Peter Cullen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Cullen
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Cullen at the 2020 GalaxyCon Richmond
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| Born |
Peter Claver Cullen
July 28, 1941 |
| Education | National Theatre School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Voice actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Molly Culver(daughter-in-law) Larry Cullen (Brother) |
Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is super famous for voicing Optimus Prime in the original 1980s Transformers cartoon. He came back to voice Optimus Prime in the Transformers movies starting in 2007.
Peter Cullen has also voiced many other characters that you might know. These include Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh stories, Monterey Jack in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and the first voice of KARR in Knight Rider. He even made the sounds for the scary title character in the movie Predator.
In 2023, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was given by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences at the 2nd Children's and Family Emmy Awards.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Peter Cullen was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 28, 1941. His parents were Henry and Muriel Cullen. He has Irish family roots. Peter was part of the very first group to graduate from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963.
His older brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired captain in the United States Marine Corps. Larry actually helped Peter find the perfect voice for Optimus Prime.
Voice Acting Career
Early Days (1960s-1970s)
In 1968, Peter Cullen worked on a funny radio show called Funny You Should Say That. He played a character named Giles. He also played a French-Canadian astronaut named Commander Bi Bi Latuque on a children's TV show called The Buddies in 1969.
Peter got really good at using his voice by working as a radio announcer in Montreal. From 1967 to 1969, he was the announcer for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He also appeared on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour from 1971 to 1974.
Voicing Optimus Prime
Peter Cullen remembers trying out for the voice of Optimus Prime. He felt it was a huge chance! His brother Larry gave him great advice: "Peter, don't be a Hollywood hero, be a real hero. Real heroes don't yell and act tough; they're tough enough to be gentle, so control yourself."
Peter later found out he got the part of Optimus Prime. He also got the role of Ironhide, which was a big surprise! He says Optimus Prime is his favorite voice role. He based Optimus's voice on his older brother Larry. Larry served in the Vietnam War. Peter noticed Larry became quieter and more like a "superhero" after coming home. This inspired the gentle, strong voice of Optimus.
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Peter didn't know how popular Optimus Prime was until the character died in the 1986 animated movie, The Transformers: The Movie. Fans, especially kids, were very upset. The movie producers were surprised by how much people cared. Kids were leaving theaters very sad.
Because of all the fan requests, Optimus Prime was brought back. He returned to lead the Autobots for the last five episodes of the original cartoon series.
Peter Cullen has voiced Optimus Prime in many live-action Transformers movies. These include the first movie in 2007 and its sequels like Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon. He also voiced Optimus in the spin-off movies Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts.
He has also voiced Optimus Prime in video games like Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. You can also hear him as Optimus in TV shows like Transformers: Rescue Bots, Transformers: Prime, and Transformers: Robots in Disguise. His work in Transformers: Prime even earned him a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2011.
Other Famous Voices
Peter Cullen has voiced many other characters over the years. He was Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh stories for a long time. He was also the first voice of KARR in the TV show Knight Rider.
Other roles include:
- Coran and King Alfor in the Lion Voltron series.
- Commander Eagle and Nemesis in Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.
- Airborne, Zandar, and Nemesis Enforcer in G.I. Joe.
- Red Skull in the 1981 Spider-Man cartoon.
- The main villain Venger in the Dungeons & Dragons animated series.
He even voiced Nintendo's mascot Mario in the Donkey Kong parts of the 1983–1984 TV show Saturday Supercade. This made him the first person to ever voice Mario in Western media!
Peter Cullen has also done voice work for many movie trailers and TV commercials. In 2023, he joined the second season of the Amazon Originals series Invincible.
Personal Life
Peter Cullen has four children: Clay, Angus, Claire, and Pilar. He also has three grandchildren. He is good friends with Frank Welker, who voices Megatron in Transformers. This is funny because their characters are big rivals!
Peter Cullen is a big fan of NASA, the space agency. He became interested after watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. He says that the scene where Optimus Prime talks to astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the movie Dark of the Moon is one of his proudest moments.
Awards and Recognition
In 2010, Hasbro, the company that makes Transformers toys, honored Peter Cullen. They named him one of the first people to be inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame. This was for his amazing work as the voice of Optimus Prime.
Film and Television Roles
Peter Cullen has voiced characters in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of his most famous roles:
- Optimus Prime in the Transformers movies and TV shows.
- Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh movies and TV shows.
- KARR in Knight Rider.
- The Predator in the movie Predator.
- Mario in Saturday Supercade.
- Venger in Dungeons & Dragons.
- Monterey Jack in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers.
Video Game Roles
Peter Cullen has also lent his voice to many video games, mostly as Optimus Prime:
- Transformers: The Game (2007)
- Transformers: War for Cybertron (2010)
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (2012)
- Transformers: Devastation (2015)
- Fortnite Battle Royale (2023)
Theme Park Rides
You can also hear Peter Cullen's voice in theme park rides!
- Eeyore in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride (2003).
- Optimus Prime in Transformers: The Ride 3D (2011).
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film/TV Show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Transformers Prime | Nominated |
| 2023 | Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | N/A | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Peter Cullen para niños
