'Transformers' voice actor Peter Cullen, well known as the voice of Autobot leader Optimus Prime, has died. He was 85 years old.
On the 27th (local time), according to multiple foreign media outlets including U.S. ABC News, Peter Cullen's agent said that Peter Cullen passed away on the 26th.
The family said in a statement, "Cullen closed his eyes on the 26th at his home in Los Angeles, in the arms of his beloved family, and held in the hearts of countless friends and innumerable fans around the world."
The family added, "The family hopes that you will honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, honesty and loyalty, and by always remembering the saying 'be strong enough to be gentle.'"
Peter Cullen was a prolific voice actor who participated in hundreds of works. His most definitive role was Optimus Prime, which he played across multiple 'Transformers' series, films and video games.
He first created the deep, authoritative voice of Optimus Prime in the 1980s animated series 'Transformers,' which dealt with the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons and later led to feature films. After about a 20-year hiatus, he returned to the role for Michael Bay's 2007 live-action film 'Transformers,' which spawned five sequels, the spinoff 'Bumblebee,' numerous animated series and video games, and a new generation of content. His work on the 2010 series 'Transformers: Prime' also earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination.
In addition to Optimus Prime, he voiced the perpetually gloomy donkey Eeyore in various 'Winnie the Pooh' projects, including Disney's 'The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh' TV series that aired from 1988 to 1991. He also voiced the villain KARR in the 1980s NBC series 'Knight Rider,' voiced King Kong in the 1976 remake starring Jeff Bridges, and most recently voiced the betrayer Tetrumm in the 2021 Prime Video animated series 'Invincible.'
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