Peter Cullen, voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore, dies at 85 in Los Angeles

Passing of a prolific voice actor

Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen died on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 85. His talent agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed his death in a statement released to media outlets. Motley did not disclose a specific cause of death. Family members stated that Cullen passed away peacefully while surrounded by relatives at his residence.

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.'

Origins and military inspiration

Born in Montreal, Cullen attended the National Theatre School of Canada as part of its first graduating class. He began his entertainment career on Canadian radio and television before taking on announcer duties for American variety programs such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. In 1984, Cullen was cast as Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, in the animated television series The Transformers, while also voicing the character Ironhide. To craft the vocal identity of Optimus Prime, he drew inspiration from his older brother Larry, a retired Marine Corps captain and decorated Vietnam War veteran. Larry instructed him to avoid Hollywood tropes of angry shouting and instead portray a quiet, compassionate strength. Cullen subsequently shared a portion of his voice earnings with his brother until Larry died.

Evolution of the Transformers franchise

When Optimus Prime was killed during a duel with Megatron in the 1986 animated feature film, fan reaction prompted producers to revive the character for the 1987 television special The Return of Optimus Prime. Director Michael Bay brought Cullen back to voice the Autobot commander in the 2007 live-action Transformers movie, returning him to the role after a two-decade cinematic hiatus. Cullen reflected on that return during an interview about reprising the character.

I describe it as like slipping into an old pair of very comfortable shoes that you haven't worn in a while. You just put them on again and they felt as good as they did last time.

Cullen went on to perform the voice across seven live-action Hollywood films, concluding with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023. His performances earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2011 and a lifetime achievement award at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards in 2023.

Diverse television and cinematic credits

Beyond the Transformers franchise, Cullen maintained a wide range of voice credits across animation and live-action sound design. He voiced the gloomy donkey Eeyore in Disney's The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh starting in the late 1980s, citing Eeyore as his second-favorite role to perform. Cullen portrayed the antagonistic vehicle artificial intelligence KARR in the 1982 series Knight Rider and its 2009 revival, and played Monterey Jack in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. In film, he generated the vocalizations for the titular alien in the 1987 movie Predator by imitating a dying horseshoe crab, provided sound effects for the 1976 remake of King Kong, and created vocal noises for the creature Gizmo in Gremlins. His television credits also included episodes of Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, Voltron, G.I. Joe, Spider-Man, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and DuckTales.