The Voice of “Speed Racer,” Peter Fernandez, Dies at 83
Peter Fernandez, who helped launch the hugely popular animated series “Speed Racer” to success died on July 15, 2010 of lung cancer at the age of 83.
Fernandez provided the voices for the characters Speed Racer and Racer X in 1967 for the 52-episodecartoon series. In addition, Fernandez wrote the show’s catchy theme song, scripts for several episodes and helped direct the cast of dubbing voice actors. The New York Times reports Egan Loo of the Anime News Network stated, “’Speed Racer’ was one of the first titles that turned Americans into fans of Japanese animation.”
Fernandez began his career on Broadway and radio shows before serving in World War II. After the war, he wrote several radio shows and successful children’s books, such as Bedtime Stories from the Bible. He later directed Orson Wells and worked with the legendary late actor Jerry Orbach, according to Mike Toole of the Anime News Network. Along with several other animated series, Fernandez was the voice director for the cartoon “Courage the Cowardly Dog” and made a cameo voice appearance in the 2008 Speed Racer live-action movie.
There are plans for a private memorial service in addition to a public memorial for Fernandez in Pomona, New York in September 2010.
[photo: David Shankbone]
Tags: anime news, celebrity death, speed racer
