Iconic ‘Transformers’ voice actor Peter Cullen dead at 85

Peter Cullen, famous for voicing Optimus Prime in the “Transformers” franchise, has died. He was 85.

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The voice actor’s agent told TMZ that Cullen died on Wednesday at his Los Angeles home.

His cause of death is unknown.

Cullen’s family also shared an emotional statement with the outlet, in which they said that he “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family.”

“His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty and always remember ‘be strong enough to be gentle,’” they concluded, referencing the iconic phrase Cullen made widely known while voicing Optimus Prime.

Cullen voiced Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, in the original 1980s “Transformers” animated TV series.

He reprised the role in in “The Transformers: The Movie” (1986) as his deep, commanding delivery became inseparable from the character.

He also voiced Optimus Prime in the epic live-action “Transformers” film series directed by Michael Bay which featured stars like Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.

After the first film in 2007, Cullen subsequently voiced the character in every live-action “Transformers,” including “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009), “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011), “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014), “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017) “Bumblebee” (2018), and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023).

Cullen remained closely associated with the character through animated series including “Transformers: Prime” and “Transformers: Robots in Disguise,” as well as numerous video games.

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He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2011 for his performance as Optimus in “Transformers: Prime.”

Despite his impressive voice acting career, Cullen initially worked as a live performer, announcer and actor before moving heavily into voice work. One of his early notable credits was providing the voice of King Kong in the 1976 film “King Kong.”

Cullen began voicing Eeyore, the gloomy but lovable donkey, starting with “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” in 1988. He continued playing the character across numerous Disney productions for decades.

He also provided the distinctive vocal effects for the Predator in the original “Predator” film in 1987, creating the creature’s growls and other sounds.

By the 90s, Cullen became the go-to guy for animation voices and accumulated an enormous number of credits, including KARR on “Knight Rider” and characters in “DuckTales,” “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” “G.I. Joe,” “Voltron” and “My Little Pony.”

In 2023, Cullen received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, recognizing his extraordinary contribution to voice acting.

Cullen’s last voice-acting role was the character Thaedus on the Prime Video series “Invincible.” He voiced the character in the animated series’ third season, which premiered in 2025.

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