Published: August 27, 2026 · 11:45 AM EDT
The Montreal-born Canadian voice actor defined Optimus Prime from the original 1984 Transformers animated series through the blockbuster films, while also voicing Eeyore and contributing to Predator
Peter Cullen, the Canadian voice actor whose performance as Optimus Prime became inseparable from the Transformers franchise for more than four decades, has died at the age of 85.
Cullen died Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at his home in Los Angeles, his agent confirmed. His family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones. A cause of death had not been announced at the time of publication.
For generations of Transformers viewers, Cullen was the voice of the Autobots’ leader - first in the original animated series that debuted in 1984, and decades later when Optimus Prime moved into live-action cinema.
Cullen originated the role of Optimus Prime in The Transformers animated series, alongside Frank Welker as Megatron. He continued as Optimus in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986 and eventually returned to the character when director Michael Bay brought Transformers to live-action cinema in 2007. Cullen subsequently voiced Prime across films, television series and video games.
Hasbro continued to recognize Cullen as the original voice of Optimus Prime throughout the franchise’s history. During Transformers’ 40th anniversary celebrations in 2024, Cullen and Welker reunited with other original voice actors for a theatrical event built around episodes from the 1984 series. At the time, Cullen reflected on Transformers reaching four decades and said he had always felt the franchise would have a long life.
Peter Claver Cullen was born July 28, 1941, in Montreal, Quebec, and trained at the National Theatre School of Canada before developing a career centered increasingly on voice performance.
Although Optimus Prime became his defining role, Cullen's voice appeared across several other major pieces of popular culture.
He performed Eeyore in numerous Winnie the Pooh productions, voiced Monterey Jack in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and provided the first voice of KARR in Knight Rider. Cullen also supplied the distinctive vocalizations of the alien creature in Predator, the 1987 science-fiction action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. What made Cullen’s relationship with Optimus Prime unusual was its longevity.
Transformers changed repeatedly after 1984 - from toys and Saturday-morning animation to comics, video games and global blockbuster films - but Cullen's voice repeatedly returned with it. Hasbro itself described Transformers in 2024 as a franchise that had evolved across multiple generations while continuing to draw from the characters established in 1984. Cullen remained one of the most direct links between those eras.
His family asked fans to honor his legacy through service to their communities and by leading with compassion, integrity and loyalty, while remembering a phrase closely associated with Cullen:
“Be strong enough to be gentle.”
For millions who grew up hearing Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen did more than provide a character's dialogue. He gave the Autobots their voice.
Peter Cullen, 1941–2026.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Hasbro/Internet
