AstroBoy Online Forums

Dear friends, DrFrag invited me to post a quick greeting to you all. My name is Steven Bednarski and I provided the English voice of Astroboy in the 1985 Canadian dub. Our series is markedly different from some of the other versions, in part because the Montreal writers who prepared the translated scripts changed many of the characters' names (my sister in the show was Sarah, for example). Because Canadian dubbing laws at the time were in their infancy (and probably also because I was only twelve years old), I never received credit for my work. Although Astro spoke with my voice for over a decade on Canada's Global Television network, and was re-released in VHS, my work remains anonymous and I received no additional compansation for my efforts. That said, Astro did launch my voice career and so I have always been particularly grateful to him. I have a real soft spot for the little guy! After Astroboy, I went on to provide the lead voice in several other long-running animated series. So, all in all, Astroboy was very good to me. I count myself fortunate to have begun my career as a voice actor with him. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about my work. I'm now 35 years old and it has been over two decades since I voiced Astroboy. Still, I'll do my best to answer whatever I can. For you die-hard fans, you may be interested to know that: - We recorded Astroboy in the late summer and early fall of 1985 (not 1983 as has been reported elsewhere in this blog) - We dubbed the series from the original Japanese using the French Rhythmoband technique. - We recorded everything in one studio, on the second floor of Cinelume Studios in Montreal. - The director's name was Georges De Neubourg and I haven't heard from him since the late 1980s. - Many of the actors I worked with were part of a small group of extremely active English-speaking voice actors in Montreal throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Their voices also appeared on several of the other shows I did. - In September 1985, I began high school (which starts in Grade 7 in the French-Canadian Province of Québec, where Montreal is located). I took the train from the West Island of Montreal into the city, attended classes all day, then got into a cab and drove to Cinelume. I recorded Astroboy in the late afternoons and evenings from September to October. We would record quite late into the night. I then returned home around midnight, did my homework, and got a few hours sleep before starting all over the next day. So, as you can imagine, by the end of the recording process, Astro had become a bit of a juggling act for me! Thanks very much for your support of this important character. It's a really great feeling to know that, years later, people are still interested in him. With best regards to you all from Canada, Steven (mail@medieval-tech.com)

Thank you to the forum! I actually saw your Canadian version first in my life, but I was very young and all I can remember now are the dub names, and Sarah & Astro's voices. It's outrageous they'd hide your name from the credits...did all the actors go anonymous like that?

I should try and hunt down those VHS tapes, wherever they may be.

OMG YOUR THE VOICE OF ASTRO BOY? OMG I...I..DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY..UH..I UH...SIR I'M A REALLY BIG ASTRO BOY FAN AND I LOVE THE CHARATER ASTRO BOY^^ I JUST CAN'T BELEIVE IT...[gets all shy] uh..i'm uh...///////well i saw the show when i was in the begining part of my teen years an my mother told me about this show and i fell in love with it^///^ omg i have alot of question to ask you^//////^ but i don't want to sound like a burden to you...

Wow. An actual voice actor here. And I'm amazed they actually got a child to play the voice of Astro. I wonder where I can find videos of this version. I doubt yours is the one I'm currently watching on Netflix

Thanks for the info. I saw the Canadian version first too when it was broadcast on Global TV so many years ago and I didn't realize there was a different version of the English dubbed until last year. I also recall Astro Boy providing a recap of the plot summary to Prof. Peabody (Dr. Elefun in US) and to a computer named Geronimo at the end of each episode. Its too bad that you didn't get credit for your work on Astro Boy. I'm curious to hear your voice work of Astro again to jog my memory on how he sounds like. Is there any chance we can get a sample of your voice of Astro somewhere online? I can't find it anywhere.

Thanks for posting all that great information. It is really good to see someone involved with Astroboy on the forums. Sounds like you did have quite a juggling act when you were younger, I doubt many children just starting high school could handle that kind of work load.

If your not too busy, I have a couple of questions.
How did you first get into voice acting? Did you reply to a casting call, knew someone in the business or was there some other way you started?

What other animated series did you voice in? What did you think about these in comparion to the work you did with Astroboy?

Do you still keep up with Astroboy today? Have you watched the other version of the Astroboy you voiced or either of the other series?

And finally. What did you family and friends think about you voice acting. Did anyone ever tell you they had heard you on tv or commented in anyway about your performance?

Thank you for coming to this forum! Many people have known about the Canadian dub, but until now little information has been revealed especially since no names were shown in the credits! Thank you for correcting the actual year the show was dubbed! I had read somewhere that the show had first premiered on Canadian television in 1983 and presumed that was the year the show was dubbed! Do you remember the names of any of the other actors who worked on the show with you and the characters they voiced? Were you the only child actor working on the show or were there others? Hope you have the time to answer the many questions we your fans have! Any way thank you for your time!

Welcome to the forum, astroboy1985! Thanks for the info.

Wow, thanks for coming and sharing your story! Does anyone have a link where we can hear the Canadian dub of Astroboy?

Hello folks, I stumbled across this site in an effort to find the Canadian English version of Astroboy. I recently purchased the American version and was disappointed. Maybe it's because I grew up with the canadian version, but I found it's version of dialogue, humour and an overall 'feel' to the show was much more intense and evocative. (Re: episode 39 Blackie Young VS canadian version)... If anyone is able to dig up a torrent or way to find the canadian version it would be well worth posting for all fans to check out. I'm pretty sure many will enjoy it as much or even more. Cheers