Peter Cullen

Peter Cullen
Cullen at the January 2015 Sac-Anime
Born	Peter Claver Cullen (1941-07-28) July 28, 1941 (age 75) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Voice actor
Years active	1962–present
Known for	Voice of Optimus Prime
Children	4

Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He is best known as the original voice of Optimus Prime (as well as Ironhide) in the original 1980s Transformers animated series, and most other incarnations of the character, as well, and Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise. He also voiced Monterey Jack in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers from season one through some of season two. Starting in 2007, Peter Cullen has reprised his role as Optimus Prime in related Transformers media, starting with the first live-action film.

Cullen was born on July 28, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec to Henry L. and Muriel (née McCann) Cullen. He has three siblings: Michaela (Mrs. Tomlinson), Sonny, and Larry. Cullen attended Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. He is a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada, which graduated in 1963. His brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and helped inspire the voice of Optimus Prime.

In 1968, he and Joan Stuart appeared as "Giles" and "Penelope" in Les Anglaises, a recurring segment about a French-Canadian man with an English-Canadian wife, on the CBC Radio comedy series, Funny You Should Say That.

Cullen played a French-Canadian astronaut character named Commander Bi Bi Latuque alongside Ted Zeigler for the 1969 children's show, The Buddies on CFCF-TV in Montreal. He honed his voice skills by working as a radio announcer, notably in his home town of Montreal on (then) MOR station CKGM doing the overnight and weekend swing shifts. From 1967-69, he was the announcer for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.