Charlie Brown Voice Actor Peter Robbins Dead at 65
Charlie Brown voice actor Peter Robbins has died at the age of 65.
Born Aug. 10, 1956, as Louis Nanasi, Robbins voiced the Peanuts protagonist in six TV specials, one television documentary and a movie between 1963 and 1969, including perennial holiday staples A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. He also had a role in the 1968 comedy Blondie and guest-starred in Rawhide, The Munsters, F Troop, Get Smart and My Three Sons.
Robbins' family said he died by suicide last week, Fox 5 in San Diego reports.
In an interview with the CW at GalaxyCon in Minneapolis in 2019, Robbins discussed his favorite memories of voicing Charlie Brown, one of which was "never having to memorize lines." The child actor did most of his recording after school; the scripts were right in front of him, and his lines were often short and simple. Some days, all he had to say was his trademark "Augh!" or "Good grief. I got a rock."
Robbins did mention another perk of the Peanuts gig: "All the hot girls I got to date."
Watch Peter Robbins Discuss Voicing Charlie Brown at GalaxyCon 2019
The Carlsbad, Calif., native fought a well-publicized battle with mental illness. He struggled with addiction and had several run-ins with the law as an adult, pleading guilty in 2013 to threatening and stalking both his ex-girlfriend and a plastic surgeon who gave her a breast enhancement he paid for. Robbins suffered bipolar disorder and was sentenced in 2015 to five years in prison for making threats to several people, including public figures. He was released in 2019.
After his prison release in 2019, Robbins told Fox 5 San Diego, "I would recommend to anybody that has bipolar disorder to take it seriously because your life can turn around in the span of a month." He also expressed gratitude, saying, "I came out of prison and I’m a better person for it. I’m much more humble and grateful and thankful that I lived through the experience.”