You may not know the name Peter Cullen, but you definitely have heard his voice in one way of the other. He became popular in the 1980s for his role as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. Born in Montreal, he and his brother, Larry, were of Irish descent.
And it was Larry who helped him perfect the voice of Optimus. Larry was a retired captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and he told Peter don’t act like a Hollywood stereotypical hero but be a real hero. Peter told people that he first attempted a boisterous style but toned it down the way a real leader would talk.
If you were a Transformers fan, you knew the phrases like, “Autobots, roll out!” While some say there’s a hint of John Wayne, there’s more of a James Earl Jones commanding tone. Peter performed the role on the TV show and the 1986 animated movie. He came back to force the character in all live-action movies because there really wasn’t anyone who could replace him.
But it wasn’t just Optimus Prime, he added the drab sluggish tone to Eyeore, the donkey of 100 Acre Wood in Winnie the Pooh. Then there was the role of the Predator in the 1987 movie and the sequels. He said that when he saw the alien’s mandible jaws, all he could think of was an insect’s sound as it’s trilling.
But he voiced many other characters on TV and in movies, it’s hard to even list them all. Because most voice actors do so much work, they appear in just about everything. He also did voices of Venger in the TV cartoon Dungeons and Dragons, Monterey Jack on Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers and K.A.R.R. on Knight Rider just to name a few.
Peter passed away on Aug. 26 at the age of 86. It’s not been a good week as both Dolly Parton and Tim Curry have passed but the movie’s and TV show will live on.
Zane Says 