Peter Cullen, the acclaimed Canadian voice actor renowned for bringing life to iconic characters like Optimus Prime in Transformers and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh series, has passed away at 85. His family announced that Cullen died on Wednesday at his Los Angeles home, with loved ones by his side.
Born in Montreal, Cullen’s career began in Canadian television and radio, eventually establishing himself as a prominent figure in the voice acting industry. He first lent his voice to Optimus Prime in the 1984 Transformers animated series, a role he reprised in seven Hollywood films from 2007 to 2023, as well as various spin-offs. Cullen also became synonymous with the character of Eeyore, the somber donkey from Winnie the Pooh, voicing him in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and numerous other related projects.
Beyond these hallmark roles, Cullen’s diverse vocal talents included portraying KARR, the villainous counterpart to KITT, in the series Knight Rider. He was also the source of the eerie clicking sounds in the 1987 action film Predator and provided the voice for King Kong in the 1976 movie remake.
Cullen often credited his older brother Larry, a former US Marine Corps captain, as an influence on Optimus Prime’s character. Larry’s advice to embody a hero who was strong yet not aggressive helped shape the identity of the beloved Autobot leader. This portrayal earned Cullen a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011, and in 2023, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.
With a career that spanned decades, Cullen’s distinctive performances left an indelible mark on popular culture, forever linking his voice to some of the most beloved animated and science-fiction figures.