Go, Speed Racer.
A friend of mine said to me, "whenever Peter Fernandez spoke, there was always a bit of Speed in his voice."
There was. There was always a bit of Speed. And a bit of passion, a bit of adventure, and a bit of youth. Peter Fernandez, the voice of Speed Racer, passed away on July 15th at the age of 83. Part of my job is working with guests. Young guests. Old guests. Hundreds of guests. Some guests I meet only once. Some guests become part of my life. In 2007, when the New York Anime Festival first launched, and discussions began of bringing the voices of Trixie and Speed Racer, I honestly had no clue how to find them. But I did, and I was honored and humbled to have played host to Corinne Orr and Peter Fernandez, and it didn't end there.
Since 2007, I've seen Corinne -- who lives in Manhattan -- every few months. I've fixed her computer, helped her with her taxes, ventured with her to the INS when she became a citizen, and generally eaten at a lot of restaurants. For no particular reason, mostly Greek. The weekend before Peter passed away, though, we were at a Burmese place.
We talked about any number of things, Peter being one of them. The last time I saw him was a year ago, but -- through Corinne -- I kept up. Everyone knows Peter Fernandez as Speed Racer, but -- through Corinne -- I know him, too, as the kindly man who raised chickens in Rockland County. Peter's the immortal voice of Speed Racer, but he was a professional who worked long after the show wrapped, a husband, and so much more, too, and I'm thankful that I was able to see slivers of these other sides of him.
I'll be seeing Corinne again soon. I believe we're going to the Central Park Zoo.
If you have any thoughts, comments, or feelings around Peter and Speed, post them below, and I'll be happy to make sure they find their way to Peter's wife and Corinne Orr.
7 comments:
What a great post, Peter.
I feel sad about Peter Fernandez passing away, for the purely selfish reason that Speed Racer was a major part of my childhood and now a little piece of my own history isn't here any more. Everyone else who loved the show is feeling that way now, right? But because of what you've written here, I feel way more gratitude and happiness for the guy than sadness. The fact that he had such a good life -- and the fact that he and Corinne were friends and stayed in touch, which has got to warm the heart of any fan -- is exactly what I'd have wished for him. So that's pretty cool right there, and not a thing to feel sad about.
was so glad to be in his presense he was such a wonderful guy he surely be missed
Nice post Pete. You continue to be one of the best people I know. Thank you.
A man that I listened to for the better years of my life, when I was at my best as a child. Maybe at the time I hadn't realized it but his character was partly the inspiration for me to be a respectable person and more so a competitive person when operating any given motor vehicle. Thank you, and rest in peace Peter Fernandes.
You will be missed.
Loved Speed Racer as a kid. His character is probably why I have driving gloves.
Thanks PT.
I met Peter briefly at New York Anime Fest in 2007, completely by accident. Saturday morning while
waiting for the shuttle from my hotel, I ended up striking up a conversation with an intelligent,
gracious and very funny man who was also waiting for the same shuttle. I assumed he was a grandparent who had brought his grandchildren to the con. We talked at length about theater and the best places in New
York City. He recommended a few places to me, and then after about a half an hour he suddenly said
“Oh, I never introduced myself. I’m Peter” and shook my hand. It was then I saw the name on the badge and realized I had been talking to an icon, one of my heroes.
We talked all the way to the center on the bus. It was a wonderful chat, and he was really one of the best conversations
I can recall having with anyone. But the thing I really remember was the next day when I got a chance to be part of
The voice-acting contest run by Mike Sinterniklaas and Tom Wayland. He was a judge, and while I was eliminated for the last round, he took the time after
It was over to come up to me and compliment me on my acting. It was better than winning. To know that an actor like Mister Fernandez thought I had talent, it made my weekend, and it made me feel like I was really someone.
I sadly only met him that one time, but I will miss him. I had always hoped to work a con with him as a guest just
so I could buy the man a meal and say thank you for being so kind, and so giving to a simple Massachusetts librarian.
He was a great and giving man who will be sorely missed. God speed Mister Fernandez!
Peter and Corinne may have worked on a "kids" cartoon but they set a benchmark for other voice actors to follow in creating both a particular voice and character that would endure as both pop culture and treasured kids memories forever. All our thanks to Corinne and heartfelt salutations to Peter wherever and on whatever speedway he's at right now.
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