RIP Peter Fernandez, the voice of the first anime character I was ever a fan of, Speed Racer
While I refuse to watch dubbed anime as an adult, as a kid, my first exposure to anime was this man’s work. It looks like his work might have exposed a lot of other kids to anime, too—here’re a couple cuttings from the above-linked article:
Peter Fernandez, best known as the title character’s voice in the animated “Speed Racer” TV series, died Thursday from lung cancer at age 83, Anime News Network reported.
Fernandez not only voiced Speed himself, but also his brother Racer X and several other characters in the English-dubbed adaptation of Tatsunoko’s “Mach Go Go Go” anime series, the Internet site said. He also directed the voice cast and even wrote the lyrics to the signature theme song used in the show imported from Japan in 1967. He later played Lupin III, Daisuke Jigen, and President Jimmy Carter in a dubbed version of “Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo.”
RIP Fellow-Pete, Pete Fernandez! Your influence will not be forgotten! (I still keep a Mach 5 Matchbox car on my desk to this day!)
