Peter Cullen: Difference between revisions
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→Notes: Added material on Cullen's issues with Bumblebee and Netflix |
Cyberlink420 (talk | contribs) Undo revision 1477590 by SentinelPrimeKnightOfCybertron (talk) Definitely gonna need some citations on these. |
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* On [[September 30]], [[2014]], Cullen was immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a cement printing ceremony outside of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]]. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was also in attendance and provided his tire marks in lieu of handprints.<ref>http://youtu.be/IMw8LSScxLA</ref> | * On [[September 30]], [[2014]], Cullen was immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a cement printing ceremony outside of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]]. [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was also in attendance and provided his tire marks in lieu of handprints.<ref>http://youtu.be/IMw8LSScxLA</ref> | ||
*While the evil ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Optimus Prime (SG)|version]] of Optimus Prime has only ever depicted in comics and prose stories, writers [[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]] have stated that he sounds like Venger, the {{w|Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons & Dragons'' cartoon}} character who was voiced by Peter Cullen. | *While the evil ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Optimus Prime (SG)|version]] of Optimus Prime has only ever depicted in comics and prose stories, writers [[Trent Troop]] and [[Greg Sepelak]] have stated that he sounds like Venger, the {{w|Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)|''Dungeons & Dragons'' cartoon}} character who was voiced by Peter Cullen. | ||
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Revision as of 06:32, 17 January 2021
| The name or term "Peter" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Peter (disambiguation). |

Peter Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian-born American actor and voice actor, who has earned fame, respect and admiration as the voice of the original Optimus Prime.
In addition to Transformers, some of Cullen's other roles include Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, Monterey Jack from Chip 'N Dale - Rescue Rangers, Venger from Dungeons & Dragons, K.A.R.R. from Knight Rider, the title villain from Predator, and was the announcer for a number of commercials for the U.S. Navy in 2007, filling in for Keith David.
From the get go, from day one, you know, I had something to work with. I had the influence of a brother - a former Marine - I get to do my brother, because, you know, that's pretty much what he was, that hero, to me.Peter on the influence his late brother, Larry, had on Optimus Prime.
Generation 1
Incidentals
- Joe (More than Meets the Eye, Part 1)
- Giant Autobot (Heavy Metal War)
- Frankenstein's monster (Autobot Spike)
- Optimus Prime clone (A Prime Problem)
- It (The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2)
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
Movie franchise

- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
Aligned
- Optimus Prime
- Nemesis Prime
- Vehicon
- Optimus Prime
- Scientist ("It's a Bot Time")
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
- Optimus Prime
Written works
- Transformers Vault (foreword)
Convention appearances
- BotCon 1997
- BotCon 2004
- BotCon 2006
- BotCon 2007
- BotCon 2009
- BotCon 2010
- San Diego Comic-Con 2010
- BotCon 2011
- BotCon 2012
- San Diego Comic-Con 2012
- HasCon 2017
- Hasbro PulseCon 2020
Notes


- In 1984, Cullen created the voice of Optimus Prime by emulating the mannerisms of his older brother Larry, who had served in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War. Specifically, he based Prime's voice and mannerisms upon Larry's calm, controlled and authoritative approach to serious situations.[1] The Transformers: Prime episode "Partners" was dedicated to his late brother's memory.
- At BotCon 2007, Peter Cullen said he'd love to own one of the three modified Peterbilt 379 trucks used in the filming of Transformers. Let's try and picture Optimus Prime driving himself for a moment. Has your brain exploded yet from the sheer awesomeness?
- Cullen has been included as an Easter Egg in various ways.
- The mid-range Voyager class Movie Optimus Prime toy (in its many releases) features a non-removable cowboy-hat-bedecked driver figurine that flips out of the seat when the driver's side door is closed. This appears to be based on Peter Cullen himself.
- In either an artistic case of toy-accuracy, or just Alex Milne having fun, Optimus Prime's holographic driver in Transformers: Alliance #1 is represented with Cullen's likeness.
- He was also the Toonami announcer (or as TOM called him: "The Big Guy") for many years, allowing him to narrate commercials for Armada, Energon and Cybertron. Later, he narrated commercials for Animated, even though it wasn't on Toonami. Because he's Optimus Prime, that's why. However, he did not return to announce Toonami after its revival on May 26, 2012.
- At one point, the Animated crew considered having Cullen play a human character that would inspire Optimus and teach him good leadership qualities, but the idea never came to fruition.[2]
- Cullen was asked to reprise Optimus Prime for the first episode of Robot Chicken, where the character would enact a dramatization that he's dying from prostate cancer. He turned down the offer as he took the role too seriously to make fun of it, which the show's staff respected him for.
- Cullen also provided the voice of the Renegade GoBots Pincher, Spoiler, Tank and Block Head in the Challenge of the GoBots animated series.
- He expressed that he wanted Michael Bay to return for the fifth live-action film when Bay announced he departed from being the director's position.
- Cullen's voice is unmodified and is entirely his own in his role as Prime's Optimus Prime, work for which he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2011. That's right, guys. You can now describe him as "Emmy Award Nominee Peter Cullen".
- According to DVD commentaries, Cullen was not informed that Prime Optimus would survive the first arc of the third season until the recording session for "Rebellion" came along. Cullen apparently became depressed, worried that kids would go through the same trauma of Optimus dying as kids did in 1986 with the original movie. D'awww.
- On September 30, 2014, Cullen was immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a cement printing ceremony outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Optimus Prime was also in attendance and provided his tire marks in lieu of handprints.[3]
- While the evil Shattered Glass version of Optimus Prime has only ever depicted in comics and prose stories, writers Trent Troop and Greg Sepelak have stated that he sounds like Venger, the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon character who was voiced by Peter Cullen.


