Peter Fernandez was born in
Manhattan, New York on January 29, 1927, one of three children to Pedro and Edna Fernandez. 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 ==