Transformers’ Optimus Prime Voice Actor Peter Cullen Dies at 85 – News

TMZ reported on Thursday that voice actor Peter Cullen (Transformers’ Optimus Prime) died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his agent. He was 85.

Cullen’s family told TMZ:

“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.'”

Cullen was born on July 28, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Cullen is best known for voicing Optimus Prime throughout various works in the Transformers franchise, including Transformers, The Transformers: The Movie, Transformers Prime, and Michael Bay‘s live-action Transformers films.

He was an announcer for the Toonami programming block, and he also voiced the narrator in the IGPX anime. He played Mario in Donkey Kong cartoons from the Saturday Supercade anthology series, as well as Commander James Hawkins, King Alfor, and the narrator in Voltron. Other notable voice roles include Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, Monterey Jack in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, K.A.R.R. in Knight Rider, Thadeus in Invincible, Venger in Dungeons & Dragons, Nemesis Enforcer in G.I. Joe: The Movie, Murky Dismal in Rainbow Brite, Pop in Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, and multiple characters in Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.

The Society of Voice Art and Sciences presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Cullen during the 6th Annual Voice Arts Awards Gala at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California in November 2019.

Source: TMZ