Renowned Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen, known for bringing characters like Eeyore from “Winnie the Pooh” and Optimus Prime from the “Transformers” series to life, has passed away at the age of 85 in his Los Angeles residence, as confirmed by his agent Kevin Motley to CBC News.
Peter Cullen, originally from Montreal, started his career on radio station CKGM and later transitioned to television as the announcer for CBS’s “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” from 1967 to 1969. He lent his voice to the giant ape in the 1976 remake of “King Kong” and provided the menacing sounds for the monster in the movie “Predator” in 1987.
Fans of the 1988-91 series “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” may recognize Cullen as the voice of Eeyore, a role he continued in the 2002 film “Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year” and other productions. However, his most iconic role was voicing Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots in the “Transformers” franchise, a character that garnered immense popularity among audiences.
In a significant move, Cullen returned to voice Optimus Prime in the 2007 science fiction action film “Transformers,” directed by Michael Bay, alongside notable stars such as Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel.
At the Calgary Comic Expo in 2015, Cullen shared how his brother Larry, a decorated U.S. Marine, inspired his portrayal of Optimus Prime by defining a real hero as someone “strong enough to be gentle.” Today, upon announcing Cullen’s passing, his family highlighted this sentiment, urging fans to honor his legacy by embodying qualities of compassion, integrity, and loyalty, always remembering to “be strong enough to be gentle.”