Peter Cullen (born December 1, 1944) is a Canadian voice actor who is arguably best known as the voice of
Optimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is the main protagonist and leader of the "heroic" faction in most of the various Transformers continuities.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and
IronhideIronhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, in the original
TransformersThe Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animals. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan...
series and the narrator in both American
VoltronVoltron is an American animated television series adaptation of two different Japanese anime television series , the series which aired both in syndication and on ABC from September 10,1984 to November 18, 1985, first titled Voltron: Defender of the Universe.There have been two remakes of the...
series (he would subsequently reprise his role as Optimus in
Michael BayMichael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. Bay is best known for making large-budget action films, such as Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and producing remakes of horror movies such as Friday The...
's live-action
Transformers film series). In addition, he has played Coran and King Alfor in the
Lion Voltronis a Japanese Super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue, as well as several plot changes. In 2008, another U.S...
series, the transforming spaceship/robot Ramrod in the 1980s
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
series
Saber Rider and the Star SheriffsSaber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is a 1987 animated space western following a similar theme of Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr. Originally a 1984 anime series known as created by Studio Pierrot, it achieved moderate success in Japan. The English language rights to the series was purchased by World...
, Commander James Hawkins in the
Vehicle Voltronwas an anime series aired in Japan from 1982. It is also referred to as "Dairugger 15", "Dairugger XV", "Armored Fleet Dairugger XV", "Armored Armada Dairugger XV", "Armored Squadron Dairugger XV", or "Machine Platoon Dairugger"...
series,
EeyoreEeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh book series by A.A. Milne and the Walt Disney Company franchise of its cartoon adaptation. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, melancholic, depressed, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh.His name...
in
Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
,
KARRKARR is the name of a fictional, automated, prototype vehicle featured as a major antagonist in two episodes of the television series Knight Rider and was part of a multi-episode story arc in the 2008 series....
in
Knight Rider, Antor and Bomba, and Gunner, in
Dino-RidersDino-Riders is a cartoon television series that aired in the late 1980s, primarily as a promotion to launch a new Tyco toy line. Only fourteen episodes were produced, thirteen of which were aired as part of the Marvel Action Universe...
, and Mantus in
The Pirates of Dark WaterThe Pirates of Dark Water is a fantasy animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment in the early 1990s. The series followed a group of adventurers on a quest to collect the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, which possessed the combined power to stop an evil substance known as "Dark...
.
Peter Cullen (born December 1, 1944) is a Canadian voice actor who is arguably best known as the voice of
Optimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is the main protagonist and leader of the "heroic" faction in most of the various Transformers continuities.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
and
IronhideIronhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, in the original
TransformersThe Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animals. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan...
series and the narrator in both American
VoltronVoltron is an American animated television series adaptation of two different Japanese anime television series , the series which aired both in syndication and on ABC from September 10,1984 to November 18, 1985, first titled Voltron: Defender of the Universe.There have been two remakes of the...
series (he would subsequently reprise his role as Optimus in
Michael BayMichael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. Bay is best known for making large-budget action films, such as Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and producing remakes of horror movies such as Friday The...
's live-action
Transformers film series). In addition, he has played Coran and King Alfor in the
Lion Voltronis a Japanese Super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue, as well as several plot changes. In 2008, another U.S...
series, the transforming spaceship/robot Ramrod in the 1980s
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
series
Saber Rider and the Star SheriffsSaber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is a 1987 animated space western following a similar theme of Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr. Originally a 1984 anime series known as created by Studio Pierrot, it achieved moderate success in Japan. The English language rights to the series was purchased by World...
, Commander James Hawkins in the
Vehicle Voltronwas an anime series aired in Japan from 1982. It is also referred to as "Dairugger 15", "Dairugger XV", "Armored Fleet Dairugger XV", "Armored Armada Dairugger XV", "Armored Squadron Dairugger XV", or "Machine Platoon Dairugger"...
series,
EeyoreEeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh book series by A.A. Milne and the Walt Disney Company franchise of its cartoon adaptation. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, melancholic, depressed, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh.His name...
in
Winnie-the-PoohWinnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
,
KARRKARR is the name of a fictional, automated, prototype vehicle featured as a major antagonist in two episodes of the television series Knight Rider and was part of a multi-episode story arc in the 2008 series....
in
Knight Rider, Antor and Bomba, and Gunner, in
Dino-RidersDino-Riders is a cartoon television series that aired in the late 1980s, primarily as a promotion to launch a new Tyco toy line. Only fourteen episodes were produced, thirteen of which were aired as part of the Marvel Action Universe...
, and Mantus in
The Pirates of Dark WaterThe Pirates of Dark Water is a fantasy animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment in the early 1990s. The series followed a group of adventurers on a quest to collect the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, which possessed the combined power to stop an evil substance known as "Dark...
. In 1968, he appeared as 'Giles' with Joan Stuart as 'Penelope' in 'L'Anglaise', a CBC comedy about a French-Canadian husband with an English-Canadian wife (CBC's 'Funny You Should Say That'). He also performed a French-Canadian astronaut character named Bebe LaToque alongside Ted Zeigler for a 1969 children's show on CFCF TV in
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
.
Life and career
Cullen was born in
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
,
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He is a member of the first graduating class of the
National Theatre School of CanadaThe National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
, which graduated in 1963.
In the 1980s and the 1990s, Cullen appeared on a number of television shows, including
My Little PonyMy Little Pony is a line of colourful toy ponies marketed primarily to young girls and produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These dolls can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes, and typically a unique symbol on one or both sides of their hindquarters.Following the related My...
,
Pound PuppiesPound Puppies was a toyline sold by Hornby in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, an animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries....
as Captain Slaughter,
The New Adventures of Winnie the PoohThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an American animated television series made by The Walt Disney Company, and inspired by A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.-Overview:...
and My Friends Tigger and Pooh as Eeyore,
Filmation's Ghostbusters,
The Smurfs,
Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is an American animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show was popular in the United States and ran for three seasons on CBS...
as Venger,
Snorks,
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooThe 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo is the seventh incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon, Scooby-Doo. This was the final first-run version of the original 1969 - 86 broadcast run of the series, it premiered on and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program and then ended on...
,
Tom and Jerry Kids Show,
DuckTalesDuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, featuring the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews, the show premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990.- Premise :The...
,
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four mutant turtles, who were trained by a giant, talking rat sensei, Master Splinter, in the art of Ninjitsu...
,
Challenge of the GoBotsChallenge of the GoBots is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, based on the Gobots toy-line released from Tonka...
,
Rude Dog and the DweebsRude Dog is a fictional white cartoon dog developed by Sun Sportswear in the 1980s as part of a line of surfing- and skateboarding-related clothing.-Sun Sportswear Projects:...
as Herman,
Rainbow BriteRainbow Brite was a character franchise and animated television series created by Woody Kling and introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1984. The Rainbow Brite franchise generated $1 billion in retail sales of dolls, toys and other licensed products throughout the 1980s.Rainbow Brite made her animated...
as Murky Dismal,
The BiskittsThe Biskitts is an animated cartoon TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1983 to 1984 and aired on CBS.Following the series retirement from CBS, like many other cartoons, it was acquired by the Armed Forces Network and shown throughout much of the 1980s, mainly as entertainment for...
as Scratch,
RobotixRobotix may refer to:* Robotix, a 1986 cartoon produced by Sunbow & Marvel Productions* Robotix , a robotics competition organized by the students of IIT Kharagpur...
,
Chip 'n Dale Rescue RangersChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is an American animated series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured the established Disney characters Chip 'n Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on the Disney Channel on March 5, 1989...
as the original voice of Monterey Jack,
Saber Rider and the Star SheriffsSaber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is a 1987 animated space western following a similar theme of Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr. Originally a 1984 anime series known as created by Studio Pierrot, it achieved moderate success in Japan. The English language rights to the series was purchased by World...
,
The Little Engine That CouldThe Little Engine that Could is a 1991 film directed by Dave Edwards and co-produced by Edwards and Mike Young, animated at Kalato Animation in Wales and co-financed by Universal Studios through their MCA Home Video arm and S4C, Wales' dedicated Welsh-language channel. It was released on VHS by MCA...
as Pete, the powerful freight engine,
Voltron: Defender of the UniverseVoltron is an American animated television series adaptation of two different Japanese anime television series , the series which aired both in syndication and on ABC from September 10,1984 to November 18, 1985, first titled Voltron: Defender of the Universe.There have been two remakes of the...
,
The JetsonsThe Jetsons is a prime-time animated sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera. The original incarnation of the series aired Sunday nights on ABC from September 23, 1962 to March 3, 1963.It was Hanna-Barbera’s space age counterpart to The Flintstones...
and
Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. He also had a voice part in
GremlinsGremlins is an American comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante and released in 1984 by Warner Bros. It is about a young man who receives a strange creature named Gizmo as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. This story was continued with...
as a gremlin and in both the first season of the
Original Knight Rider Series and the first season of the
2008 Knight Rider SeriesKnight Rider is a 2008 series that follows the 1982 TV series of the same title and the 2008 television movie. The series stars Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest....
as KARR. He also did voicework in
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the BibleThe Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible is a video series produced by Hanna-Barbera that tells of three young adventurers—Derek, Margo, and 'their nomad friend' Moki—who travel back in time to watch biblical events take place first-hand....
series, notably as the king of Nineveh in the Jonah episode. 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 LightVisionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was originally a range of action figures from Hasbro, released in 1987. This action figure range was promoted by two different media, telling the stories of the characters...
.
TransformersTransformer may refer to:* Transformer, a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling* Transformer , Lou Reed's 1972 rock album...
Among many other
television showsA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
and
moviesFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
, he has also lent his basso voice to many
movie trailersTrailers or previews are film advertisements for feature films that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film program. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to...
and television commercials, including announcing for the blocks
ToonamiToonami is a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American and Japanese cartoons, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20,...
and
You Are Here on the Cartoon Network. Cullen spent some of his early professional years in Montreal as a radio announcer/DJ on
CKGMCKGM is an English language Canadian radio station located in Westmount, Quebec, near Montreal. Formerly an affiliate of Team sports radio network, it was one of three stations to retain the sports format after the network was folded in 2002....
; 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 spotted in the credits and doing small cameo walk-ons in various comedic roles on
The Sonny & Cher Comedy HourThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was a variety show based on the married couple of American pop-singer Cher and her husband Sonny Bono. The show ran on CBS in the United States when it premiered in August 1971. The show was canceled May 1974 due to the couple's divorce.-The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour :In...
, as well as other network comedies of the era.
He also voiced
Nintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel...
's mascot
Mariois a fictional character in his eponymous video game series, created by video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
in the
Donkey Kongis an arcade game developed by Nintendo, released in . It is an early example of the platform genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging obstacles. In it, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady , from a giant ape named...
segments on
Saturday SupercadeSaturday Supercade was an animated television series produced for Saturday mornings by Ruby-Spears Productions. It ran for two seasons on CBS beginning in 1983. Each episode was composed of several shorter segments featuring video game characters from the Golden Age of Arcade...
, making him the first person to ever provide a voice for the character.
Cullen has also done voicework on
drum and bassDrum and bass , is a type of electronic dance music which emerged in the mid 1990s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy sub-bass lines...
DJ
DieselboyFor the punk rock band, please see Diesel Boy.Dieselboy is the stage name of Damian Higgins, an American drum and bass DJ, producer, remixer, and head of the Human Imprint music label...
's 2004 album,
The Dungeonmaster's GuideThe Dungeonmaster's Guide is a drum and bass compilation album mixed by Dieselboy. The first disc is mixed and the second disc is unmixed. The CD art was designed by graphic artist Akira Takahashi...
. He also did voicework for the unreleased
Blizzard EntertainmentBlizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded in February 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce...
game
Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the ClansWarCraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans was a dark comical point-and-click adventure computer game under development by Blizzard Entertainment that was set in the Warcraft universe, and cancelled before its release...
, and provided narration for the Star Wars fan film
I.M.P.S.: The Relentless.
Cullen reprised the role of
Optimus PrimeOptimus Prime is a fictional character from the Transformers franchise. He is the main protagonist and leader of the "heroic" faction in most of the various Transformers continuities.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
in the 2007
Transformers live-action movie, and its sequel
Transformers: Revenge of the FallenTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an American science fiction action film released on June 19, 2009 in the United Kingdom and June 24, 2009 in North America, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 20, 2009. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers and the second film in the live action...
. He himself originally had a short cameo in
Revenge of the Fallen, but this was eventually removed from the final cut. He is signed on for the third movie in the franchise.
Jess HarnellJess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs and Hunter on Road Rovers. Jess has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1997.-Biography:...
was cast to voice
IronhideIronhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.-Transformers: Generation 1:...
, who Cullen voiced in the original series. Cullen was offered the chance to reprise Optimus in an episode of
Robot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-Head Writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root...
, but refused, as he took the role too seriously to make fun of it, which the crew respected enough to accept his rejection. He has stated that of all the voices he has done, Optimus is his favorite.
In interviews, he has said that he had no idea of Optimus' popularity until the character's controversial death in the
1986 animated filmThe Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986....
, 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 them killing Optimus Prime, despite the writers' intent to revive the character in Season 3 during the "Return Of Optimus Prime" two-part episode.
Cullen will return as Optimus Prime in
Transformers 3.
Cullen has three children: Clay, Claire, and Pilar E. Cullen; and one grandchild.
External links