Peter Cullen, Iconic Voice Of Transformers' Optimus Prime, Dead At 85

Peter Cullen, the Canadian voice actor best known for his long tenure voicing the heroic Optimus Prime in the "Transformers" franchise," has passed away at age 85, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. While Cullen was not only Optimus, that's his most famous, consistent role and the one that reached the most people.

Cullen began voicing Optimus Prime in the original 1984 "Transformers" cartoon. He took some advice from his older brother, Larry Cullen, that a "real hero" like Optimus should be "strong enough to be gentle." So, that's how he played the Autobot leader. Cullen's performance turned Optimus into an icon and father figure for young viewers. When Optimus infamously died in battle in 1986's "The Transformers: The Movie," the backlash was so great that "Transformers" owner Hasbro had to reverse course and resurrect him in the subsequent third season. The toy company didn't realize its action figure had a soul, and that soul's name was Peter Cullen.

Cullen later reprised the role of Optimus Prime in the live-action "Transformers" films two decades after, not to mention later cartoons such as "Transformers: Prime" and the "Transformers: War for Cybertron" video games. These reprisals cemented him as the singular voice of Optimus Prime for a whole new generation, yours truly included. Mourning the death of Optimus Prime is nothing new for "Transformers" fans, but, sadly, there's no hope of a resurrection this time.

Peter Cullen was born in Montreal in 1941 and began acting in the 1960s. He studied at Montreal's National Theatre School, but he found he was too much of a "clown" to be a serious stage actor. In the 1970s, he was a regular on the "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" and, as Cullen told The Young Folks in 2015, that's where he really discovered his talent for doing different voices.

Cullen's cartoon career took off in the 1980s, with roles on "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends," "The Smurfs," "Dungeons and Dragons," "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero," and, of course, "The Transformers." It's worth noting Optimus wasn't Cullen's only memorable "Transformers" role, either. Indeed, he also voiced Ironhide, the Autobots' Southern-accented security officer and Optimus' right-hand robot.

After "The Transformers," Cullen took on some of his other, most well-remembered voiceover roles, among them Monterey Jack on "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" and Eeyore the gloomy donkey in Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" franchise. Along the way, he left an impact as a voice actor on live-action projects as well. In particular, Cullen voiced the titular alien in 1987's "Predator," including its chilling laugh from the film's ending.

In recent years, Cullen mostly stuck to voicing Optimus, with 2023's "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" marking the last "Transformers" movie he worked on. He did, however, lend his voice to the superhero show "Invincible" as well, playing the wise Thaedus. Being a big "Transformers" fan (he's writing the current "Transformers" comic), creator Robert Kirkman even briefly reunited Cullen with his old "Transformers" co-star Frank Welker on "Invincible."

In 2023, Cullen received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards, a fitting capstone to his career. May he rest in peace.