Renowned Voice Actor Peter Cullen, Iconic Optimus Prime, Dies at 85

Peter Cullen, a Montreal-born actor who died at his Los Angeles home at 85, left a legacy that shaped several generations of pop culture. He first gained fame as the voice of Optimus Prime in the original 1980s Transformers cartoon, a role he revived for the DreamWorks live-action franchise beginning with the 2007 film directed by Michael Bay. Beyond the Autobots, Cullen lent his baritone to characters such as King Kong in the 1976 remake, the antagonist K.A.R.R. on Knight Rider, and the eerie sound effects for the Predator creature.

His early career included live-action announcing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, as well as stage work after graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada. He also voiced the melancholy donkey Eeyore in various Winnie the Pooh productions and contributed to numerous other animated series and video games. Cullen’s contributions earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination for his work on Transformers: Prime, and he remained active in voice work up to his final years.