Peter Cullen, the actor best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the “Transformers” franchise, died on Wednesday. He was 85 years old.
In a statement to TMZ, Cullen’s family said “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 asks that you 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.’”
The cause of death remains unknown as of this writing.
Born in Montreal in 1941, Cullen was a prolific voice actor, but he was certainly best known for lending his voice to the leader of the Autobots in nearly every version of the franchise. Cullen first originated the role of Optimus Prime in the animated series that kicked off in 1984.
He went on to voice the character in several animated projects, and returned to Optimus Prime in 2007, when he voiced the character for Michael Bay’s live action film.
“A lot of us pushed for Peter to be the voice of Optimus in the movie because he was iconic and would be the connection to the classic animated series,” producer Don Murphy told TheWrap. “He was incredible. All of his voice work, not only ‘Transformers,’ will always be the stuff of legend. A great man.”
Cullen’s final appearance as Optimus Prime came in 2024, when he did an episode of Fox’s competition series “The Masked Singer.”
“No one defines the ‘Transformers’ franchise more than Peter himself,” FJ DeSanto, showrunner of “Transformers: War for Cybertron,” told TheWrap. “His talent has unified multiple generations into loving not just Optimus Prime, but Peter himself.”
“He was a wonderful human being who understood the responsibility he had to millions of fans and gave it his all in every performance. His spark will live on forever.”
Of course, Cullen did far more than just “Transformers.” He also was the voice of The Predator in “Predator,” Eeyore in several “Winnie the Pooh” projects, Thaedus in “Invincible” and more.
Deep cut Disney fans will also recognize Cullen as the voice of Captain Flint in “Treasure Planet,” various voices in the original “DuckTales” and Monterey Jack in “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.”
In 2023, Cullen was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) with a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2nd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. In response to the honor, Cullen joked at the time that they may not have had “the right Cullen.”
As TheWrap exclusively reported back in June, a new “Transformers” script is in the works for Paramount and Hasbro, penned by “It: Welcome to Derry” writer Jason Fuchs. The untitled new movie will continue the story after 2023’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” where Anthony Ramos’ character Noah Diaz was offered a job with G.I. Joe in the film’s post-credit scene.
It’s unclear as of this writing if and how the film will proceed without Cullen as Optimus Prime.
