Peter Cullen’s Greatest ‘Transformers’ Moments

The ’80s generation of Transformers fans — you might even call them Generation 1 in this context — are collectively reeling from the news that Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime for nearly half a century, has died. Cullen passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday. He was 85 years old.

Although Cullen’s body of work has a voice actor goes well beyond the confines of the Cybertron universe, it’s undeniable that Optimus Prime is the role that defined his career, and will be the one that he is most remembered for. With that deep, resonant voice, he really did embody the concept of a sentient robot truck — and, at the same time, captured precisely the right tone for a courageous and loyal leader. He just sounded like a hero.

If this week has you feeling nostalgic (and you’ve already listened to “Jolene” 60 times and revisited The Rocky Horror Picture Show), you might want to hear some of Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime for old times’ sake. The clips below are a great place to start. From here you can roll out to lots of other places — like Paramount+, where the Transformers film franchise is available for streaming.

The Beginning

Pop culture was transformed in the fall of 1984, when The Transformers first debuted on television, inspired by the line of transforming toys from Takara and Hasbro. Cullen landed the role of the heroic Autobot leader Optimus Prime, using a voice he later revealed was inspired by his brother, who had served in the Marines during the Vietnam War. As he aged, Cullen’s Optimus voice became deeper and more forceful, but he pretty much had the character nailed from moment one. Hasbro kindly uploaded the Transformers series premiere to YouTube a few years ago, so you can enjoy Cullen’s first first rollout in all its glory.

The Movie

Now infamous for its shocking amount of violence, The Transformers: The Movie raised the stakes of the ongoing battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons by killing off many of the franchise’s most popular characters. That includes Cullen’s Optimus, who perished after a final battle with Megatron. Later seasons of the TV show eventually resurrected Prime, but you can still relive the scene that traumatized an entire generation of kids.

My Name Is Optimus Prime

When director Michael Bay and producer Steven Spielberg brought Transformers to live-action, they kept the basic premise and ditched almost everything else, including nearly all of the original voice actors who helped make The Transformers such a distinctive cartoon. The big exception: They wisely brought back Cullen to play Optimus Prime, who carried all the Prime dignity and authority through what were often vulgar and crass action movies. Optimus’ big introduction in the first Transformers from 2007 might be the highlight of the entire film series.

Prime’s Speeches

Look, let’s be real here. Just because we’re sad about Cullen’s death doesn’t mean we’re going to pretend all the Bay Transformers were good. Frankly, most of them were awful. But Cullen’s performances could always be counted on to provide at least a few highlights. Just about every Bay Transformers ends with Cullen gravely intoning a speech about the Earth and humanity and our place in the cosmos. In another actor’s hands, these pompous monologues would play as absolute nonsense. Thanks to Cullen, they took on the grandeur and stakes of epic Shakespearean drama.

Transformers: The Ride

The single best part of the entire Bay Transformers franchise might be its theme park attraction at Universal Studios theme parks. Cullen once again reprised his role as the brave, paternal Optimus Prime; after leading guests on a whirlwind adventure versus the Decepticons, Optimus kneels down, leans in, and declares to each passing car of tourists that their bravery saved the planet — a goosebumps moment for any kid who grew up idolizing Optimus Prime.

In the Voice Booth

As a little bonus, here’s a brief video of Cullen recording some Optimus Prime dialogue in a sound booth. It really is remarkable how this pleasant looking dude with a little mustache created such a rich, sonorous tone with his voice. The man really did sound like a truck that’s somehow sprung to life.