Peter Cullen, the Montreal-born voice actor best known as Optimus Prime and Eeyore, died at age 85 on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, a family statement said. Cullen began voicing Optimus Prime for the 1984 Transformers TV series and returned to the role in seven Hollywood Transformers films from 2007 to 2023, plus other spinoffs. He voiced Eeyore in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from the late 1980s and in numerous related shows, films and games. Other credits include the roars of King Kong in the 1976 remake, KARR in Knight Rider in 1982 and 2009, and contributing the clicking mouth sounds for the monster in Predator in 1987. Cullen credited his brother Larry, a retired US Marine Corps captain, for the inspiration behind Optimus Prime’s voice and for the guiding line "be strong enough to be gentle," a motto he paid forward to his brother until Larry’s death in 2011. Cullen received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011 and a lifetime achievement award at the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in 2023. His family asked that people honor his legacy by serving their communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty.
