Cullen is contractually obligated to voice Optimus in at least one more sequel. Template:Citation neededĬullen reprised the role of Optimus Prime in the 2007 Transformers live-action film, and then in its sequels Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and The Last Knight, the spin-off Bumblebee film, and the video games based on the film series. The original ending of "Dark Awakening" was altered in reruns to include a teaser about the return of the character, and indeed, Optimus returned once and for all to lead the Autobots for the final five episodes of the original American cartoon series. Initially, this was intended to be his final appearance, but after fan requests continued, " The Return of Optimus Prime", a two-part episode was produced. The writers temporarily revived the character for a single episode in Season 3 called "Dark Awakening". Children were leaving the theaters distraught because of the character's death. The public backlash over Optimus's death surprised producers greatly. He has also stated that he had no idea of Prime's popularity until the character's controversial death in the 1986 animated film, because the studio had never given him fan letters from children addressed to Optimus. I'd never had an opportunity to do a superhero, and when that came, just came right out of me and I sounded like Optimus." File:Peter Cullen Sept 2014 (cropped).jpgĬullen putting his handprints in wet concrete at the Optimus Prime Chinese Theatre Handprint Ceremony in September 2014 He was quieter and he was a man and a superhero to me," says the actor. "When he came home, I could see a change. He has stated that Optimus is his favorite voice role, and that he based the voice of the Autobot leader on his older brother Larry, who served in Vietnam. Real superheroes don't yell and act tough they are tough enough to be gentle, so control yourself." Cullen later learned from his agent, Steve Tisherman, that he not only won the part of Prime, but also, to his surprise, the role of Ironhide as well, which he saw as a " home run". Template:Citation needed As Optimus Prime Ĭullen recalls auditioning for the role of the robot superhero Optimus Prime at a casting house in Burbank, California, explaining that as he read Prime's character breakdown, he saw that it was "the opportunity of the year", and heeded his brother Larry's advice: "Peter, don't be a Hollywood superhero, be a real superhero. He lent his voice to a character in the album "The Story of Halloween Horror" in 1977. In 1974, Cullen was the announcer and a series regular (with Ted Zeigler and Billy Van) on The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show. Template:Citation neededįrom 1971–74, he, Zeigler and Billy Van were series regulars on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. From 1967–69, he was the announcer for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. 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. In 1968, he and Joan Stuart appeared as "Giles" and "Penelope" in L'Anglaise, a recurring segment about a French-Canadian man with an English-Canadian wife, on the CBC Radio comedy series, Funny You Should Say That.Ĭullen 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. His brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and helped inspire the voice of Optimus Prime. He is a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada, which he graduated in 1963. Cullen attended Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. He has three siblings: Michaela, Sonny, and Larry. Cullen was born on July 28, 1941, in Montreal, Quebec, to Henry and Muriel (née McCann) Cullen.
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