Peter Cullen, the actor whose deep, commanding voice gave life to Optimus Prime across four decades of Transformers films, cartoons and video games, has died at 85.
Cullen died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, his agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed.
In a statement, his family said he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.” They asked fans to honour his memory “by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty,” echoing a phrase Cullen often used: “Be strong enough to be gentle.”
Cullen’s career stretched across television, film, video games and theme parks, but he was best known for his animation work in the 1980s and 1990s.
He first voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1984 Transformers cartoon and reprised the role in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986. When the franchise made the jump to live action under director Michael Bay in 2007, Cullen returned as the Autobot leader and kept the role through Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, The Last Knight, Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts.
Beyond Transformers, Cullen voiced Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh productions for years, played the giant ape in the 1976 King Kong remake, voiced the villainous car KARR in Knight Rider, and provided the alien’s clicking sounds in the original Predator.
His performance in Transformers: Prime earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Children’s and Family Emmy Awards in 2023.
Born Peter Claver Cullen on July 28, 1941, in Montreal, he trained at the National Theatre School of Canada and performed Shakespeare in Stratford, Ontario, before joining Toronto’s Crest Theatre repertory company.
He is survived by his four children, Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay.
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