Peter Cullen, prolific voice actor who gave Optimus Prime his authoritative baritone, has died
- Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor known for voicing Optimus Prime in the 1984 syndicated series 'Transformers' and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh cartoons, has died at age 85.
- Cullen died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his agent Kevin Motley.
- Cullen's career spanned decades, including work as an announcer on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' in the late 1960s and voice acting in 'The Smurfs' and G.I. Joe.
- Cullen voiced Optimus Prime in multiple Transformers live-action films from 2009 through 2023, contributing to a multibillion-dollar franchise that began in 2007.
- Cullen received a lifetime achievement award at the Children's & Family Emmy Awards in 2023 and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2011 for voicing Optimus Prime.
- Cullen is survived by his four children: Angus, Claire, Pilar, and Clay.
Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of TV series, specials and movies, has died at age 85. He was best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the 1984 syndicated series 'Transformers' and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise. Cullen died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his agent Kevin Motley. His family requested that people honor his legacy by serving their communities with compassion, integrity, and loyalty.
Cullen's career spanned from the late 1960s, when he was an announcer on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,' through decades of voice acting work in 'The Smurfs,' multiple G.I. Joe iterations, and other animated projects. He became iconic as Optimus Prime, the heroic Autobot leader, inspired by his older brother who served as a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War. Though the original cartoon ran only a few years, it left an indelible mark on pop culture, eventually leading to a multibillion-dollar live-action film franchise that began in 2007.
Cullen's authoritative baritone as Optimus Prime appeared in Transformers films from 2009 through 2023, with his thoughtful lines becoming quoted for decades by audiences of all ages. Beyond Transformers, he voiced Eeyore across various Winnie-the-Pooh projects, provided clicking sounds for the alien creature in 'Predator,' and voiced King Kong in the 1976 remake. Cullen received a lifetime achievement award at the Children's & Family Emmy Awards in 2023 and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2011. He is survived by his four children: Angus, Claire, Pilar, and Clay.
配音演员彼得·卡伦去世，他为擎天柱赋予了标志性的低沉嗓音
配音演员彼得·卡伦因在众多电视剧、特别节目和电影中的配音工作而闻名，享年85岁。他最著名的角色是1984年辛迪加电视剧《变形金刚》中的擎天柱和《小熊维尼》卡通系列中的驴子伊欧。卡伦于周三在洛杉矶家中去世，其经纪人凯文·莫特利证实了这一消息。他的家人请求人们通过以同情心、诚信和忠诚为社区服务来纪念他的遗产。
卡伦的职业生涯从1960年代晚期开始，当时他是《史摩瑟兄弟喜剧时间》的播音员，随后数十年从事《蓝精灵》、多个版本的《特种部队》和其他动画项目的配音工作。他因为英勇的汽车人领袖擎天柱的配音而成为标志性人物，这个角色的灵感来自他在越南战争中服役的哥哥。虽然原始卡通只播放了几年，但它在流行文化中留下了深刻印记，最终导致了始于2007年的数十亿美元真人电影特许经营权的诞生。
卡伦标志性的低沉嗓音在2009年至2023年的《变形金刚》电影中为擎天柱配音，他富有思想性的台词数十年来被各个年龄的观众引用。除了《变形金刚》外，他还在各种《小熊维尼》项目中为伊欧配音，在《铁血战士》中为外星生物提供点击声音，并在1976年的《金刚》翻拍版中为金刚配音。卡伦在2023年儿童与家庭艾美奖上获得终身成就奖，并因2011年为擎天柱配音而获得日间艾美奖提名。他遗下四个子女：安格斯、克莱尔、皮拉尔和克莱。