Peter Cullen, ‘Transformers’ Optimus Prime Voice Actor, Dies At 85

Canadian actor gave the Transformers hero his legendary voice for more than four decades

Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of television series, specials and films—including Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 show "Transformers" and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise—has died.

His other memorable voice parts included KARR, the evil counterpart to KITT in TV show Knight Rider; the clicking vocalisations of The Predator in Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 film; and the roars of King Kong in 1976.

The Montreal-born actor began his career on Canadian TV and radio and was then a regular on programmes including The Sonny & Cher Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour before deciding to concentrate on voice acting.