the voice of Popeye by a friend. "For my own amusement, I'd do the voices for the characters I was [animating], chickens, and so on. They'd introduced Popeye about this time, someone else doing the voice," he said.
"Well, somebody heard me doing Popeye and suggested I audition for the part. I didn't think I could do it."
Luckily, much like his childhood dream, Mercer wasn't willing to give up. "I kept trying, and one night at home, I hit this particular tone, way down, and I said, 'My God, I've got it.'"
Mercer was spot on, and he was able to land the role on sheer talent alone.
Later in life, Mercer was able to pass it forward and serve as inspiration for the voice talents of tomorrow.
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