Actor Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, has died at the age of 85.
The Hollywood veteran was best known for bringing the brave leader of the Autobots to life with his versatile voice.
Cullen died ‘peacefully’ while surrounded by his loved ones, his family confirmed in a statement to TMZ.
The 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 Canadian voice actor is also remembered for his role as The Predator in Predator movies, Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, and Thaedus in Invincible.
His cause of death is yet to be publicly confirmed. Cullen is said to have passed away at his Los Angeles home yesterday.
Cullen has told how he was first confused about being asked to audition for the role of ‘a truck’ as Optimus, but the character ended up becoming his favourite role.
He told NPR in 2014: ‘ I auditioned like everybody else.
‘I was told it was a hero, and I was told it was a truck.’
But he convinced the casting directors, and went on to voice the iconic semi-truck robot for its first 1984-87 series based on the Hasbro toys.
Fans have reacted to the news of the legendary actor’s death.
Marvel Fans account with almost 2 million followers penned on social media: ‘His death represents a major loss for the voice acting community and for generations of Transformers fans who grew up with his work. Cullen leaves behind an enduring legacy, with his portrayal of Optimus Prime remaining one of the most celebrated voice performances in pop culture.’
Over the years, he returned as Optimus in the 2007 Transformers action film sequels Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction and The Last Knight and the video games, making him a household voice spanning generations of fans.
Cullen was so convincing as Optimus that the Last Knight producers revealed he was welcome to voice him as long as he wished, according to Comicbook.com.
Other projects that benefited from the voice veteran’s talents include the 1980s TV series in the Nintendo Saturday Supercade as Donkey Kong, voicework on DJ Dieselboy’s 2004 drum and bass albums and narration of an album by The Monolith Deathcult, a Dutch extreme metal band.
In 2011, he was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding animation performer in Transformers Prime series.
He won the 2023 Children’s and Family Emmy Awards lifetime achievement award.
Cullen was born in 1941 in Montreal to American parents.
His career began in 1968 when he appeared in the CBC Radio comedy series L’Anglaise as a French-Canadian man.
He then went on to polish his voice skills as a radio announcer in his hometown, often in comedic roles.
Cullen is survived by his four children, Clay, Angus, Claire and Pilar, and three grandchildren.
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