Peter Cullen: Be Strong Enough to Be Gentle

This one hurts.

Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime for more than forty years, passed away Wednesday at his Los Angeles home. He was 85 years old.

For those of us who grew up with Generation One, Peter Cullen wasn’t simply an actor who voiced a character we loved.

He was Optimus Prime.

There are certain voices from childhood that somehow become permanently wired into your brain. You hear them decades later and, instantly, you’re eight years old again sitting in front of the television watching the Autobots roll out.

Peter’s voice was one of those.

Optimus could have easily been nothing more than the big heroic robot who commanded the good guys. Peter Cullen made him something much more. He gave Optimus warmth. Patience. Authority. Decency. He could sound powerful without sounding cruel and commanding without sounding arrogant.

Most importantly, he made Optimus Prime feel safe.

Peter famously based that approach on advice from his older brother Larry, a Marine veteran, who told him that a real hero didn’t need to scream or act tough. He only needed to be strong enough to be gentle. That philosophy became part of Optimus Prime’s DNA—and, for generations of Transformers fans, something considerably bigger than a cartoon catchphrase.

Peter returned to Optimus again and again over the decades, including the live-action films beginning in 2007. Actors changed. Designs changed. Transformers itself changed.

But then that voice would speak.

And Optimus was back.

Peter had an extraordinary career beyond Transformers—Eeyore, KARR, the Predator and countless other characters—but to this fandom, there will always be one role above all the others.

His family’s final message could not possibly be more fitting:

“Peter Cullen passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family — and held in the hearts of his many friends and countless fans worldwide. His family asks that you honor his remarkable legacy by serving your communities and leading others with compassion, integrity, and loyalty, and always remember: be strong enough to be gentle.”

For millions of us, Peter Cullen gave a voice to one of our childhood heroes.

In doing so, he became one himself.

Rest well, Peter.

Till all are one.