If you’re currently an adult in your mid-30s to early 50s, the chances are very good that you are already familiar with Peter Cullen’s work. Not only did he give voice to such iconic characters as Monterey Jack in Chip and Dale’s Rescue Rangers and Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh, but he is maybe best known as the voice of the Transformers’ Optimus Prime.
Sadly, Cullen died on Wednesday. He was 85.
While the cause of death hasn’t been released, Cullen’s family did issue a statement:
“Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family—and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide. 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.’”
Cullen’s Prime was transformative for a generation of kids who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s. I likely wouldn’t have gotten into cars if some of my first action figures hadn’t been Autobots and Decepticons.
He was so integral and beloved by fans that decades after the children’s cartoon, he was cast to voice the same role for all seven live-action films, beginning in 2007. Cullen’s most recent role as Thadeus in Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Invincible also featured a Transformers reunion of sorts in its fourth season, as the voice of the Decepticon leader Megatron, Frank Welker, voiced the character Emperor Argall.
Born in Montreal, Cullen studied drama at the National Theatre School of Canada, breaking into radio in the 1960s. After his debut in North America in the ’80s, Cullen went on to contribute to several mainstays of children’s entertainment, including The Smurfs, The Jetsons, G.I. Joe, and more. He was inducted into the Hasbro Hall of Fame, and in December 2023, he received a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
If Peter Cullen’s work meant as much to you as it did to me, fire up YouTube and watch a couple of old cartoons in his honor.
