Elzie Segar
| E.C. Segar | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Elzie Crisler Segar December 8, 1894 Chester, Illinois |
| Died | October 13, 1938 (aged 43) Santa Monica, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Popeye (1929–1938) |
Elzie Crisler Segar (December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known professionally as E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre.
Segar was born on December 8, 1894, and raised in Chester, Illinois, a small town near the Mississippi River. The son of a handyman, his earliest work experiences included assisting his father in house painting and paper hanging. Skilled at playing drums, he also provided musical accompaniment to films and vaudeville acts in the local theater, where he was eventually given the job of film projectionist at the Chester Opera House, where he also did live performances. At age 18, he decided to become a cartoonist. He took a correspondence course in cartooning from W. L. Evans of Cleveland, Ohio. He said that after work he "lit up the oil lamps about midnight and worked on the course until 3 a.m."
Segar moved to Chicago where he met Richard F. Outcault, the creator of The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown. Outcault encouraged him and introduced him at the Chicago Herald. On March 12, 1916, the Herald published Segar's first comic, Charlie Chaplin's Comedy Capers, which ran for a little over a year. In 1917, Barry the Boob was created. In 1918, he moved on to William Randolph Hearst's Chicago Evening American where he created Looping the Loop and worked as a second-string drama critic. Segar married Myrtle Johnson that year; they had two children. In October 1919, Segar covered that year's World Series, creating eight cartoons for the sports pages.
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Wikipedia