Peter Robbins (actor)

Peter Robbins (born Louis Nanasi,[1] August 10, 1956) is an American retired child actor and real estate broker. Robbins earned national fame in the 1960s as being the first actor to voice Charlie Brown in the Peanuts animated specials. Robbins retired from the entertainment industry as an adult and pursued a career in real estate, with brief stints in radio.[1][2] He spent much of the 2010s in legal trouble facing charges from threats and stalking; he served a four-year sentence in prison from 2015 to 2019.[3]

For other people with the same name, see Peter Robbins (disambiguation).
Peter Robbins
Peter Robbins (left) with Will Hutchins, Patricia Harty and Pamelyn Ferdin in the television series Blondie (1968)
Born
Louis Nanasi

(1956-08-10) August 10, 1956
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor, real estate broker
Years active1963–1972

Career

Robbins is of Hungarian descent.[1] He 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] Most distinctly, at the age of nine, Robbins provided the voice of Charlie Brown in one television documentary, six Peanuts television specials 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, his trademark scream of "AUGH!!", first used in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, continued to be used in later specials for Charlie Brown and other Peanuts characters.[4][5]

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".[6] He also appeared in the 1967 film, Good Times starring Sonny & Cher. Robbins graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 1979.[7] In 1996, he hosted a talk radio show in Palm Springs at KPSL 1010 Talk Radio.[8] By 2006, according to a broadcast by National Public Radio, he was managing real estate in Van Nuys, California.[2]

On January 20, 2013, Robbins was arrested by San Diego County Sheriff's Department deputies at San Ysidro, California Homeland Security's Port of Entry, 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 involve four victims, including a San Diego Police sergeant, whom Robbins reportedly threatened with bodily harm during a January 13, 2013 incident.[6][9][10][11] He was held on $550,000 bond.[12] On May 8, 2013, he was sentenced to a year in jail for threatening his former girlfriend and stalking her plastic surgeon, but he was allowed to log time in treatment instead. After release, he was sent to a residential drug treatment center.[13]

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.[14]

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 a manager and his wife of the mobile home park in which he lived in Oceanside, California. Robbins has stated at previous hearings that he suffers from bipolar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.[15] Robbins was incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino, California and was transferred to a psychiatric hospital because of his mental state. He was released in 2019 after serving 80 percent of his sentence, under orders not to drink alcohol or take any illegal drugs.[3]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1963A Ticklish AffairGrover Martin
A Boy Named Charlie BrownCharlie BrownVoice role
1964RawhideMike
The Donna Reed ShowPeewee
Vacation PlayhouseRichard
The MunstersElmer
The Farmer's DaughterJosh
The Joey Bishop ShowOther Childalso Peter
1965A Charlie Brown ChristmasCharlie BrownVoice role
Moment to MomentTimmy Stanton
1966And Now MiguelPedro
Charlie Brown's All Stars!Charlie BrownVoice role
Love on a Rooftop
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie BrownCharlie BrownVoice role
ABC Stage 67Herbert
1967The F.B.I.Jobie
F TroopJoey Walker
Good TimesBrandon
You're in Love, Charlie BrownCharlie BrownVoice role
Get SmartDr. Tattledove
1968He's Your Dog, Charlie BrownCharlie BrownVoice role
1968-1969BlondieAlexander Bumstead
1969It Was a Short Summer, Charlie BrownCharlie BrownVoice role
A Boy Named Charlie Brown
1970Bracken's WorldDavid
1971Dinah's PlaceHimself
1972My Three SonsJeffrey Fredericks Final role
1985It's Your 20th Television Anniversary, Charlie BrownHimself
1990You Don't Look 40, Charlie Brown
2001The Making of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
2005The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV Land's Top Ten

Awards
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
  1. Warth, Gary (July 25, 2010). "COMIC-CON: Good grief: Local resident became voice of Charlie Brown 45 years ago". UT San Diego. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. "'Great Pumpkin' Marks 40 Years on TV". NPR. October 27, 2006. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. Blauer, Phil (October 17, 2019). "'Charlie Brown' actor speaks after release from prison". KSWB-TV. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  4. Jones, Elton (January 23, 2013). "Voice of Charlie Brown Arrested for 'Threat to Cause Death or Bodily Harm'". Heavy.com. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  5. Potempa, Phillip (August 12, 2014). "Hollywood's Hardy Boy, Nurse Ratched and Charlie Brown here for autographs". Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  6. "Good grief! Charlie Brown voice actor jailed". CNN. January 23, 2013.
  7. Clark, Christine (July 19, 2010). "Good Grief: Charlie Brown meets Iron Man at Comic-Con". University of California, San Diego. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  8. Ortigas, Janet Grace (May 8, 2013). "Charlie Brown goes to jail". Guardian Liberty Voice. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  9. Lisa Brenner (January 23, 2013). "Original voice of Charlie Brown arrested for threatening ex-girlfriend and her breast surgeon". KPCC. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  10. Susan Shroder (January 22, 2013). "Voice of 'Charlie Brown' arrested in San Diego". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  11. Julie Watson (January 23, 2013). "Voice actor for Charlie Brown arrested in Calif". WFIE. Associated Press. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  12. "Charlie Brown star arrested for stalking". 3 News NZ. January 24, 2013.
  13. ""Charlie Brown" voice actor to serve sentence in rehab". CBS News. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  14. "Former Charlie Brown actor lashes out at sentencing". CBS 8. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  15. Dana Littlefield (December 7, 2015). "Former 'Charlie Brown' voice sentenced to prison". San Diego Union Tribune.
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