Peter Cullen
Peter Cullen ( Peter Claver Cullen ; born July 28, 1941 in Montreal ) is a Canadian voice actor . He is known as the original voice of Optimus Prime (since 1984) and I-Aah from Winnie the Pooh .
Life
Cullen was born in Montreal, Québec, to Henry L. Cullen and Mauriel McCann. He was among the first to graduate from the National Theater School of Canada , where he graduated from high school in 1963 . His brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired captain in the United States Marine Corps . According to his own statements, Larry Peter inspired the voice of Optimus Prime. His sister, Michaela Tomlinson, is married to Frank Tomlinson and has supported her brother for a long time.
Cullen has three children and three grandchildren. He also has three siblings.
Career
1960s – 1970s
In 1968 he appeared as Giles with Joan Stuart as "Penelope" in L'Anglaise , a sitcom on the American television station CBC . He also played a French- Canadian astronaut by the name of Bebe LaToque, alongside Ted Zwigler for a children's series from 1969.
From 1967 to 1969, Cullen was a spokesperson for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . In 1974 he reviewed The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show .
As Optimus Prime
Cullen auditioned for the speaking role of Optimus Prime at a casting house in California .
Cullen himself claims that Optimus Prime is his favorite speaking role and that his work on it is based on the voice of his older brother Larry. “When he got home I saw a change. He was calmer and he was a man and a hero to me, ” said Cullen. “I looked at him and listened to him. I never had the desire to speak to a superhero, but when that came it just came out of me and I sounded like Optimus. "
He also claimed that he had never heard of Optimus Prime's popularity until his controversial death in the 1986 animated film. The studio never gave him the letters from the children addressed to Optimus Prime. The strong reaction triggered by Optimus Prime's death amazed the producers: children left the show. The screenwriters originally planned the death of Optimus Prime for a season 3 episode, "Dark Awakening". However, a two-part episode, "The Return of Optimus Prime", was produced at the request of the fans.
Cullen dubbed the role of Optimus Prime in the science fiction film Transformers in 2007 as well as in the sequels Transformers - The Revenge , Transformers 3 , Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight, as well as in all video games based on them .
He originally had a cameo in the second part of the series, which was removed afterwards.
Nominations and honors
| year | price | category | Film / TV show | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Couple (with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox ) | Transformers - The Revenge | Nominated |
| 2011 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Transformers: Prime | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Screen Ensemble (addressed to the entire cast) | Transformers 3 | Nominated |
At BotCon 2010, Hasbro named Cullen one of the first human conscripts in the Transformers Hall of Fame for his dubbing for Optimus Prime.
Web links
- Peter Cullen in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cullen, Peter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cullen, Peter Claver (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian voice actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 28, 1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montreal |