Peter Cullen (1941-2026)
It is a sad day for us Transformers fans. The legendary voice actor Peter Cullen, perhaps best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in the long-running "Transformers" franchise and Eeyore in "Winnie the Pooh," has died. He was 85 years old.
The actor was born in Montreal, Canada, on July 28, 1941. He was among the first graduates of the National Theatre School of Canada and began his television and radio career in the late 1960s. Over the next decade, Cullen appeared as a performer and announcer on programmes such as "The Buddies," "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour," and "The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show." In the late 1970s, he transitioned to voice acting in Saturday morning cartoons such as "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo," "Spider-Man," "Snorks," "Heathcliff," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Voltron: Defender of the Universe," and many more. In 1984, Cullen auditioned for Optimus Prime, the benevolent leader of the Autobots, in the Hasbro animated series "The Transformers."
When asked how he prepared to play Optimus Prime, Cullen said he drew inspiration from his older brother, Larry, a highly decorated U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam. In addition to voicing Optimus, he also voiced Ironhide, the Autobots' weapon specialist, whom he modelled on the classic Hollywood Western actor Chill Wills. Unbeknownst to the actor, young fans loved the character. He only found out when the studio shockingly killed off Optimus Prime in the 1986 animated feature "The Transformers: The Movie," because it hadn't forwarded any of his fan mail. Surprised by the overwhelming public rejection of Optimus Prime's death, the producers soon gave in to fans' requests and revived the heroic robot. Since then, Cullen has continued to play the role, including in Michael Bay's live-action film series, which began in 2007.
In 1988, he began voicing the droopy donkey Eeyore in the Disney animated series "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh." He kept the role in numerous Disney productions until his death. Throughout the 1990s, Cullen continued working in animation, voicing Monterey Jack in "Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers" and countless other roles across a variety of animated series. He stayed busy in the years that followed, thanks to his performances as Optimus Prime and Eeyore across television, film, and video games. Cullen most recently joined the cast of the Emmy-nominated adult animated series "Invincible" in Season 2, playing Thaedus. Frank Welker, who voiced Megatron, guest-starred in Season 2 as Thaedus' adversary, Emperor Argill, referencing the rivalry between their Transformers characters. The two had remained close friends until the end of his days.
Cullen also provided the vocal effects for King Kong in the 1976 film, the Predator in the 1987 movie "Predator," KARR in the TV series "Knight Rider," and a mogwai in "Gremlins."
Farewell, Peter Cullen; you will always be our one and only Optimus Prime. Until then, till all are one.
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