Legendary voice actor Peter Cullen, best known for providing the iconic voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, has died at the age of 85.
Cullen reportedly passed away on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. His death was confirmed to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday by his agent, Kevin Motley.
In a statement, Cullen’s family said he died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones and remembered by friends and fans around the world.
The family also urged admirers to honour his legacy by serving their communities and showing compassion, integrity and loyalty.
Cullen enjoyed a career spanning several decades across television, film, video games and theme park productions. Although he played numerous memorable characters, his deep, commanding voice as Optimus Prime became his defining role.
He first voiced Optimus Prime in the original Transformers animated television series of the 1980s, popularly known as the Generation 1 series. He also reprised the role in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986.
When Transformers was adapted into a live-action film franchise in 2007, Cullen returned as the voice of Optimus Prime in Michael Bay’s film.
He subsequently voiced the Autobot leader in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017).
Cullen also reprised the character in Bumblebee (2018) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023).
Beyond Transformers, Cullen was also widely recognised as the voice of Eeyore, the gloomy but beloved donkey from the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
He first portrayed Eeyore in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which ran from 1988 to 1991, and later returned to the role in productions including The Tigger Movie, Piglet’s Big Movie and The Book of Pooh.
His other notable acting credits included voicing the villainous vehicle KARR in the television series Knight Rider, portraying the giant ape in the 1976 remake of King Kong and voicing the alien hunter in the original Predator film.
Cullen received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011 for his work as Optimus Prime in Transformers: Prime. In 2023, he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards.
Born Peter Claver Cullen on July 28, 1941, in Montreal, Canada, to American parents Henry and Muriel Cullen, he was one of four children.
He graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963 and later performed Shakespeare in Stratford, Ontario, before joining the repertory company at Toronto’s Crest Theatre.
Cullen is survived by his four children, Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay.
His death marks the loss of one of the most recognisable voices in animation, with his portrayal of Optimus Prime leaving a lasting impression on generations of Transformers fans worldwide.
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