Voice actor Peter Cullen, known for his roles as Optimus Prime and Eeyore, has passed away at age 85.
Peter Cullen
Cullen’s agent Kevin Motley told The Hollywood Reporter that he died Wednesday, August 26 at his Los Angeles Home. He “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide,” his family said in a statement. They ask fans to “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’.”
His iconic roles include the voice of King Kong in the 1976 film and KARR in Knight Rider. He provided the vocalizations of the titular alien in Predator. He voiced Thaedus in Amazon’s animated series Invincible.
He voiced Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and other characters in the original 1980s Transformers animated series and returned for the live-action films beginning in 2007. He attended the grand opening of Transformers: The Ride – 3D at Universal Orlando Resort with Megatron voice actor Frank Welker. Both provided their voices for the attraction. He appeared as Optimus Prime in a 2024 episode of The Masked Singer.
He has been the main voice of Eeyore since 1988, beginning with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He reprised the role for such projects as House of Mouse (2001), Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005), and Doc McStuffins (2017).
He voiced Monterey Jack in the first season and part of the second season of Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. He also voiced other one-off characters in the series. He provided his voice to various characters in Adventures of the Gummi Bears, DuckTales, Muppet Babies, and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. He narrated the read-along storybooks of the original Star Wars trilogy.
He voiced the Wizard in the Mickey’s 60th Birthday TV special and the Abominable Snowman in Bonkers. He was Captain Nathaniel Flint in Treasure Planet.
He also provided his voice to animated series like The Smurfs, G.I. Joe, Ghostbusters, The Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 as part of the 2nd Children’s and Family Emmy Awards.
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The post Eeyore, Optimus Prime, King Kong Voice Actor Peter Cullen Dies at 85 appeared first on WDW News Today.
