Peter Cullen: Voice actor behind Optimus Prime from Transformers and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh dies aged 85

Actor Peter Cullen, the voice behind Optimus Prime from Transformers and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, has sadly died aged 85.

The Canadian died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, his agent Kevin Motley told The Hollywood Reporter.

He “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.

They asked “that you honour 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 began his biggest role as Optimus Prime, the honourable leader of the Autobots, for the Transformers TV series in 1984.

Optimus’ death after a battle with Megatron in The Transformers: The Movie (1986) caused a huge upset from fans that prompted producers to bring Cullen and the character back for the 1987 movie The Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime.

Cullen also voiced the Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck in seven Hollywood Transformers films from 2007 to 2023 and other spin-offs.

In a 2014 NPR interview, Cullen said that he was initially confused on how to approach playing Optimus Prime.

“I auditioned like everybody else,” he said. “I was told it was a hero, and I was told it was a truck.”

He channelled the spirit of his older brother Larry, a decorated US Marine who served in Vietnam from 1965-68.

“When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter, and he was a man and a superhero to me,” he said in 2006.

“I watched him and listened to him. I’d never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, (that voice) just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus.”

Cullen gave Larry a share of the wages he received for playing Optimus Prime until his brother died in 2011.

His performance in the first season of the 2010-2013 series Transformers: Prime earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination.

Another notable role was voicing the melancholic donkey Eeyore in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh TV series from the late 1980s as well as many other shows, films and games in the franchise.

“I get an awful lot of reactions from, especially, young kids, when I go up and just say (in Eeyore’s voice), ‘Hello. Thanks for noticing me,’” Cullen said after landing the role.

Fans may also recognise his voice as the roars of King Kong for the 1976 remake, and KARR – Knight Automated Roving Robot, the evil counterpart to KITT – in the Knight Rider series in 1982 and 2009.

The actor is also credited with coming up with the eerie clicking sounds that emerged from the mouth of the monster in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator in 1987.

The Montreal-born actor began his career on Canadian TV and radio and was then a regular on programs including The Sonny & Cher Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour before deciding to focus on voice acting.

He is survived by his children Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay, who he had with his wife Brandi Cullen, and three grandchildren.