Peter Cullen - wikipedia Peter Cullen For the Australian water scientist, see Peter Cullen ( scientist ). Peter Cullen Cullen at the January 2015 Sac - Anime Peter Claver Cullen ( 1941 - 07 - 28 ) July 28, 1941 ( age 76 ) Montreal, Quebec, Canada Nationality Canadian Occupation Voice actor Years active 1962 -- present Known for Voice of Optimus Prime and Eeyore Children Peter Claver Cullen ( born July 28, 1941 ) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Optimus Prime ( as well as Ironhide ) in the original 1980s Transformers animated series, and most other incarnations of the character, as well, and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise. He also voiced Monterey Jack in Chip ' n Dale Rescue Rangers from season one through some of season two. Starting in 2007, Cullen has reprised his role as Optimus Prime in related Transformers media, starting with the first live - action film. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 1960s -- 1970s 2.2 As Optimus Prime 2.3 Other work 3 Personal life 4 Honors 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Video games 5.4 Theme park rides 6 Awards and nominations 7 References 8 External links Early life Cullen was born on July 28, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec, to Henry L. and Muriel ( née McCann ) Cullen. He has three siblings : Michaela, Sonny, and Larry. Cullen attended Regiopolis - Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. He is a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada, which graduated in 1963. His brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and helped inspire the voice of Optimus Prime. Career 1960s -- 1970s In 1968, he and Joan Stuart appeared as `` Giles '' and `` Penelope '' in L'Anglaise, a recurring segment about a French - Canadian man with an English - Canadian wife, on the CBC Radio comedy series, Funny You Should Say That. Cullen played a French - Canadian astronaut character named Commander Bi Bi Latuque alongside Ted Zeigler for the 1969 children 's show, The Buddies on CFCF - TV in Montreal. He honed his voice skills by working as a radio announcer, notably in his home town of Montreal on ( then ) MOR station CKGM doing the overnight and weekend swing shifts. From 1967 - 69, he was the announcer for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. From 1971 - 74, he, Zeigler and Billy Van were series regulars on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. In 1974, Cullen was the announcer and a series regular ( with Ted Zeigler and Billy Van ) on The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. He lent his voice to a character in the album `` The Story of Halloween Horror '' in 1977. As Optimus Prime Cullen recalls auditioning for the role of the robot Optimus Prime at a casting house in Burbank, California, explaining that as he read Prime 's character breakdown, he saw that it was `` the opportunity of the year '', and heeded his brother Larry 's advice : `` Peter, do n't be a Hollywood hero, be a real hero. Real heroes do n't yell and act tough ; they are tough enough to be gentle, so control yourself. '' Cullen later learned from his agent, Steve Tisherman, that he not only won the part of Prime, but also, to his surprise, the role of Ironhide as well, which he saw as a `` home run ''. He has stated that Optimus is his favorite voice role, and that he based the voice of the Autobot leader on his older brother Larry, who served in Vietnam. `` When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a hero to me, '' says the actor. `` I watched him and listened to him. I 'd never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, ( that voice ) just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus. '' Cullen putting his handprints in wet concrete at the Optimus Prime Chinese Theatre Handprint Ceremony in September 2014 He has also stated that he had no idea of Prime 's popularity until the character 's controversial death in the 1986 animated film, as the studio had never given him fan letters from children addressed to Optimus. The public backlash over Optimus ' death surprised producers greatly. Children were leaving the theaters because of the character 's death. The writers temporarily revived the character for a single episode in Season 3 called `` Dark Awakening ''. Initially, this was intended to be his final appearance, but after fan requests continued, `` The Return of Optimus Prime '', a two - part episode was produced. The original ending of `` Dark Awakening '' was altered in reruns to include a teaser about the return of the character. Cullen reprised the role of Optimus Prime in the 2007 Transformers live - action film, and its sequels Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and The Last Knight, as well as the video games based on them. Cullen will also voice Optimus in the spin - off Bumblebee film, set to be released in 2018. He is contractually obligated to voice Optimus in at least one more sequel. Cullen again reprised his role as Optimus Prime in the video games Transformers : War for Cybertron, Transformers : Fall of Cybertron and Transformers : Devastation, and in the recent television series Transformers : Rescue Bots, Transformers Prime and Transformers : Robots in Disguise. His performance in the premiere season of Transformers : Prime earned him a nomination for a 2011 Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program category. Other work Cullen in 2011 In the 1980s and the 1990s, Cullen appeared on a number of television shows. He has played Coran, Stride the Tiger Fighter, and King Alfor in the Lion Voltron series, the transforming spaceship / robot Ramrod in the 1980s anime series Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Commander James Hawkins in the Vehicle Voltron series, Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh franchise, KARR in Knight Rider, Antor and Bomba, and Gunner, in Dino - Riders, Airbourne, Nemesis Enforcer and Zandar in G.I. Joe, He played `` Mantor / Mantys '' in Coleco 's 5 episode mini-series Sectaurs in 1986 ; Red Skull in the 1981 cartoon series of Spider - Man, Klaar and Zanzoar in Megas XLR and Mantus in The Pirates of Dark Water. He also had a voice part in the 1984 motion picture Gremlins, as a gremlin, and the first season of the 2008 Knight Rider series as KARR. He also did voicework in The Greatest Adventure : Stories from the Bible series, notably as Japheth, one of Noah 's sons in the `` Noah 's Ark '' episode, and the King of Nineveh in the `` Jonah '' episode. He was well known by some as the main villain Venger in the animated series of Dungeons and Dragons. He played the evil sorcerer Renwick in the lesser known series Little Wizards and played Cindarr in the short - lived series Visionaries : Knights of the Magical Light. Among many other television series and films, he has also lent his basso voice to many film trailers and television commercials, including announcing for the Toonami and You Are Here blocks on the Cartoon Network. Cullen spent some of his early professional years in Montreal as a radio announcer / DJ on CKGM ; and as a character in a then - popular local television kids show. He acted the role of a French - Canadian astronaut, along with writer and his partner on the show, Ted Ziegler. Both Ziegler and Cullen were in the supporting cast of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, as well as other network comedies of the era. He voiced Nintendo 's mascot Mario in the Donkey Kong segments on Saturday Supercade, making him the first person to ever provide a voice for the character. Cullen has done voicework on drum and bass DJ Dieselboy 's 2004 album, The Dungeonmaster 's Guide, and narration on the 2013 album Tetragrammaton by the Dutch extreme metal band The Monolith Deathcult. Tetragrammaton also featured Cullen on bass in `` God 's Among Insects. '' Additionally, he did voicework for the unreleased Blizzard Entertainment game Warcraft Adventures : Lord of the Clans, and provided narration for the Star Wars fan film series I.M.P.S. : The Relentless. Cullen is a voice announcer on Police Story 4 : First Strike in advertisements for New Line Cinema, lending his experience as an ex-cop for the Santa Monica division to the cast. Personal life Cullen has four children : Clay, Angus, Claire, Pilar and three grandchildren. He is a good friend of his Transformers co-star and fellow voice actor Frank Welker. Honors At BotCon 2010, Hasbro named Cullen as one of the first four human inductees in the Transformers Hall of Fame for his role as the voice of Optimus Prime. In 2008, Time magazine named Cullen `` Celebrity Most Likely to Pilot Commercial Airplanes. '' Filmography Film Year Title Role 1970 Prologue Allen 1976 King Kong King Kong ( voice only ) The Twelve Tasks of Asterix Various ( voice only ) 1982 Heidi 's Song Gruffle Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls Big Blue 1984 Voyage of the Rock Aliens 1359 Gallavants Antonim Warriors of the Wind General ( 1985 dub ) 1985 Robotix Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines Arthur Ravenscroft Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer Various voices 1986 Voltron : Fleet of Doom Various voices Heathcliff : The Movie Various voices GoBots : Battle of the Rock Lords Pincher, Tombstone, Stones My Little Pony : The Movie Grundle, Ahgg The Transformers : The Movie Optimus Prime, Ironhide ( voice ) G.I. Joe : The Movie Zandar, Nemesis Enforcer, Scientist ( voice ) Predator The Predator ( voice ) 1988 Rockin ' with Judy Jetson Gruff, Commander Comsat, Bouncer Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears Ranger Roubideux ( voice ) 1989 Vytor : The Starfire Champion Myzor, Chief Eldor 1991 The Little Engine That Could Pete, The Cave ( voice ) 1994 The Story of Christmas Ox ( voice ) Pooh 's Grand Adventure : The Search for Christopher Robin Eeyore ( voice ) 1999 Seasons of Giving Eeyore ( voice ; archive footage ) 2000 The Tigger Movie Eeyore ( voice ) The Book of Pooh : Stories from the Heart Eeyore ( voice ) Mickey 's Magical Christmas : Snowed in at the House of Mouse Eeyore ( voice ) 2002 A Very Merry Pooh Year Eeyore ( voice ) Treasure Planet Captain Flint ( voice ) 2003 Piglet 's Big Movie Eeyore ( voice ) Springtime with Roo Eeyore ( voice ) 2005 Pooh 's Heffalump Movie Eeyore ( voice ) Pooh 's Heffalump Halloween Movie Eeyore ( voice ) 2007 Transformers Optimus Prime ( voice ) Super Sleuth Christmas Movie Eeyore ( voice ) 2009 Tigger and Pooh and a Musical Too Eeyore ( voice ) Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime ( voice ) 2011 Transformers : Dark of the Moon Optimus Prime ( voice ) 2014 Transformers : Age of Extinction Optimus Prime ( voice ) 2017 Transformers : The Last Knight Optimus Prime / Nemesis Prime ( voice ) 2018 Bumblebee Optimus Prime ( Voice ) Television Year Title Role Notes 1962 -- 63 The Jetsons Additional voices 1967 The Buddies Commander Bi Bi Latuque 1967 -- 68 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Announcer 1969 Comedy Cafe 1970 -- 71 Zut ! 1971 -- 74 The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour Himself, various characters The Bobbie Gentry Show Announcer The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show Himself The Sonny Comedy Revue Himself, various characters Down Home Country Luke Warm 1976 The Wolfman Jack Show 1979 The Plastic Man Comedy / Adventure Show Mighty Man 1979 Scooby - Doo and Scrappy - Doo Additional voices 1981 The Kwicky Koala Show 1981 The Smurfs Additional voices 1981 Spider - Man and His Amazing Friends Hulk / Dr. Bruce Banner, Mysterio, Red Skull 2 episodes 1982 The Scooby & Scrappy - Doo / Puppy Hour Lucky 1982 Spider - Man Red Skull, Stuntman / Jack Riven 1982 Meatballs & Spaghetti Additional voices 1982 Pac - Man Sour Puss 1982 The Little Rascals Officer Ed, Pete the Pup 1982 Knight Rider K.A.R.R. 1st voice Episode : `` Trust Does n't Rust '' Monchhichis Shreeker, Snitchitt, Gonker The Puppy 's Further Adventures Lucky The Biskitts Dog Foot, Fang, Scratch Saturday Supercade Mario The Dukes Additional voices 1983 -- 85 Dungeons & Dragons Venger 1984 Dragon 's Lair Bertram 1984 Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats Additional voices 1984 Snorks Additional voices 1984 -- 86 Rainbow Brite Murky Dismal 1984 -- 85 Alvin and the Chipmunks Additional voices 1984 -- 87 The Transformers Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Streetwise, Blowpipe, Slugslinger 1984 Voltron : Defender of the Universe Coran, King Alfor, Narrator 1984 Three 's a Crowd Sports Announcer, Airline Captain 2 episodes 1985 The 13 Ghosts of Scooby - Doo Maldor the Malevolent 1985 Challenge of the GoBots Spoiler, Tank, Pincher 1985 The Super Powers Team : Galactic Guardians Felix Faust Episode : `` Brainchild / The Case of the Stolen Super Powers '' 1985 -- 86 G.I. Joe : A Real American Hero Airborne, Ramar, Zandar 1986 MoonDreamers Igon, various characters Episode : `` Zodies on the Loose '' 1986 Rambo : The Force of Freedom Sergeant Havoc 1986 Muppet Babies Additional voices Episode : `` Fozzie 's Family Tree '' 1986 Ghostbusters Eddie Spenser, Jr., Eddie Spenser, Sr., Haunter, Floatzart 1986 Pound Puppies Captain Slaughter 4 episodes 1986 The New Adventures of Jonny Quest Patch Episode : `` Peril of the Reptilian '' 1986 Foofur Baby the Rat, Vinnie the Cat 1986 My Little Pony Captain Crabnasty Episode : `` Fugitive Flowers '' 1987 -- 88 BraveStarr Dr. Whiston, Dr. Watson, Hack 1987 -- 88 DuckTales Admiral Grimitz, Bankjob Beagle, Mad Dog McGirk, Lessdred The Little Wizards Renwick, various characters The Real Ghostbusters Doctor Destructo, Police Officer Episode : `` Captain Steel Saves the Day '' Visionaries : Knights of the Magical Light Cindarr 1987 -- 89 Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs Commander Eagle, Narrator, Nemesis 1988 Dino - Riders Gunner, Antor, Bomba Episode : `` Toro Toro Torosaurus '' 1988 -- 89 The New Yogi Bear Show Ranger Roubideux 1988 Mickey 's 60th Birthday Yen Sid TV special 1988 -- 91 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Eeyore 1988 -- 90 Disney 's Adventures of the Gummi Bears Kerwin the Conqueror, Gritty 1988 -- 89 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash, Mugger, Napoleon 1989 Rude Dog and the Dweebs Herman, Winston 1989 -- 90 Chip ' n Dale Rescue Rangers Monterey Jack, additional voices TaleSpin Additional voices Episode : `` It Came from Beneath the Sea Duck '' 1990 -- 93 Tom & Jerry Kids Additional voices 1990 -- 91 Widget the World Watcher Bob the Poacher, Rooney Kangaroo, Gdunu 1991 -- 93 The Pirates of Dark Water Mantus 1991 In Living Color Episode : `` Dickie Peterson : Cherub of Justice '' Bonkers Abominable Snowman, Mackey McSlime 1994 Hardball Fox Announcer Episode : `` Lee 's Bad, Bad Day '' Boo to You Too ! Winnie the Pooh Eeyore 2001 -- 02 House of Mouse Eeyore 2001 - 03 The Book of Pooh Eeyore 2004 -- 05 Megas XLR Zanzoar, Klaar 2005 -- 06 IGPX : Immortal Grand Prix Narrator 2007 -- 10 My Friends Tigger & Pooh Eeyore 2009 Knight Rider K.A.R.R. Episode : `` Knight in King 's Pawn '' 2009 Bizarre Dinosaurs Narrator 2010 -- 13 Transformers : Prime Optimus Prime, Vehicon 2012 -- 16 Transformers : Rescue Bots Optimus Prime 2014 2014 Kids ' Choice Awards Optimus Prime 2015 -- 2017 Transformers : Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime 2017 Doc McStuffins Eeyore Episode : Into the Hundred Acre Wood 2017 Transformers : Titans Return Optimus Prime Video games Year Title Voice 2003 Piglet 's Big Game Eeyore 2007 Transformers : The Game Optimus Prime Transformers Autobots 2009 Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen Transformers Revenge of the Fallen : Autobots Transformers : War for Cybertron 2011 Transformers : Dark of the Moon 2012 Transformers : Fall of Cybertron Transformers : Prime -- The Game 2014 Transformers : Rise of the Dark Spark 2015 Transformers : Devastation Theme park rides Year Title Role 2003 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Eeyore ( voice ) 2011 Transformers : The Ride Optimus Prime ( voice ) Awards and nominations Year Award Film / TV Show Result Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Combo Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen Nominated 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program Transformers Prime Nominated 2012 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Screen Ensemble Transformers : Dark of the Moon Nominated References Jump up ^ Gilchrist, Todd ( June 8, 2007 ). `` Exclusive : Peter Cullen Interview ''. IGN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Jump up ^ All Our Alumni Archived 2012 - 05 - 12 at the Wayback Machine., National Theatre School of Canada, ent-nts.ca ; accessed August 18, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Hidalgo, Pablo. Transformers Vault : The Complete Transformers Universe Showcasing Rare Collectibles and Memorabilia, Abrams, 2011, Foreword by Peter Cullen, p. 7 Jump up ^ `` The Buddies ''. 4 January 2011. ^ Jump up to : Lee, Chris ( Spring 2014 ). `` An Optimal Voice for Optimus ''. Hero Complex, Los Angeles Times. p. 22 Jump up ^ Nguyen, Hanh. `` Prime Time : Cullen 's ' Transformers ' Resurrection '', Zap2It, 7 November 2006. Jump up ^ Optimus Prime Returning for the Bumblebee Spinoff Movie - Screen Rant Jump up ^ Review of Tetragrammaton by The Monolith Deathcult, Metal-fi.com Jump up ^ Blizzard Entertainment, Coming Soon magazine Jump up ^ `` IMPS Chapter One FAQ ''. Impstherelentless.com. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 18. Jump up ^ Handout. `` Police Story 4 : First Strike ''. OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Frank Welker ''. Behind The Voice Actors. Jump up ^ `` TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame Peter Cullen '' ( video ). Hasbro. Retrieved January 18, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Victoria Beckham and James Corden Spoof 80 's Rom - Com ' Mannequin ' ''. Time. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Peter Cullen ''. Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 18. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Peter Cullen Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Cullen. Peter Cullen on IMDb Peter Cullen at Anime News Network 's encyclopedia Peter Cullen at AllMovie Preceded by None Voice of Optimus Prime 1984 -- 1988 Original series and animated film Succeeded by Neil Kaplan 2001 -- 2002 Robots in Disguise Preceded by Garry Chalk 2002 -- 2006 Unicron Trilogy Voice of Optimus Prime 2007 Video game and live - action film Succeeded by David Kaye 2007 -- 2009 Animated Preceded by David Kaye 2007 -- 2009 Animated Voice of Optimus Prime 2009 Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen Succeeded by none Preceded by none Voice of Optimus Prime Transformers : Prime Succeeded by none Preceded by none Voice of Optimus Prime 2011 Transformers : Dark of the Moon Succeeded by none Preceded by none Voice of Optimus Prime 2014 Transformers : Age of Extinction Succeeded by none Preceded by Voice of Optimus Prime 2017 Transformers : The Last Knight Succeeded by none Preceded by None Voice of Ironhide Original series and animated film 1984 -- 1986 Succeeded by Michael McConnohie 2001 -- 2002 Robots in Disguise Preceded by None Voice of Mario 1983 -- 1985 Saturday Supercade Succeeded by Lou Albano 1989 -- 1990 Super Mario Brothers Super Show Preceded by None Voice of KARR 1982 Knight Rider episode `` Trust Does n't Rust '' Succeeded by Paul Frees 1984 Knight Rider episode `` K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R. '' Preceded by Paul Frees 1984 Knight Rider episode `` K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R. '' Voice of KARR 2009 Knight Rider episode `` Knight to King 's Pawn '' Succeeded by None Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Cullen&oldid=819220080 '' Categories : 1941 births Living people Male actors from Montreal Anglophone Quebec people Canadian expatriate male actors in the United States Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors National Theatre School of Canada alumni Canadian Roman Catholics Canadian sketch comedians 20th - century Canadian male actors 21st - century Canadian male actors Hanna - Barbera people Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Български Cebuano Deutsch Español فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Scots Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog Türkçe ייִדיש 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 8 January 2018, at 04 : 09. 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Question: who plays the voice of optimus prime in transformers age of extinction
Answer: Cullen