Billy Costello (actor)

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Billy Costello
Inscribed photograph of Billy Costello (1942)
Born
William Arnold Costello

(1898-02-02)February 2, 1898
Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedOctober 9, 1971(1971-10-09) (aged 73)
San Jose, California, U.S.
Resting placeMariposa District Cemetery
Mariposa, California
OccupationActor
Years active1921–1937
Known forVoice of Popeye the Sailor

William Arnold Costello (February 2, 1898 – October 9, 1971), commonly known as "Red Pepper Sam", was an American actor and the original voice of Popeye the Sailor in animated cartoons.

Life and career

Costello was born on February 2, 1898, in Rhode Island to William E. and Susan B. (née Steere) Costello. In addition to voice acting, he worked as a vaudeville performer under the name "Red Pepper Sam". In the early 1930s he also played drums with the Fred Waring Orchestra. Costello had worked with the

E.C. Segar) they were planning.[1] He was cast to provide the voice for the first Popeye cartoon, 1933's Popeye the Sailor. Costello then appeared in the next 24 Popeye shorts before he was fired by the Fleischers, allegedly over "bad behavior".[2] Although he never received onscreen credit, Costello knew of Popeye's international popularity and reputedly became difficult to work with, demanding more money and days off in the middle of a recording session. He was replaced with Jack Mercer, who was working in the studio. Costello's final appearance as Popeye was in You Gotta Be a Football Hero
(1935).

However, Costello wasn't prepared to give up the fame associated with voicing Popeye and, billed as "The Original Voice of Popeye", he voiced the character on a European stage tour and made several recordings for the Columbia, Decca, and Rex labels, including "Popeye the Sailor Man" (1935), "Blow the Man Down" (1935), "Tiger Rag" (1936), and "The Merry Go Round Broke Down" (1937), which, to avoid copyright problems in the USA, were only marketed overseas. For nearly a decade he was based in London.[3]

Later life and death

With the start of World War II, Costello returned to the United States, where for a short period he toured the dinner theatre circuit before becoming largely forgotten.

From 1959 until his death, he managed a trailer park in San Jose, California, and there he died on October 9, 1971. He was buried in the Mariposa District Cemetery in Mariposa, California.[4]

References

  1. ISBN 0-306-80313-5
  2. ^ Hurwitz, Matt (July 29, 2007), "Hey, Sailor! 'Popeye' Is Back in Port", Washington Post, pp. N02, retrieved February 6, 2009
  3. ^ Fleischer 'Needle Drop' Artists: Eddie Peabody and 'Red Pepper' Sam – Cartoon Research website
  4. ^ The Union Democrat

External links


Stub icon

This article about an American theatre actor born in the 1890s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article about an American voice actor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Costello_(actor)&oldid=1086609268"