Elzie Crisler Segar was one of the classic American cartoonists of the 1920s and 1930s, best known for creating the world famous sailor 'Popeye'. Born and raised in Chester, Illinois, he held several odd jobs before turning to cartooning. He worked as a house painter and muscian during vaudeville acts before becoming a film projectionist in a movie house. Inspired by seeing the humorous movies of Charlie Chaplin, he created comic strips copying the same situations. These had no success, until Segar met Richard Felton Outcault, creator of 'The Yellow Kid', who encouraged him to carry on and introduced him at the Chicago Herald.