Peter Cullen, Voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore, Dies at 85
Peter Cullen, the esteemed voice actor renowned for his roles as Optimus Prime in the original Transformers series and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, has died at the age of 85. Cullen passed away at his Los Angeles home, as announced by his agent, Kevin Motley. His family requests that fans celebrate his legacy by engaging in community service and embodying values of kindness and loyalty, reminiscent of his motto, “be strong enough to be gentle.” Cullen's career began in the late 1960s, featuring in programs like The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in December 2023.
Key facts
- Peter Cullen died at age 85.
- He was the voice of Optimus Prime in the 1984 Transformers cartoon.
- He also voiced Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
- His agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed his death on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles.
- His career included work on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Sonny & Cher, The Smurfs, and G.I. Joe.
- The Transformers franchise spawned a multibillion-dollar live-action film series directed by Michael Bay in 2007.
- Cullen received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2nd Annual Children and Family Emmy Awards in December 2023.
- In 2019, Cullen said he only knew he would be reading for the part of a truck before his audition.
Entities
Artists
- Peter Cullen
- Michael Bay
- Shia LaBeouf
- Megan Fox
- Josh Duhamel
- Jeff Bridges
- Jessica Lange
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Frank Welker
Institutions
- Transformers
- Winnie the Pooh
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
- Sonny & Cher
- The Smurfs
- G.I. Joe
- Children and Family Emmy Awards
- TMZ
- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
- Children's & Family Emmy Awards
- Daytime Emmy Awards
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- CBS
- Prime Video
- Disney
- The Sonny & Cher Show
- Fathom Entertainment
- Hasbro
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Montreal
- Canada
- Massachusetts