Peter Cullen, voice of TRANSFORMERS’ Optimus Prime, Has Passed Away at 85

Peter Cullen passed away at the age of 85

Though the character he played was larger than life, his career and humility shone through it all.

A voice-acting legend, Peter Cullen is remembered as the voice of the brave yet kind Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots in the classic 1980s series The Transformers. There he would fight countless battles against the evil forces of the Decepticons and other foes that threaten both Earth and the galaxy at large. 

Though he is most known for the role of the leader of the Autobots, he has had a variety of other iconic roles under his belt. Besides being the first English voice of Mario in Saturday Supercade (1983), he has also been the voice of Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh since 1988. In contrast to his persona as an honorable action hero, his portrayal of the childish yet depressed donkey was cherished by millions who grew up with it. Other notable roles included the Predator in Predator (1987), King Kong in King Kong (1976), Monterey Jack in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, The Hulk in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981), and, more recently, Thadeus in Amazonʻs Invincible (2021). These are among the few characters and roles he has played throughout the years.

Though Cullen had played many characters over the years, the one that everyone will always go back to is his role as Optimus Prime. Itʻs his most iconic role, and his personal favorite, and for good reason. Optimus Prime was a hero to so many kids in the 80ʻs and stood out among other heroes for not only for being strong but also for being gentle and kind. He would fight the evil Decepticons one minute and sit down with and affirm his friends the next. So when his character died in The Transformers: The Movie (1986), it sparked such a backlash that Transformers’ parent company, Hasbro and Takara, had to revive the character in the following season of the cartoon. To them, Optimus Prime and other Transformers were just toys from a product line, and the cartoon was a way for kids to buy them

But to Cullen, Optimus Prime was a hero, and that had a special meaning to him, which was his brother Larry. Cullen had always looked up to his brother, especially after his brother came back from the Vietnam War and he saw how much his brother had and hadn’t changed. So, before he auditioned for the role that would make him famous, Cullen reached out to his brother for advice on how to portray such a character. What Larry told him would cement Optimus Prime’s characterization for decades to come.  “Peter, don’t be a Hollywood hero, be a real hero. Real heroes don’t yell and act tough; they’re tough enough to be gentle, so control yourself.” Cullen meditated on those words, and when he stepped into the recording booth, he channeled his brother, and Optimus Prime was born.

Outside the original series, Cullen continued to voice the character in other media and series. Inspired by fans’ lobbying, Cullen campaigned and later returned as the character in Michael Bay’s Transformers (2007) as well as its subsequent sequels and spinoffs. He also returned to his Saturday-morning roots with Transformers Prime, another animated series based on the original show, alongside his nemesis Frank Weller, who voiced Megatron in the original series. He continued to play different variations of the character until 2023, with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) being the last time he played the character. 

In 2023, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2nd Children’s and Family Emmys, and it was well earned. He has come a long way since he first started back in the 60ʻs being the announcer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967). Peter Cullen has left his mark on the world not only by voicing one of the greatest heroes of his generation but also by inspiring others to find strength in gentleness. Because of Peter Cullen, Optimus Prime has become a benchmark for how we view heroes, not only in action and cool space battles but also in real leadership and kindness. Farewell, Peter Cullen. Let us hope you realized that what people saw in you all those years ago was more than meets the eye.

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