The Allspark would like to wish a big happy birthday to Peter Cullen! Transformers fans need no introduction to Mr. Cullen, who has now voiced Optimus Prime in five Transformers movies, as well as countless TV episodes, video games, and even an amusement park ride!



Peter Cullen was born in Montreal on July 28th, 1941, and turns 73 today. Through the 1980s, as Optimus Prime, he was a hero to millions of children and something of a stand-in father figure for Transformers fans. Cullen has said that he modeled the voice of Optimus Prime after his older brother, Larry, a returning Vietnam War veteran: “When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a hero to me… I watched him and listened to him. I’d never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, (that voice) just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus.” While other voice actors took on the role of Optimus Prime in the years following Transformers: Generation 2, Peter Cullen reprised the role for the 2007 movie and has been the voice of Optimus ever since.

Cullen’s voiceover résumé is extensive, including – but by no means limited to – work on The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Voltron, Winnie the Pooh, Gremlins, Predator, and Knight Rider, in addition to his iconic turn as Autobot leader Optimus Prime. In 2011, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on Transformers: Prime. Frankly, a full list of Cullen’s credits would take all day to compile!

For a full list of Peter Cullen’s TV and film credits, check out his IMDB page HERE and then join us in wishing him a happy birthday HERE in the Allspark Forums!

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