Peter Cullen, the legendary voice of Optimus Prime, dies at 85
Peter Cullen, the voice behind Optimus Prime in "Transformers" and Eeyore in "Winnie the Pooh", has passed away at 85. The actor died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.
Peter Cullen, the Canadian voice actor best known for bringing Optimus Prime to life in Transformers and voicing Eeyore the donkey in Winnie the Pooh, has died at the age of 85. His agent, Kevin Motly, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Cullen passed away on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles.
In a statement, his family shared that he died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. "We ask to honor his extraordinary legacy through community service and by leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty, and to always remember:
'Be strong enough to be gentle'."
Cullen first took on the iconic role of Optimus in the Transformers series that aired from 1984 to 1987. "Being a part of it is not just a historical matter, it's a part of your life that says: 'Wow, I'm happy'," he once reflected. When Michael Bay revived the franchise for the big screen in 2007, Cullen returned to the role after two decades, famously describing the experience as "slipping into a pair of old and very comfortable shoes."
He continued to voice Optimus Prime throughout the series, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee (2018), and Rise of the Beasts (2023). In the 2024 film Transformers One, the character was voiced by Chris Hemsworth.
Cullen began voicing Eeyore in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991) and reprised the role in various projects, including the 2002 film Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year.
Cullen famously based the voice of Optimus Prime on his older brother Larry, a decorated US Marine who served in Vietnam. "When he came home, I could see he had changed. He was quieter, and he was a man and a superhero to me," Cullen explained. "I watched him and listened to him. I never had the chance to do a superhero, and when it came, that voice just came out of me."
His career also included voicing King Kong in the 1976 remake and the creature in Predator (1987). Beyond his acting work, he was involved with NASA and the Optimus Prime Spinoff Promotion and Research Award. He is survived by his four children.
