Peter Cullen, Iconic Voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore, Dies at 85

Peter Cullen, the Canadian voice actor whose commanding baritone made Optimus Prime one of animation’s most recognizable heroes and whose gentle, melancholy performance as Eeyore endeared him to generations of Winnie the Pooh fans, has died at 85.

Born in Montreal, Cullen built a remarkably varied career spanning animation, television, film and video games. In addition to his signature roles, he voiced King Kong in the 1976 remake and the sinister K.A.R.R. — the Knight Automated Roving Robot — on Knight Rider. He also helped create the eerie clicking vocalizations of the creature in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator.

Cullen began his entertainment career as a live performer and announcer, appearing on programs including The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour and The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Comedy Show.

His defining role arrived in 1984, when he became the voice of Optimus Prime, the noble leader of the Autobots, on the syndicated animated series The Transformers. He also showed off his impressive range by voicing additional characters Ironhide, Streetwise, Wingspan, Slugslinger, Nightstick.

But it was Cullen's portrayal of Optimus Prime that became so closely associated with the character that the hero's death in The Transformers: The Movie (1986) sparked an unusually passionate response from fans. The character was subsequently brought back, with Cullen reprising his role in the 1987 animated feature The Return of Optimus Prime.

Two decades later, Cullen returned to the role for Michael Bay's 2007 live-action Transformers, starring Shia LaBeouf. His instantly recognizable voice remained a fixture of the franchise through subsequent films, including Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023).

Cullen brought a very different quality to another beloved character: Eeyore. He first voiced the gloomy but lovable donkey on The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which ran from 1988 to 1991, and continued playing the character in films, television productions and videos.

His extensive voice-acting résumé also included G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Dungeons & Dragons, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Challenge of the GoBots, DuckTales, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Invincible.

Across decades of work, Cullen demonstrated a rare vocal range, moving effortlessly from the inspirational authority of Optimus Prime to Eeyore's understated sadness and a host of memorable supporting characters. His performances helped define some of the most enduring animated franchises of the modern era.