Legendary actor Peter Cullen who voiced Optimus Prime in Transformers & Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh dies aged 85

LEGENDARY voice actor Peter Cullen has died at the age of 85. The star, best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise, died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Peter Cullen died at the age of 85 at his home in Los Angeles Credit: Alamy He was best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the Transformers franchise Credit: Alamy His cause of death is currently unknown. In a heartfelt statement, Cullen’s family said he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family – and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide.” Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! The Montreal-born actor voiced King Kong in the 1976 remake and the evil K.A.R.R. in the Knight Rider series in 1982 and 2009. Cullen also created the iconic clicking sounds made by the monster in Predator (1987), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Peter Cullen first voiced the iconic character in the 1984 animated series: The Transformers Credit: Alamy Cullen with Frank Welker, who voiced Megatron Credit: Alamy Early in his career, he worked as a live-action performer and served as the announcer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. Cullen would later voice Eeyore in the 1988-91 series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, later reprising the role in the feature Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002). He also played the small, magical creature Mogwai in Gremlins (1984). In a 2014 interview, Cullen said he was initially puzzled by the prospect of playing Optimus Prime. Most read in Showbiz “I auditioned like everybody else,” he said. “I was told it was a hero, and I was told it was a truck.” Cullen voiced the leader of the Autobots on the 1984-87 animated series: The Transformers. Optimus’ death after a duel with arch-nemesis Megatron in The Transformers: The Movie (1986) caused a huge and unexpected outcry. It prompted producers to bring the character and Cullen back for the 1987 movie The Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime. When the show was resurrected by director Michael Bay in 2007, Cullen returned to the role after more than two decades away. “I describe it as kind of slipping into an old pair of very comfortable shoes that you haven’t worn for a while,” he told IGN. “I just slipped right into them, and they felt as good as the last time I put them on.” Cullen also played Optimus in The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023). “The phenomenon of Transformers itself is mind-shaking,” he said. “Being a part of it is not only historical, it’s a part of your life that says, ‘Gee, I’m glad.’ I did something in my life that stood out, and I’m really grateful for that. Humbled by it.” He is survived by his four children: Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay. Comment now