# RIP Charlie Brown (voice actor Peter Robbins) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [January 26, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440 "2022-01-26T19:24:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/1 "2022-01-26T19:24:38Z")
> **[‘Charlie Brown’ voice actor dies at 65](https://fox5sandiego.com/entertainment/charlie-brown-voice-actor-dies-at-65/)** > > Carlsbad native Peter Robbins, the voice actor who brought Charlie Brown to life in the Peanuts cartoons from the 1960s, has died, his family told FOX 5. He was 65. Peter Robbins, the voice of Charlie Brown, has died by suicide after a lifelong battle with mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/2 "2022-01-26T19:34:18Z")
“Child actor” really is a leading indicator for risk of mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/3 "2022-01-26T19:36:02Z")
Mental illness is a bitch. I’ve always thought Charlie Brown himself suffered from depression, and re-watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” this past year, my heart broke a little for Chuck (as much as it can for a cartoon character). I mean, with lines like these, how can this poor kid not be in need of some help (more than Lucy’s nickel psychiatry): \*Everything I do turns into a disaster. \*I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. \*I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel. \*I know nobody likes me. Why do we have to have a holiday season to emphasize it? Interesting that Robbins identified so deeply with Charlie Brown through his whole life, even after his time as his voice came to an end. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/4 "2022-01-26T19:55:25Z")
I’ve always been confounded by the decision to use real children to voice Peanuts characters since, in essence, those characters are only superficially children. Most of them represent adult insecurities and foibles. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/5 "2022-01-26T22:14:15Z")
Kids are people, too. They generally don’t express themselves as Peanuts characters do, but the feelings are still there. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/6 "2022-01-26T22:27:36Z")
Rats! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/7 "2022-01-26T22:29:49Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’ve always been confounded by the decision to use real children to voice Peanuts characters since, in essence, those characters are only superficially children. Most of them represent adult insecurities and foibles. It would be better to use adult actors instead? I doubt it. I usually cringe when I hear adult actors try to voice children in cartoons, especially nowadays. The actress who voiced Little Lulu back in the '40s sounds positively mellifluous in comparison. RIP, Chris! I fondly remember watching _ **A Charlie Brown Christmas** _ for the first time in December 1965. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/8 "2022-01-27T01:57:57Z")
A link below to a 2019 interview with Peter Robbins at a convention, with details about his very sad experiences with bipolar disorder and jail. He does end the interview on a positive note: “This is my comeback convention,” he said. “This is my testament that parole works. Going to anger management works. Taking the proper medication works.”He noted that there were several parallels between himself and his fictional counterpart. “The credit goes to the man who is actually in the arena, and fails time and time again, like Charlie Brown, to kick a football,” he said. “But it will never be with those timid souls who neither know the thrill of victory or agony of defeat. “That is why Charlie Brown is such a wonderful character,” he added. “He does see a psychiatrist, so he knows he has got some problems and he is trying to get help. They always say that Charlie Brown is a lovable loser but, at the end of the day, he gathers everybody around the tree.” > **[Life’s been far from comic for Charlie Brown actor - The Providence Journal,...](https://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/ProJo/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TPJ%2F2019%2F11%2F03&entity=Ar01400&sk=11BC3A80&mode=text)** > > The Providence Journal - 11/3/2019 ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/9 "2022-01-27T01:59:13Z")
Talk about matching an actor to a role. Good grief! ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/10 "2022-01-27T02:07:20Z")
As someone who attempted suicide once before, and has been struggling with mental illness since 2007, I don’t condone Mr. Robbins taking his own life, but I _understand_ it. Sometimes things can just become overwhelming, no matter how great a support system you have. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the United States is 800-273-8255. There’s also other services and programs that offer more specialized care, such as The Trevor Project for suicidal LGBT youth and young adults, which I’ve donated to in the past. Rest in peace, Peter. May you find the peace in Heaven that you didn’t find on Earth. [![](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/695434845110796331/935920573052239902/Snoopy_Hugging_Charlie_Brown.jpg) ](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/695434845110796331/935920573052239902/Snoopy_Hugging_Charlie_Brown.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/11 "2022-01-27T04:22:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It would be better to use adult actors instead? I doubt it. Adult actors voicing Charlie Brown cartoons as adults would be fucking amazing. > [@terentii](#): > > RIP, Chris! Who is Chris? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/12 "2022-01-27T04:30:05Z")
Shit. I must be suffering from early onset dementia. I guess I momentarily confused Peter with a character from popular children’s literature. These things happen. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/13 "2022-01-27T12:51:54Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Adult actors voicing Charlie Brown cartoons as adults would be fucking amazing. They could get the cast of [You’re a Rat Bastard, Charlie Brown!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbZdhl5NI6Y) ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/14 "2022-01-27T13:12:02Z")
I remember hearing a story of a talent scout searching for kids for the first Peanuts animation heard a kid in a store somewhere that would be the perfect Linus or Schroeder or I forget which. He tried convincing the mother that honest, he was a scout for a show and the child was perfect. She didn’t believe him. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/15 "2022-01-27T15:26:38Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’ve always been confounded by the decision to use real children to voice Peanuts characters since, in essence, those characters are only superficially children. Most of them represent adult insecurities and foibles. That’s what the strips are for. I love that they actually used kids. I like watching an old Adam 12 when one of the Shea brothers is on, and hearing Linus talk to Reed and Malloy. If you use kids, they sound like kids. The actress playing Sally is perfect, even if they had to piece her part together from different takes because she couldn’t say the complete speech in one try. Plus they grow up, so we don’t have the 35 year old Bart and Lisa issue. On the other hand we get Pamelyn Ferdin, so there is that. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/16 "2022-01-27T15:42:06Z")
… Or, I might have momentarily confused him with Chris Shea, the boy who voiced Linus. Either way, it was a lapse. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/17 "2022-01-27T20:59:27Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Adult actors voicing Charlie Brown cartoons as adults would be fucking amazing. Wouldn’t they just sound like muted trombones? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-charlie-brown-voice-actor-peter-robbins/958440/18 "2022-01-27T23:06:05Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > If you use kids, they sound like kids. Except in “Adam-12”, where they can sound like miniature Jack Webbs.