Beck as The Cisco Kid

The unsung heroes of television are its unseen voice actors. Whether providing creative animated character accents or plugging premiums and products in 30-second commercials, it's the voice actors who keep TV's cogs well oiled.

It's with great sadness that we report the loss of one of those unsung heroes--Jackson Beck. Though his name may not be familiar, you're certain to have heard one of his many exclamations. ("It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" in the '40s radio program is among the most famous.)

Beck provided the voice of Bluto in more than 300 Popeye cartoons and also voiced The Cisco Kid. His trademark tenor has been used to sell everything from Pepsi to Aqua Fresh toothpaste.

Working well into his 80s, Beck's voice was featured in intros for films like Take the Money and Run and Radio Days. He also worked on National Lampoon radio broadcasts and Saturday Night Live intros.

A founding member of a founding member of the American Federation of Radio Artists (now known as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), Beck died on Wednesday, July 28. He was 92.