Peter Cullen
| Peter Cullen | |
|---|---|
 Peter Cullen at BotCon '07 |
|
| Born | Peter Claver Cullen July 28, 1941 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupation | Voice actor |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Children | Clay Cullen, Claire Cullen, and Pilar E. Cullen |
Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941)[1] is a Canadian voice actor, known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original Transformers series, The Predator Creature in the 1987 horror film Predator and the narrator in both of the original American Voltron series. Cullen reprised his role as Optimus Prime in Michael Bay's live-action Transformers film series and the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game.[2] He was once again cast as Optimus Prime for the new TV series, Transformers: Prime in 2010.[3]
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[edit] Early life
Cullen was born to Henry L. Cullen and Muriel McCann in Montreal, Quebec. He is a member of the first graduating class of the National Theatre School of Canada, which graduated in 1963.[4] His brother, Larry Cullen, was a retired Captain in the United States Marine Corps, and helped inspire the voice of Optimus Prime.
[edit] Career
[edit] 1960s - 1970s
In 1968, he appeared as 'Giles' with Joan Stuart as 'Penelope' in 'L'Anglaise', a CBC comedy about a French-Canadian husband with an English-Canadian wife (CBC's 'Funny You Should Say That'). He also performed a French-Canadian astronaut character named Bebe LaToque alongside Ted Zeigler for a 1969 children's show on CFCF-TV in Montreal. From 1967 to 1969, he was the announcer for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. In 1974, Cullen was a series regular and the announcer on The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.
[edit] As Optimus Prime
Cullen recalls auditioning for the role of 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 hero, be a real hero. Real heroes 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".
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. "When he came home, I could see a change. He was quieter and he was a man and a hero to me," says the actor. "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."[5]
He has also stated that he had no idea of Prime's popularity until the character's controversial death in the 1986 animated film, as the studio had never given him fan letters from children addressed to Optimus. The public backlash over Optimus' death surprised producers greatly. Children were leaving the theaters because of the character's death. The writers temporarily revived the character for a single episode in Season 3 called "Dark Awakening". 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 original ending of "Dark Awakening" was altered in reruns to include a teaser about the return of the character.[citation needed]
Cullen reprised the role of Optimus Prime in the 2007 Transformers live-action film, and its sequels Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the games based on them. He himself originally had a short cameo in Revenge of the Fallen, but this was eventually removed from the final cut.
Cullen again reprised his role as Optimus Prime in the video game Transformers: War for Cybertron. As well as in the upcoming game 'Transformers: Fall of Cybertron' and in the recent television series Transformers: Prime in 2010. His performance in the premiere season of Transformers: Prime earned him a nomination for a 2011 Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program category.
[edit] Other work
In the 1980s and the 1990s, Cullen appeared on a number of television shows. He has played Coran, Stride the Tiger Fighter, and King Alfor in the Lion Voltron series, the transforming spaceship/robot Ramrod in the 1980s anime series Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Commander James Hawkins in the Vehicle Voltron series, Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh series, KARR in Knight Rider, Antor and Bomba, and Gunner, in Dino-Riders, Airbourne, Nemesis Enforcer and Zandar in G.I. Joe, Red Skull in the 1981 cartoon series of Spider-Man, Klaar and Zanzoar in Megas XLR and Mantus in The Pirates of Dark Water. He also had a voice part in the 1984 motion picture Gremlins, as a gremlin, and in both the first season of the Original Knight Rider Series and the first season of the 2008 Knight Rider Series as KARR. He also did voicework in The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible series, notably as Japheth, one of Noah's sons in the Noah's Ark episode, and the King of Nineveh in the Jonah episode. He played the evil sorcerer Renwick in the lesser known series Little Wizards and played Cindarr in the short-lived series Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light.
Among many other television series and films, he has also lent his basso voice to many film trailers and television commercials, including announcing for the Toonami and You Are Here blocks on the Cartoon Network. Cullen spent some of his early professional years in Montreal as a radio announcer/DJ on CKGM; and as a character in a then-popular local television kids show. He acted the role of a French-Canadian astronaut, along with writer and his partner on the show, Ted Ziegler. Both Ziegler and Cullen were spotted in the credits and doing small cameo walk-ons in various comedic roles on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, as well as other network comedies of the era.
He voiced Nintendo's mascot Mario in the Donkey Kong segments on Saturday Supercade, making him the first person to ever provide a voice for the character. And he also voiced Lanky Kong in Donkey Kong 64.
Cullen has done voicework on drum and bass DJ Dieselboy's 2004 album, The Dungeonmaster's Guide. He also did voicework for the unreleased Blizzard Entertainment game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans,[6] and provided narration for the Star Wars fan film series I.M.P.S.: The Relentless. [7]
[edit] Honors
At BotCon 2010, Hasbro named Cullen as one of the first four human inductees in the Transformers Hall of Fame for his role as the voice of Optimus Prime.[8]
[edit] Personal life
Cullen has three children: Clay, Claire, and Pilar E. Cullen; and three grandchildren.[9]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Films
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-1963 | The Jetsons | Additional voices | |
| 1967 | The Buddies | Commander Bi Bi Latuque | |
| 1967-1968 | The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | Announcer | |
| 1969 | Comedy Cafe | ||
| 1970-1971 | Zut! | ||
| 1971-1974 | The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour | Himself Various characters |
|
| 1974 | The Bobbie Gentry Show | Announcer | |
| The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show | Himself | ||
| The Sonny Comedy Revue | Himself Various characters |
||
| 1975 | Down Home Country | Luke Warm | |
| 1976 | The Wolfman Jack Show | ||
| 1979 | The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show | Mighty Man | |
| Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | Additional voices | ||
| 1981 | The Kwicky Koala Show | ||
| The Smurfs | Additional voices | ||
| Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends | Hulk Mysterio |
||
| 1982 | The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour | Lucky | |
| Spider-Man | Red Skull | ||
| Meatballs and Spaghetti | |||
| Pac-Man | Sour Puss | ||
| The Little Rascals | Officer Ed Pete the Pup |
||
| Knight Rider | K.A.R.R. | ||
| 1983 | Monchhichis | Shreeker Snitchitt Gonker |
|
| The Puppy's Further Adventures | Lucky | ||
| The Biskitts | Dog Foot Fang Scratch |
||
| Saturday Supercade | Mario | ||
| The Dukes | Additional voices | ||
| 1983-1985 | Dungeons & Dragons | Venger | |
| 1984 | Dragon's Lair | Bertram | |
| Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats | Additional voices | ||
| Snorks | Additional voices | ||
| 1984-1986 | Rainbow Brite | Murky Dismal | |
| 1984-1985 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Additional voices | |
| 1984-1987 | The Transformers | Optimus Prime Ironhide |
|
| 1984 | Voltron: Defender of the Universe | Coran King Alfor Narrator |
|
| 1984 | Three's a Crowd | Sports Announcer Airline Captain |
Episode 1.6: "Vacation from Sex" Episode 1.8: "The Honeymooners" |
| 1985 | The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo | Maldor the Malevolent | |
| Challenge of the GoBots | Spoiler Tank Pincher |
||
| Muppet Babies | Additional voices | Episode 2.3: "Fozzie's Last Laugh" | |
| The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians | Felix Faust | Episode 1.6: "Brainchild/The Case of the Stolen Super Powers" | |
| 1985-1986 | G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero | Airborne Ramar Zandar |
|
| 1986 | MoonDreamers | Igon and Various characters | Episode 1.14: "Zodies on the Loose" |
| Rambo: The Force of Freedom | Sergeant Havoc | ||
| Ghostbusters | Eddie Spenser, Jr. | ||
| Pound Puppies | Captain Slaughter | Episode 1.7: "In Pups We trust", Episode 1.8: "The Captain and the Cats", Episode 1.10: "Wagga Wagga", and Episode 1.11: "The Star Pup" | |
| The New Adventures of Jonny Quest | Patch | Episode 1.1: "Peril of the Reptilian" | |
| Foofur | Baby | ||
| My Little Pony | Captain Crabnasty | Episode: "Fugitive Flowers" | |
| 1987-1988 | BraveStarr | Dr. Whiston Dr. Watson Hack |
|
| DuckTales | Admiral Grimitz Bankjob Beagle Mad Dog McGirk Lessdred |
||
| 1987 | The Little Wizards | Renwick and Various characters | |
| The Real Ghostbusters | Doctor Destructo Police Officer |
Episode 2.4: "Captain Steel Saves the Day" | |
| Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light | Cindarr | ||
| 1987-1989 | Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs | Commander Eagle Narrator Nemesis |
|
| 1988 | Dino-Riders | Gunner Antor Bomba |
Episode 1.5: "Toro Toro Torosaurus" |
| 1988-1991 | The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Eeyore | |
| 1988-1990 | Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears | Kerwin the Conqueror Gritty |
|
| 1988-1989 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Smash Mugger Napoleon |
|
| 1989 | Rude Dog and the Dweebs | Herman Winston |
|
| 1989-1990 | Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers | Monterey Jack | |
| 1990 | TaleSpin | Additional voices | Episode 1.6: "It Came from Beneath the Sea Duck" |
| 1990-1993 | Tom & Jerry Kids | Additional voices | |
| 1990-1991 | Widget the World Watcher | Bob the Poacher Rooney Kangaroo Gdunu |
|
| 1991-1993 | The Pirates of Dark Water | Mantus | |
| 1991 | In Living Color | Episode 2.26: "Dickie Peterson: Cherub of Justice" | |
| 1993 | Bonkers | Abominable Snowman Mackey McSlime |
|
| 1994 | Hardball | Fox Announcer | Episode 1.6: "Lee's Bad, Bad Day" |
| 2001-2002 | House of Mouse | Eeyore | |
| 2004-2005 | Megas XLR | Zanzoar Klaar |
|
| 2005 | IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix | Narrator | Episode 1.1: "Time to Shine" |
| 2007-2010 | My Friends Tigger and Pooh | Eeyore | |
| 2009 | Knight Rider | K.A.R.R. | |
| 2010-present | Transformers: Prime | Optimus Prime |
[edit] References
- ^ IMDB
- ^ "Exclusive: Peter Cullen Interview". IGN. http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/795/795203p1.html. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ^ IMDB: "Transformers Prime" (2010)
- ^ All Our Alumni, National Theatre School of Canada
- ^ Nguyen, Hanh. "Prime Time: Cullen's 'Transformers' Resurrection", Zap2It, November 7, 2006
- ^ Blizzard Entertainment – Press News – Coming Soon Magazine
- ^ IMPS Chapter One FAQ
- ^ Hasbro.com – Transformers Hall of Fame Humans
- ^ Peter Cullen, NNDB, accessed June 20, 2011.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by None |
Voice of Optimus Prime 1984–1988 Original series and animated film |
Succeeded by Neil Kaplan 2001–2002 Robots in Disguise |
| Preceded by Gary Chalk 2002–2006 Unicron Trilogy |
Voice of Optimus Prime 2007 Video game and live-action film |
Succeeded by David Kaye 2007–2009 Animated |
| Preceded by David Kaye 2007–2009 Animated |
Voice of Optimus Prime 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen |
Succeeded by none |
| Preceded by none |
Voice of Optimus Prime 2010 Transformers: Prime |
Succeeded by none |
| Preceded by none |
Voice of Optimus Prime 2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon |
Succeeded by none |
| Preceded by None |
Voice of Ironhide Original series and animated film 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by Michael McConnohie 2001–2002 Robots in Disguise |
| Preceded by None |
Voice of Mario 1983–1985 Saturday Supercade |
Succeeded by Lou Albano 1989–1990 Super Mario Brothers Super Show |
| Preceded by None |
Voice of KARR 1982 Knight Rider episode "Trust Doesn't Rust" |
Succeeded by Paul Frees 1984 Knight Rider episode "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R." |
| Preceded by Paul Frees 1984 Knight Rider episode "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R." |
Voice of KARR 2009 Knight Rider episode "Knight to King's Pawn" |
Succeeded by None |
