28/08/2026
We would like to thank Peter Cullen, the legendary voice actor for bringing Optimus Prime to life.
The Canadian-born actor became one of the most recognisable voices in animation after first portraying Autobot leader Optimus Prime in the original Transformers television series in 1984.
His commanding yet compassionate performance became inseparable from the character, and Cullen went on to reprise the role across decades of Transformers television series, films and video games. He returned as Optimus Prime for the live-action film franchise beginning with Transformers in 2007, continuing through Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023.
Peter was also beloved as the voice of Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh's famously gloomy but endearing donkey. He began voicing the character in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in 1988 and returned to the role in numerous television programmes, films and games.
His remarkable voice could also be heard in several other memorable productions. Peter voiced KARR, the sinister counterpart to KITT in Knight Rider, provided the distinctive clicks and vocal effects of the alien creature in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 sci-fi classic Predator, and supplied the vocalisations of King Kong in the 1976 film.
Peter past away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on 26 August, surrounded by his family.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Peter gave a voice to characters recognised by generations of viewers, but it was Optimus Prime — the noble leader whose strength was matched by his compassion — that became his defining role and an enduring part of his legacy.
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