Veteran voice actor Peter Cullen, whose unmistakable voice brought Optimus Prime in Transformers and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh to life, has died at the age of 85.
Cullen died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from his family.
For generations of viewers, Cullen was the voice of Optimus Prime, the respected leader of the Autobots. He first took on the role in the original Transformers animated series in 1984 and later returned for seven live-action films released between 2007 and 2023.
His deep, calm delivery became one of the defining sounds of the franchise.
But Cullen’s career went far beyond the famous robot leader. He also voiced Eeyore, the gloomy but lovable donkey in the Winnie the Pooh universe, appearing in television productions, films and video games.
He was also behind KARR, the sinister version of KITT in Knight Rider, and provided the distinctive roar of King Kong in the 1976 film. In Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cullen created the strange clicking sounds used by the alien creature.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Cullen began his entertainment career in Canadian radio and television before moving into voice work. He later appeared on programmes including The Sonny & Cher Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
How his brother helped create Optimus Prime
The voice Cullen eventually gave Optimus Prime was partly inspired by his older brother, Larry, a former US Marine Corps captain who served during the Vietnam War.
Larry advised him to portray the character as a genuine hero rather than an exaggerated Hollywood action figure.
That advice stayed with Cullen.
He later recalled that his brother told him the character should be strong without constantly shouting, an approach that helped shape the deep, measured voice that fans came to associate with Optimus Prime.
Cullen was so grateful for his brother’s influence that he shared part of his earnings from the role with Larry until his death in 2011.
In a 2014 interview, Cullen joked about how unusual the original audition sounded to him. He had been told he was auditioning for a hero who was also a truck.
The role went on to become the defining performance of his career.
A legacy that crossed generations
Cullen received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011 for his work in animation and was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in 2023.
When director Michael Bay brought Transformers to the big screen in 2007, Cullen returned as Optimus Prime alongside stars including Shia LaBeouf.
He described returning to the character as feeling like putting on a familiar pair of shoes.
Cullen’s family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones and remembered him as someone whose influence extended far beyond the characters he voiced.
They urged fans to honour his memory by serving their communities and treating others with compassion, integrity and loyalty.
For many fans, however, Cullen’s legacy will remain instantly recognizable: the steady voice of a leader who taught generations that strength and gentleness can exist together.
