William "Billy" Costello (February 2, 1898 – October 9, 1971), was an American live and voice actor, and the original voice of Popeye the Sailor in animated cartoons.
Costello had worked with the Fleischer Studio as the voice of Gus the Gorilla on the Betty Boop radio show and they felt that the raspy voice he had used for that character would work for the new Popeye character they were planning. He was cast to provide the voice for the first Popeye cartoon, 1933's Popeye the Sailor. Costello voiced the next 24 Popeye shorts until he was fired by the Fleischer’s in 1935, allegedly over "bad behavior”, and was replaced with Jack Mercer. The “bad behavior” was Billy’s big head he grew from his popularity, demanding days off and a raise in pay, to which the exec’s at Fleischer Studios found another Popeye imitator to take his place. Billy waged a counter war with Fleischer by recording several songs with Decca records published in the UK ... this one is “Nagasaki” made in 1938.
