Peter Cullena Canadian voice actor with a long history, well known to the public Optimus Prime’s Original Soundtrack In movies, TV series and video games TransformersHe died last Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 85. Her agent, Kevin Motley, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
huge loss
In an official statement, his family said the actor “passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family and rests in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans around the world.” The family also made a plea to the public: “We ask that you honor his extraordinary legacy and always remember it by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty. “Be strong enough to be kind””.
Cullen was born in Montreal on July 28, 1941, and began his career studying at the National Theater School of Canada. After his first stints in theater, radio and live television, he moved to Hollywood where he worked as an announcer and performer on comedy shows such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
Transformers: Annihilation – Interview with Peter Cullen
In 1984, he played the Autobot leader in the animated series Transformers, a role that became the defining role of his career. In a 2014 NPR interview, Cullen recalled his audition moment: “I auditioned like everyone else. They told me he was a hero, he was a truck.”
To voice Optimus Prime, the actor was inspired by Brother LarryA decorated Marine who served in Vietnam. “When he came home, I saw a change. He was quieter, and to me he was a man, a superhero,” he explained in a 2006 interview. “I looked at him and listened to him. I’d never had the opportunity to play a superhero, and when the opportunity came, that voice came out of me and I sounded like Optimus Prime.”
It turns out that the public’s connection with the character was so deep from the start that The Death of Optimus Prime in the 1986 animated film There was enough outcry that producers decided to resurrect the character the following year. Twenty years later, director Michael Bay once again chose Cullen to shoot live-action movies, starting with 2007’s “Transformers.” The actor described the return: “It’s like putting on a really comfortable old pair of shoes that I haven’t worn in a while. I just put them on and they’re just as perfect as the last time I wore them.”
In addition to the Transformers franchise, Cullen has left his mark on many other notable projects. Since 1988 he has beenmelancholy donkey eeyore In various Winnie the Pooh creations. “When I walked up and said, ‘Hi. Thanks for noticing me,’ in Eeyore’s voice, I got a lot of reactions, especially from little kids,” the actor said.
In 1976, he voiced the voice of the “King Kong” remake, and in 1982 and 2009, he voiced the artificial intelligence KARR in the supercar series. He was also the creator of the disturbing sounds made by alien monsters in 1987. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Predator”. Recalling that experience, Cullen explains that he was inspired by the memory of a dying horseshoe crab on a childhood beach to recreate the creature’s guttural sounds and explosions.
During his long career in animation, he has voiced characters in Chip & Dale, Voltron, and a series dedicated to the Ninja Turtles. Karen Also cooperated with NASA to issue the “Optimus Prime Derivative Award”young students committed to the field of science and technology.
The actor leaves behind four children: Angus, Claire, Pilar and Clay. “The Transformers phenomenon is exciting in and of itself,” Cullen said, reflecting on his career’s relationship to the success of “Transformers.” “Being a part of it is not only historic, but it’s a part of your life where you say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m happy about that.'”
