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Peter Robbins (actor)

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Peter Robbins
Robbins in 1971
Born
Louis G. Nanasi

(1956-08-10)August 10, 1956
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 18, 2022(2022-01-18) (aged 65)
Oceanside, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, San Diego
Occupations
  • Actor
  • real estate broker
Years active1963–1972
Known forVoice of Charlie Brown
RelativesAhna Capri (sister)

Peter Robbins (born Louis G. Nanasi;[1][2] August 10, 1956 – January 18, 2022) was an American actor and real estate broker. Robbins gained national fame in the 1960s as being the first actor to voice Charlie Brown in the Peanuts animated specials.

Early life

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Peter Robbins was born Louis G. Nanasi in Los Angeles, California, on August 10, 1956.[2] He had Hungarian ancestry.[1] Robbins graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 1979.[3] His sister was the actress Ahna Capri (Anna Marie Nanasi).[4]

Career

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Robbins first began acting in various films and television shows at the age of seven. As a child, he made a guest appearance as Elmer in the popular series The Munsters.[1] At the age of nine, Robbins provided the voice of the eponymous character Charlie Brown, whom he considered to be his childhood hero,[5] in one television documentary, six Peanuts television specials and one movie from 1963 to 1969, including the film A Boy Named Charlie Brown and the television specials A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

At the age of fourteen, Robbins was replaced by younger child actors in the Peanuts specials produced after the 1960s, but his trademark scream of "AAUGH!", first used in A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), continued to be used in later specials for Charlie Brown and other Peanuts characters.[6][7]

Robbins appeared in an episode of F Troop in 1966 entitled "The Sergeant and the Kid" and appeared in an episode of Get Smart as the mysterious Dr. T.[8] He also appeared in the Sonny & Cher film, Good Times.[citation needed]

Robbins retired from the entertainment industry in 1972, and later pursued a career in real estate, with brief stints in radio.[1][9] In 1996, he hosted a talk radio show in Palm Springs, California, at KPSL 1010 Talk Radio.[10] By 2006, according to a broadcast by National Public Radio, he was managing real estate in Van Nuys.[9] By 2020, after finally receiving the correct medication for his lifetime bipolar disorder, Robbins was back, signing autographs of the Charlie Brown Christmas book in public appearances at Comic-Con conventions across the United States.[11]

He explained the path which led to his recovery in an October 2019 television interview with Fox 5 San Diego reporter Phil Blauer. Robbins also discussed his plans to write an autobiography titled Confessions of a Blockhead, detailing his life, his jail experiences, and his future.[12] He was unable to finish the book before his death.[13]

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On January 20, 2013, Robbins was arrested by San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputies at Homeland Security's Port of Entry in San Ysidro, California, while re-entering the United States, and charged with "four felony counts of making a threat to cause death or great bodily injury and one felony count of stalking." The four counts involved four victims, including a San Diego Police sergeant, whom Robbins reportedly threatened with bodily harm on January 13, 2013.[8][14][15][16] He was held on $550,000 bond.[17] On May 8, 2013, Robbins was sentenced to a year in jail for threatening his former girlfriend and stalking her plastic surgeon, but was allowed to log time in treatment instead. After release, he was sent to a residential drug treatment center.[18]

In 2015, Robbins was arrested for multiple probation violations, including drinking alcohol and failing to complete mandatory domestic violence classes. On June 5, 2015, he was ordered to undergo a mental health exam after an outburst during a court proceeding in San Diego.[19] On December 7, 2015, Robbins was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison as part of a plea agreement for sending threatening letters to the manager (and the manager's wife) of the mobile home park in which he lived in Oceanside.[citation needed]

Robbins had stated at previous hearings that he had bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.[20][21] Robbins was incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino and was transferred to a psychiatric hospital because of his mental state. He was released on parole in October 2019 after serving 80 percent of his sentence, on the conditions that he did not drink alcohol or take any illegal drugs.[20]

Death

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Robbins had a lifelong battle with mental illness.[5] Despite his personal struggles, he remained attached to Charlie Brown and even had a tattoo of Charlie Brown and Snoopy on his arm.[5] Robbins died by suicide on January 18, 2022, at the age of 65.[22] His death was announced the following week on January 25, 2022.[5]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 A Ticklish Affair Grover Martin
1966 And Now Miguel Pedro
Moment to Moment Timmy Stanton
1967 Good Times Brandon
1969 A Boy Named Charlie Brown Charlie Brown Voice
1970 The Boatniks Boy on Boat Uncredited

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 A Boy Named Charlie Brown Charlie Brown (voice) Television Documentary[5]
1964 Rawhide Mike Episode: "Incident of the Pied Piper"
The Donna Reed Show Peewee Episode: "Teamwork"
Vacation Playhouse Richard Episode: "Hey Teacher"
The Munsters Elmer Episode: "Rock-a-Bye Munster"[1]
The Farmer's Daughter Josh Episode: "Sorak for Yourself John Katy"
The Joey Bishop Show Other Child, Peter 2 episodes
1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas Charlie Brown (voice) Television special[5]
1966 Charlie Brown's All Stars! Charlie Brown (voice) Television special[5]
Love on a Rooftop Ronnie Episode: "The Chocolate Hen"
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Charlie Brown (voice) Television film[5]
ABC Stage 67 Herbert Episode: "Noon Wine"
1967 The F.B.I. Jobie Episode: "The Raid"
F Troop Joey Walker Episode: "The Sergeant and the Kid"[8]
You're in Love, Charlie Brown Charlie Brown (voice) Television special[5]
Get Smart Dr. Tattledove Episode: "The Mysterious Dr. T"[8]
1968 He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown Charlie Brown (voice) Television special
1968–1969 Blondie Alexander Bumstead 16 episodes
1969 It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown Charlie Brown (voice) Television special[5]
1970 Bracken's World David Episode: "Nude Scene"
1971 Dinah's Place Himself
1972 My Three Sons Jeffrey Fredericks Episode: "The Birth of Arfie"
1985 It's Your 20th Television Anniversary, Charlie Brown Himself Documentary
1990 You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown
2001 The Making of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
2005 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 1 episode
TV Land's Top Ten 1 episode
2021 Abq Comic-Con! Documentary Documentary

Awards

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Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result
1971 Grammy Awards Best Recording for Children A Boy Named Charlie Brown Nominated
1978 Best Recording for Children A Charlie Brown Christmas Nominated
1979 Best Recording for Children Charlie Brown's All Stars! Nominated
1980 Best Recording for Children You're in Love, Charlie Brown Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Warth, Gary (July 25, 2010). "COMIC-CON: Good grief: Local resident became voice of Charlie Brown 45 years ago". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (January 26, 2022). "Peter Robbins Dies: Former Child Actor Who Voiced Charlie Brown Was 65". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Clark, Christine (July 19, 2010). "Good Grief: Charlie Brown meets Iron Man at Comic-Con". University of California, San Diego. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. ^ "Anna Capri d. August 19, 2010". Obituaries for Your Eyes Only.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Blauer, Phil (January 25, 2022). "'Charlie Brown' voice actor dies at 65". Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Jones, Elton (January 23, 2013). "Voice of Charlie Brown Arrested for 'Threat to Cause Death or Bodily Harm'". Heavy.com. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  7. ^ Potempa, Phillip (August 12, 2014). "Hollywood's Hardy Boy, Nurse Ratched and Charlie Brown here for autographs". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d Duke, Alan (January 24, 2013). "Good grief! Charlie Brown voice actor charged". CNN. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "'Great Pumpkin' Marks 40 Years on TV". NPR. October 27, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  10. ^ Ortigas, Janet Grace (May 8, 2013). "Charlie Brown goes to jail". Guardian Liberty Voice. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Foss, Jon (November 19, 2019). "CHARLIE BROWN voice, Peter Robbins talks prison, bipolar, GalaxyCon and new book" – via YouTube.
  12. ^ FOX 5 San Diego (October 18, 2019). "Voice of 'Charlie Brown' Speaks After Release from Prison" – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Confessions of a Blockhead, Dog Meets Dog or Good Grief". Toronto Mike. February 20, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Lisa Brenner (January 23, 2013). "Original voice of Charlie Brown arrested for threatening ex-girlfriend and her breast surgeon". KPCC. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  15. ^ Susan Shroder (January 22, 2013). "Voice of 'Charlie Brown' arrested in San Diego". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  16. ^ Julie Watson (January 23, 2013). "Voice actor for Charlie Brown arrested in Calif". WFIE. Associated Press. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  17. ^ "Charlie Brown star arrested for stalking". 3 News NZ. January 24, 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013.
  18. ^ Rose, Lisa (May 8, 2013). ""Charlie Brown" voice actor to serve sentence in rehab". CBS News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  19. ^ "Former Charlie Brown actor lashes out at sentencing". KFMB-TV. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Blauer, Phil (October 17, 2019). "'Charlie Brown' actor speaks after release from prison". KSWB-TV. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  21. ^ Littlefield, Dana (December 7, 2015). "Former 'Charlie Brown' voice sentenced to prison". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  22. ^ Vigdor, Neil (January 28, 2022). "Peter Robbins, Original Voice of Charlie Brown, Dies at 65". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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