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 the Winnie the Pooh franchise, has died at age 85.
- Cullen died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to his agent Kevin Motley.
- Cullen's voice acting career spanned decades, including work on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,' 'The Smurfs,' G.I. Joe, and multiple Transformers live-action films from 2009 to 2023.
- Cullen drew inspiration for Optimus Prime's character from his older brother, a U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War.
- 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 television series, specials and movies, has died at age 85. He was best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 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.
Cullen's extensive career began in the late 1960s as an announcer on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' and expanded to include voice work in 'The Smurfs,' multiple G.I. Joe iterations, and the 1980s NBC series 'Knight Rider.' He also provided the clicking sounds for the alien creature in 'Predator' and voiced King Kong in the 1976 Jeff Bridges remake. However, his role as Optimus Prime became his most iconic and enduring work, appearing in the original cartoon series and later in multiple live-action Transformers films from 2009 through 2023.
Cullen drew inspiration for Optimus Prime's character from his older brother, a U.S. Marine who served in the Vietnam War. He told the Associated Press in 2019 that his brother was his hero and the foundation of the character's authoritative baritone. 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 his voice work as Optimus Prime. 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。他最为人所知的是在1984年辛迪加电视剧《变形金刚》中为擎天柱配音，以及在《小熊维尼》卡通系列中为驴子伊尔配音。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。
卡伦的职业生涯始于20世纪60年代末，他在《斯莫瑟斯兄弟喜剧时间》担任播音员，随后扩展到《蓝精灵》、多个《特种部队》版本以及1980年代NBC电视剧《霹雳游侠》的配音工作。他还为《铁血战士》中的外星生物提供了点击声音，并在1976年杰夫·布里奇斯主演的《金刚》翻拍版中为金刚配音。然而，他作为擎天柱的角色成为了他最具标志性和最持久的作品，出现在原始卡通系列以及2009年至2023年的多部真人《变形金刚》电影中。
卡伦为擎天柱这一角色的灵感来自其哥哥，一位曾在越南战争中服役的美国海军陆战队员。他在2019年告诉美联社，他的哥哥是他的英雄，也是这个角色标志性低沉嗓音的基础。卡伦于2023年获得儿童与家庭艾美奖终身成就奖，2011年因为擎天柱配音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。