By Michael McKee
Correspondent
In the aftermath of singer Dolly Parton and actor Tim Curry dying on the same day, the world was saddened to hear that the legendary Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen had died soon after on Aug. 26 at the age of 85.
Cullen is most famous for his role portraying the main hero of the “Transformers” franchise, Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots as well as several other famous voice acting roles throughout the 1980s and beyond.
Cullen was born on July 28, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec to Henry and Muriel Cullen. He would later enroll in the National Theatre School of Canada and was among its first graduating class in 1963. After graduating, Cullen’s early career in the late 1960s and early 1970s saw much involvement in a variety of shows focused around famous personalities, such as the Smothers Brothers, Sonny & Cher and the Hudson Brothers.
Eventually, Cullen would get involved in voice acting, voicing the titular monsters in the 1976 “King Kong” remake, several vocal effects in 1984’s “Gremlins” and 1987’s “Predator.”
In television, he provided several voices for Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the “Voltron” franchise and had many small roles in iconic cartoons throughout the 1980s. He also voiced the Knight Automated Roving Robot in the hit series “Knight Rider” and Monterey Jack in “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.” Cullen ranks as one of the most recognizable voices of the decade.
However, Cullen’s most iconic performance as Optimus was inspired by his brother, Larry Cullen, a veteran of the Vietnam War. According to KTLA 5 News, his brother advised him,“Don’t be a Hollywood hero type with all the BS and all the yelling and screaming and trying to be tough… be strong enough to be gentle.”
Cullen’s time as Optimus came to a temporary end in 1986 when Optimus Prime was killed off to make way for a newer generation of characters in “The Transformers: The Movie.” Though it received much backlash at the time, to the point where Optimus was brought back in later episodes of the series, Optimus’ death has become one of the most famous cinematic moments of 1980s animation.
In the aftermath of the original “Transformers” series, Cullen was cast as Eeyore for the “New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” in 1988. Cullen would go on to be the primary voice of Eeyore in the “Winnie the Pooh” franchise through the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2007, Cullen reprised his role as Optimus in a live-action adaptation of “Transformers” directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. Cullen’s return was widely applauded and led to him voicing the character in six additional live-action movies ending with “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” in 2023, as well various tie-in video games.
In 2023, Cullen was cast as the alien leader Thaedus in the superhero animated series “Invincible.” Cullen would continue to voice this role for two additional seasons in what would be his final voice acting role before his death this year.
Cullen is survived by his four children and three grandchildren.
From the 1980s onwards, millions of children grew up with characters voiced by Cullen. His career has touched so many in ways that are still hard to quantify. It is hard to find the right words to send off such a legendary figure, but perhaps Cullen’s own will suffice.
At the end of “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” Optimus Prime says, “Whenever you look to the stars, think of one of them as my soul.”
Well said, Optimus.
