Peter Cullen, the celebrated voice actor behind Optimus Prime for over four decades, has died at his home at the age of 85. His agent confirmed the news, stating he "passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family."
Born in 1941, Cullen's career began with roles on television in the 1970s before transitioning to voice acting. He lent his voice to characters in various productions throughout the late '70s and early '80s, including a role in the 1984 film Gremlins and as Venger in the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon. That same year, his distinctive baritone was cast as Optimus Prime in the original animated Transformers TV series, a role he would consistently reprise.
Beyond his most famous role, Cullen was also the voice of Eeyore in Disney's Winnie the Pooh animations from 1988 onward. His other notable credits include Monterey Jack in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers and the uncredited voice of the predator in the 1987 film The Predator. He also contributed to numerous other animated series.
In 1997, Cullen became the iconic narrator and voice for Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block, serving as "The Big Guy" until its initial conclusion in 2008.
When the Transformers franchise was rebooted with a live-action film in 2007, director Michael Bay initially considered Liam Neeson for the role of Optimus Prime, with animators using Neeson as a reference. However, producers insisted on bringing back Peter Cullen, who then went on to voice the Autobot leader in all of Bay's films, tie-in video games, subsequent TV animations, and the post-Bay movies like Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
In recent years, Cullen reprised his role as Optimus Prime in Fortnite, made an appearance on The Masked Singer, and voiced Thaedus in the animated series Invincible.
Cullen's family has asked that fans honor his legacy by embodying compassion, integrity, and loyalty, and by remembering to "be strong enough to be gentle."