On August 27th, 2026, the world got the sad news that legendary voice actor Peter Cullen passed away at the age of 85. His incredible career spanned decades, dating back to the late ’60s, and he was ultimately honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2023. Cullen is most famous for being the longtime voice of Optimus Prime, the protagonist and leader of the Autobots in the Transformers franchise. He played the character in the popular animated show from the ’80s, the live-action film adaptations, and various other TV series in later years. Cullen even appeared as Optimus on The Masked Singer. His voice is iconic, and while he was always fantastic as Prime, that is far from the only great character he voiced, having appeared in popular TV series, movies, video games, and more.
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For example: Cullen was the voice of Venger from the Dungeons & Dragons animated television series and popped up in a few episodes of Knight Rider as the antagonistic K.A.R.R. Whether as a villain, a hero, or something else entirely, Peter Cullen’s voice work was always spectacular.
5) The Predator
It’s kind of surprising to learn that Peter Cullen was the voice actor for the titular character in the original Predator movie from 1987. His work was uncredited, and someone new stepped into the role for the sequel. The character didn’t exactly say much back then, which is a far cry from the Yautja protagonist in Predator: Badlands. Instead, Cullen provided the voiceover for the crackling, bubbling, and growling sounds that the character makes, which shows off his incredible versatility.
Cullen explained that he had a sore throat from recording “monster sounds” as King Kong, so he couldn’t do more monster sounds for the Predator. He was shown what the Predator would look like and was reminded of “an upside-down horseshoe crab dying in the sun on a beach when I was a kid.” He mimicked the crackling and bubbling sounds that he remembered coming from the crab, which is how the now-iconic Predator sounds were born.
4) Captain Nathaniel Flint
Not enough people know about Captain Nathaniel Flint, and it’s because 2002’s Treasure Planet remains one of Disney’s most underrated films to date. The movie is a sci-fi take on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and features cool concepts like the spaceships being powered by solar sails and looking like 18th-century sailing vessels. Peter Cullen voiced Captain Nathaniel Flint, a villain of the story who belonged to an alien species.
The fangs, multiple eyes, and reptilian features made Captain Nathaniel Flint stand out from the crowded pack of pirate villains in history. He almost feels like an early take on Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Although Captain Nathaniel Flint isn’t a huge part of the story, Peter Cullen made sure the character was memorable in his short time on screen. Flint’s voice stood out almost as much as his unique look, which is a testament to Cullen’s talent.
3) Monterey Jack
One of the most memorable, yet still highly underrated performances in Peter Cullen’s career comes from Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The animated series ran for a couple of years in 1989 and 1990, following the adventures of the titular chipmunks and their friends as they solve crimes. One selling point was that the two main characters were modeled after Indiana Jones and Thomas Magnum. However, the supporting characters often stole the show, including Monterey Jack, who was voiced by Peter Cullen.
Monterey Jack is an Australian mouse who is the biggest member of the team and acts as their muscle. However, his weakness is his love for cheese, making him a fun character. Cullen nailed the accent and brought an impressive level of charm to Monterey Jack during the inaugural season. Jim Cummings took over the role afterwards, and each take on the character is great, somehow standing alone while also never feeling out of place or too different.
2) Thaedus
As soon as you hear the powerful Thaedus talk in Invincible, you know it’s Peter Cullen’s voice. In a lot of ways, the character sounds almost exactly like Optimus Prime. In this instance, that’s a good thing because Thaedus is meant to be someone whom others follow, much like Optimus. Thaedus is the founder and leader of the Coalition of Planets, who come together to stop the threat of the Viltrumite Empire. The twist is that Thaedus himself is a Viltrumite.
This is where Thaedus differs from Optimus, as he is revealed to be the nefarious architect of a virus that nearly left Viltrumites extinct. Peter Cullen remained steadfast as Thaedus and sounded like a true leader, yet there’s also always a sense of danger under everything he says. Cullen managed to make Thaedus noble, but still dangerous, which was enough to separate the voice work from what he did as Optimus.
1) Eeyore
Many actors have lent their voice to various characters from Winnie the Pooh over the decades. Ralph Wright, Ron Feinberg, and even Brad Garrett have all played Eeyore, yet nobody did it for longer than Peter Cullen. He first voiced Eeyore in 1988 and did so for 19 years, with his last appearance coming in a one-off episode of Doc McStuffins. For so many kids, Cullen is the definitive voice of a character they all grew up with, which puts Eeyore in line with Optimus Prime.
Peter Cullen has such a notable and iconic voice that it’s hard not to hear Optimus when he talks. That makes what he’s done as Eeyore especially impressive because the two characters sound nothing alike. Where Optimus is a powerful leader, Cullen nails Eeyore’s identity as a sad and tender soul. He also gets the wise elements of Eeyore just right, ensuring that he’s a layered character.
RIP Peter Cullen. His legacy will live on through these characters.
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Image courtesy of Miramax Films
