Peter Cullen, Optimus Prime voice, dies at 85 in Los Angeles
Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in “Transformers,” died at his Los Angeles home at 85, his agent confirmed.
Peter Cullen, who gave Optimus Prime his iconic voice in the “Transformers” franchise, has died. He was 85.
Cullen died at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, Aug. 26, his agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed to USA TODAY.
“Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family – and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide,” his family said in a statement. A cause of death has not yet been shared publicly.
Cullen voiced Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, in “Transformers” starting with the original animated series in the 1980s and continuing all the way into the modern live-action movies. He brought the character to the big screen in “The Transformers: The Movie,” which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The 1986 film famously devastated fans by killing off Optimus Prime, though the character later returned.
In 2007, Cullen returned as the voice of Optimus Prime in Michael Bay’s live-action “Transformers” film, and he reprised the character in the subsequent sequels, including the most recent live-action installment, 2023’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.”
In a 2011 interview with USA TODAY, Cullen revealed how he was inspired by his brother, a former captain in the Marine Corps, when he first auditioned for the role.
“One morning when I was on my way to the audition, he asked me where I was going and I told him ‘I’m about to audition for a hero and it’s a truck,'” Cullen recalled. “He laughed, and I laughed, too, because I had no idea what I was getting into. He said, ‘Peter, don’t be a Hollywood hero. Don’t be one of those loudmouths yelling and screaming and pretending. Be a real hero and you can be strong enough to be gentle and understanding.’ It was the character of a Marine who was talking. His timbre is very similar to mine to begin with, so it was easy to impersonate him, and the tone he gave me to set the audition was perfect.”
Though Cullen was best known for Optimus Prime, the “Transformers” hero wasn’t his only iconic voice role: He also voiced Eeyore in a number of “Winnie the Pooh” projects. In his 2011 interview with USA TODAY, Cullen named Eeyore as his “next favorite” character that he has performed after Optimus Prime.
“I love characters who do good or make people feel good,” he said.
Cullen also did voice work for King Kong in the 1976 version of “King Kong,” as well as for the Predator in the original “Predator” film. His other credits include Monterey Jack on “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” and, more recently, Thaedus on the Prime Video animated series “Invincible.” In 2023, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Children and Family Emmys.
In their statement, Cullen’s family asked fans to “honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle.'”
Contributing: Brian Truitt, USA TODAY