If you grew up watching SpongeBob SquarePants, you can probably hear it right now. That gravelly, thunderous, slightly cracked roar of "EVIL!" echoing through the Shady Shoals Rest Home. It’s iconic. It’s the sound of childhood. But behind that orange wetsuit and the scallop-shell bra was a Hollywood titan who had no business—on paper, anyway—being in a cartoon about a talking sponge.
Ernest Borgnine was the mermaid man voice actor, and honestly, he was a legend long before he ever stepped foot in Bikini Bottom.
We aren't just talking about a guy who did funny voices. We’re talking about an Oscar winner. A World War II veteran. A man who shared the screen with Elvis and outlasted almost every peer of his generation. When he passed away in 2012 at the age of 95, a huge part of the show’s soul went with him.
The Oscar Winner in a Retirement Home
It’s kinda wild when you think about it.
Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob, didn't want just any voice actor for his aging superhero. He wanted gravitas. He wanted history. Hillenburg was a massive fan of the 1960s sitcom McHale's Navy, which starred Borgnine as the lovable but tough Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale.
Naturally, Hillenburg went straight to the source. He didn't just hire Borgnine; he hired Borgnine's McHale’s Navy co-star, Tim Conway, to play the sidekick, Barnacle Boy.
"Borgnine is the most animated guy on the planet," Hillenburg once said.
And he was right. Borgnine didn't just read the lines. He bellowed them. He brought this weird, endearing mix of "grumpy old man" and "genuine hero" that made Mermaid Man feel real. Most kids watching had no idea that the guy screaming about invisible boatmobiles won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1955 for Marty.
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He was the first real "heavyweight" guest star the show ever had.
That Voice: The Story Behind the "EVIL!"
Have you ever wondered why his voice sounded so distinct?
It wasn't a manufactured "character voice" in the way some actors approach it. It was basically just Ernest being Ernest, but dialed up to eleven.
In a 2010 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Borgnine shared a hilarious story about how the signature catchphrase came to be. During a recording session, his voice naturally cracked while he was shouting "Evil!" instead of being annoyed, he leaned into it. He realized that the crack made the character sound aged yet passionate.
"By golly, we started something!" he recalled.
He loved the role. Seriously. He once told a story about meeting a group of Girl Scouts who had no idea who "Ernest Borgnine" was. They didn't care about his movies or his Oscar. He was just a random old guy to them. Then he asked, "How many of you know Mermaid Man?"
The place erupted. He said "Shake hands, I’m Mermaid Man," and suddenly he was the most popular man in the room. He got it. He understood that to a whole generation, he wasn't a cinema legend—he was a hero.
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Who Voiced Mermaid Man After Borgnine?
This is where things get a little complicated for the fans.
When Ernest Borgnine died in 2012, the show faced a massive dilemma. You can't just replace a voice like that. It’s too specific. It’s too tied to the man’s personality.
For a long time, the showrunners decided to keep Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy as non-speaking background characters. They showed up in the background of scenes or in old "TV clips" within the show. It was a mark of respect.
However, the character did need to appear in other media. Here is the breakdown of who stepped into those big yellow boots:
- Joe Alaskey: A legendary voice artist (the man who took over for Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny). He voiced Mermaid Man in video games like Lights, Camera, Pants! and Creature from the Krusty Krab. Sadly, Alaskey passed away in 2016.
- Joe Whyte: He took over the reins for the fan-favorite game Battle for Bikini Bottom.
- Daniel Hagen: Voiced the character for the SpongeBob Moves In mobile app.
- Tom Kenny: The voice of SpongeBob himself has actually voiced "Young Mermaid Man" in several flashback episodes.
- Adam West: The Batman star voiced a younger version of the character in the episode "Back to the Past."
Despite these talented actors, the show has largely retired the character from major speaking roles in the main series. It’s a silent tribute to the fact that Borgnine’s energy was irreplaceable.
A Career That Spanned Decades and Genres
Borgnine wasn't just a voice.
He was a Gunner’s Mate First Class in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He spent ten years in the service before his mom suggested he try acting because he "had a big personality."
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She was right.
He went from playing thugs and villains in movies like From Here to Eternity to playing the "gentlest soul" in Marty. He was in The Dirty Dozen, The Poseidon Adventure, and even worked right up until the end, earning an Emmy nomination at age 92 for a guest spot on ER.
He lived a life that sounded like a movie script. He was even briefly married to Ethel Merman—for exactly 32 days. He called it "hell on earth." She famously left a blank page in her autobiography for the chapter titled "My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine."
Why It Matters Today
The mermaid man voice actor represents a specific era of SpongeBob where the humor wasn't just for kids.
Borgnine and Conway brought a vaudeville-style chemistry to the booth. They ad-libbed. They made the producers laugh until they cried. When you watch those early episodes, you aren't just hearing a cartoon; you're hearing two old friends who had been working together since the 60s having the time of their lives.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into his legacy, here is what you should do:
- Watch "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V": It’s arguably the best episode featuring the duo, where the "International Justice League of Super Acquaintances" is formed.
- Look up his Oscar speech: Watch a 1950s Ernest Borgnine accept his award. The humility and the voice are exactly the same, just without the underwater puns.
- Listen to the "EVIL" compilation: Truly, just go on YouTube and listen to the range he puts into that one word. It’s a masterclass in vocal performance.
Ernest Borgnine proved that you’re never too old to be a superhero—or to make millions of kids laugh by screaming at a doughnut. He was a "wumbo" sized talent in a world of "mini" performers.
Next time you see a silver-haired guy in a purple mask on your screen, remember the man who gave him a voice. He wasn't just an actor; he was the real deal. Stay alert, keep your eyes peeled, and always watch out for... EVIL!