Peter Cullen, the legendary voice actor who brought Optimus Prime to life in Transformers and voiced the lovable Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, has died. He was 85.
Cullen died peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, Aug. 26, surrounded by his family, his agent confirmed. A cause of death has not been announced.
“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 said in a statement to TMZ.
His family asked fans to honor Cullen’s remarkable legacy by serving their communities and treating others with compassion, integrity and loyalty — values closely associated with the heroic character he voiced for decades.
They also shared one of the actor’s most memorable sayings: “Be strong enough to be gentle.”
Cullen first became the voice of Autobot leader Optimus Prime in the original Transformers animated series in 1984. His booming, instantly recognizable voice became so closely tied to the character that he continued playing Optimus for more than 40 years.
He returned to the role for numerous animated shows, video games and movies, including Michael Bay’s blockbuster live-action Transformers film in 2007. Cullen continued voicing Optimus Prime in the live-action franchise through 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
Despite eventually becoming synonymous with the heroic robot, Cullen once admitted he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the role when he first auditioned.
“I auditioned like everybody else,” Cullen told NPR in 2014. “I was told it was a hero, and I was told it was a truck.”
Optimus Prime was only one of hundreds of characters Cullen voiced during his lengthy career.
Generations of children also knew him as the gloomy but lovable Eeyore in numerous Winnie the Pooh productions.
His other memorable credits included KARR, the sinister prototype vehicle in Knight Rider, Monterey Jack in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers and Mario in the original Donkey Kong animated series.
Cullen also provided the terrifying vocal sounds for the alien creature in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster Predator and worked on shows including G.I. Joe, Voltron and DuckTales.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Cullen built a voice-acting career that stretched across six decades and made his voice instantly recognizable to millions of fans.
In 2023, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his contributions to the industry. His later work included voicing Thaedus in the animated superhero series Invincible.
Cullen is survived by his children Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay.
For Transformers fans in particular, Cullen’s death marks the loss of the man whose commanding yet compassionate voice helped define one of pop culture’s most enduring heroes.