Peter Fernandez
Peter Fernandez (January 29, 1927 – July 15, 2010) was an American actor, voice director, and writer. Despite a career extending from the 1930s, he is probably best known for his roles in the 1967 anime Speed Racer. Fernandez co-wrote the scripts, was the voice director, and translated the English-language version of the theme song.
Peter Fernandez

David Shankbone · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Peter Fernandez
- Born
- 29 January 1927
- Birthplace
- New York City, U.S.
- Died
- 15 July 2010
- Place of death
- Pomona, New York, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Actor
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary connections
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1932865 · wikipedia · Peter Fernandez
In this article
Biography
Biography
Fernandez worked between 1927 and 2010 across actor, dub actor, screenwriter, stage actor and model and 2 further recorded occupations. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Peter Fernandez • Born — 29 January 1927 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 15 July 2010 • Place of death — Pomona, New York, U.S. • Occupation — * Actor • voice director • writer • Years Active — 1934–2009 • Children — 3
Life and career
Life and career
Peter Fernandez was born in Manhattan, New York on January 29, 1927, one of three children to Pedro and Edna Fernandez. His two siblings were Edward and Jacqueline. He was of Cuban, Irish, and French descent. Fernandez began his career as a child model for the John Robert Power Agency at age seven, to support his family during the Great Depression. He then appeared on both radio and Broadway, appearing in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine in 1941. He was drafted into the United States Army at age 18, late in World War II. His radio appearances included roles on Mr. District Attorney, Let's Pretend, Gang Busters, My Best Girls, Superman, and Suspense, as well as soap operas. After his discharge from the Army in 1946, he became a prolific writer for both radio and pulp fiction. He also authored the children's book Bedtime Stories from the Bible. Fernandez is known for his voice work and has been heard in English adaptions of many foreign films. Fernandez is best known as the American voice of the title character—and his brother Racer X—in the 1967 anime series Speed Racer. Besides acting in Speed Racer, he was the lyricist and performer of the English version of that show's theme song. He returned in the 2008 animated series Speed Racer: The Next Generation to play a middle-aged Headmaster Spritle. In the live-action 2008 film Speed Racer, Fernandez had a small part as a racing announcer. The rapid-fire delivery of dialogue made famous by Speed Racer was devised by Fernandez and his American voice co-stars in order to make the dialogue sync with the original Japanese mouth movements. He provided the voice for Benton Tarantella, a resurrected film director for Courage the Cowardly Dog, which he has said was his favorite. He made cameos credited as "additional characters" in several episodes, besides his role as the voice of Robot Randy. He was a voice director for Robert Mandell's Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers and Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. Additional voice acting credits include in such dubbed anime titles as Astro Boy, Gigantor, Marine Boy, Star Blazers and Superbook. In 2007, he was awarded The Special American Anime Award for Outstanding Achievement. Fernandez was interviewed in 2008 on his activities and voice over work. His last major public appearance was at the 2009 Seattle, Washington Sakura-Con.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
• Illustration — Fernandez attending the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Speed Racer with his grandson Fernandez lived in Pomona, New York, with his wife, Noel Smith, whom he married in 1978; together they had three children. He died on July 15, 2010, after suffering from lung cancer at the age of 83.
Live-action
Live-action
• Captain Video and His Video Rangers • City Across the River – Frank Cusack • Pulitzer Prize Playhouse • Suspense – Miguel • Leave It to Papa – Son • Armstrong Circle Theatre • Speed Racer – Race Commentator • Kraft Theatre – Harry • Joseph Schildkraut Presents • Macbeth – Donalbain • Crunch and Des • I Spy
Japanese animation dubbing
Japanese animation dubbing
• Astro Boy • Gigantor – Buttons Brilliant, Johnny • Kuro Kami: the Animation – Ryuujin Nagamine • Marine Boy – Dr. Mariner, Piper • Speed Racer – Speed Racer, Racer X, Additional Voices • Star Blazers: The Bolar Wars – Mark Venture • Superbook – Additional Voices • Thunderbirds 2086 – Additional Voices
American animation
American animation
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective – Additional Voices • Courage the Cowardly Dog – Benton Tarantella, Robot Randy, the Magic Tree of Nowhere, the Spirit of the Harvest Moon, Mad Dog • Kenny the Shark – Additional Voices • Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders – Max, Grimm the Dragon • Speed Racer: The Next Generation – Headmaster Spritle, Speed Racer Sr.
Video games
Video games
• The Longest Journey – Elder Banda, Minstrum Yerin, Old Alatien man
Other works
Other works
• Peter Absolute on the Erie Canal (Audio Book Serial) • Speed Racer (Theme Song Lyrics) • X-Minus One (Radio Series) • Baby Animals Just Want to Have Fun (VHS) • It Looked Like Spilt Milk (Audio Book on Cassette and Disc)
Dialogue direction
Dialogue direction
• Blood Link (1982) • Bonheur d'occasion (1983) • A Question of Silence (1982) • Infra-Man (1976) • Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd (1982) • Kenny the Shark (TV series, 2003, episodes 1–13) • La Diagonale du fou (1984) • Ultraman (1966) • Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976)
Direction
Direction
• Coup de tête (1979, uncredited) • School's Out (1999 film) (TV, 1999, uncredited) • The Enchanted Journey (1984, uncredited)
Dubbing direction
Dubbing direction
• Nattens engel (1998)
Voice direction
Voice direction
• 2019, After the Fall of New York (1983) • Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (TV series, 1996, episodes 27–41) • Al Andalus (1989) • The Antichrist (1974) • Assassination in Rome (1965) • Au nom de tous les miens (1983) • Au nom de tous les miens (TV miniseries, 1985) • Bidaya wa nihaya (1960) • The Black Corsair (1976) • Bordella (1976, uncredited) • Choice of Arms (1981) • Christmas in Cartoontown (UAV, 1996) • Ciske de Rat (1984, uncredited) • Coup de torchon (1981) • Courage the Cowardly Dog (TV series, 1999) • The Desert of the Tartars (1976) • Dogs of Hell (1982) • Fei zhou chao ren (1994) • Gandahar (1988) • Goha (1958) • Godzilla versus the Sea Monster (1966) • Infra-Man (1976) • Jalna (TV miniseries)|Jalna (TV miniseries, 1994) • Jung-Gwok chiu-yan (1975) • Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Zettai zetsumi (1967) • Le Grand pardon (1982) • Love and Anarchy (1973) • Les Chevaliers du ciel (TV series, 1967) • The Magic Snowman (1988) • Mimì metallurgico ferito nell'onore (1972, uncredited) • The Nest (1979) • Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989) • Onna hissatsu ken (1974) • Piedone a Hong Kong (1975) • Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders (TV series, 1995) • Puss 'N Boots Travels Around the World (1976) • Satsujin ken 2 (1974) • Shaka (1961) • Stavisky... (1974, uncredited) • That Man from Rio (1964) • The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers (TV series, 1986) • The Secret of Anastasia (OAV, 1997) • The Secret of Mulan (OAV, 1998) • The Space Giants (TV series, 1967) • Topâzu (1992) • Tutto a posto e niente in ordine (1973) • Un amour de Swann (1984) • Un moment d'égarement (1977 film) (1977) • Une histoire simple (1978) • Vabank (1981)
Writing
Writing
• 2019 – Dopo la caduta di New York (1983, uncredited) • Al Andalus (1989, uncredited) • Au nom de tous les miens (1983, uncredited) • Ciske de Rat (1984, uncredited) • Coup de tête (1979, uncredited) • Coup de tchon (1981, uncredited) • El Nido (1979, uncredited) • Faire l'amur – Emmanuelle et ses soeurs" (1971) • Fei zhou chao ren (1994, uncredited) • Gandahar (1988, uncredited) • Godzilla versus the Sea Monster (1966, uncredited) • Infra-Man (1976) • Il Deserto dei Tartari (1976, uncredited) • Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd (1982, uncredited) • Jalna (TV miniseries, 1994, uncredited) • Le Choix des armes (1981, uncredited) • Le Grand prdon (1982, uncredited) • Les Chevaliers du ciel (TV series, 1967, uncredited) • Mélodie en sous-sol (1963, uncredited) • Mimì metallurgico ferito nell'onore (1972, uncredited) • Nattens engel (1998, uncredited) • Onna hissatsu ken (1974, uncredited) • Puss 'N Boots Travels Around the World (1976) • Satsujin ken 2 (1974, uncredited) • School's Out (1999 film) (TV, 1999, uncredited) • Stavisky... (1974, uncredited) • Tatsu no ko Tarô (1979, uncredited) • The Alley Cats (1968) • The Dirty Girls (1964) • The Enchanted Journey (1984) • The Mad Doctor Hump (1969) • The Night the Animals Talked (1970) • The Space Giants (TV series, 1967, uncredited) • Topâzu (1992, uncredited) • Ultraman (TV series, 1966) • Une histoire simple • Un moment d'égarement (1977 film) • Un amour de Swann • Woof! (1989)
Life and work
Life and work
Peter Fernandez was born on 29 January 1927 in New York City. Fernandez held the nationality of United States. Fernandez worked as actor, dub actor, screenwriter and stage actor, and the authority record catalogues a further 3 occupations under the same name, among them model, voice actor and film director. Fernandez was active from 1941. Fernandez worked in English.
Work for the screen
Work for the screen
Fernandez worked for the screen, as screenwriter and film director. 3 films survive in the institutional catalogues, spanning 1979 to 1998. They are Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, Tatsu no ko Taro (1979) and The Secret of Mulan (1998).
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1927–2010
The full dated record · 3 entries
1927
Born at New York City.
2010
Dies at Pomona.
2010
Peter Fernandez died at Pomona.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
New York City.
Birth place
Pomona.
Death place
Books and published writings, 1969–2017
Catalogued output
Books and published writings, 1969–2017
These are catalogued publications carrying the name — editions and printings, distinct from the works they contain and from writing about the subject. The 1990s are the densest part of the run, with 3 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself. They belong to a run of 8 titles in all, from 1969 to 2017.
7 editions carry dates between 1969 and 2017
The run opens with Bedtime Bible stories for children and closes with Speed Racer
The entries follow Open Library
Bedtime Bible stories for children
1969
Bear's Bicycle, the
1986
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
1988
Whales
1991
Sharks
1992
My Hebrew Dinosaurus
1994
Speed Racer
2017
Books and published writings without a settled date
Catalogued output
Books and published writings without a settled date
1 further edition are catalogued under Fernandez's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it.
Secrets of a Practice Consultant Volume 4
Film
• Alakazam the Great – Alakazam (speaking voice) • The Enchanted Journey • Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster – Ryota • Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster – Yukio • Plan Bee – Bellza • Planet of Storms • Planet of the Vampires • Son of Godzilla – Goro • Spider's Web: A Pig's Tale – Noiman Ja Rahr • Sport Billy – Narrator, Additional Voices • What's Eating Gilbert Grape – ADR Voice
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Peter Fernandez”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1932865: Peter Fernandez
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
Authority records
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Peter Fernandez, revision 1372252591 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1932865: Peter FernandezWikimedia Foundation
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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