Fans around the world know Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime—leader of the Autobots in “The Transformers” cartoon, video-game and film series. He rooted the voice and character traits of Optimus in Marine values and leadership. Here is the story.
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Born and raised in Montreal to Irish-Catholic parents, Cullen learned many great lessons and had a wonderful upbringing with his siblings. He grew up skating from the age of 2 or 3. The Canadian winters were extremely harsh, with tens of feet of snowfall making some East Coast storms look mild.
Cullen’s siblings Michela, Larry and Sonny were post-war kids that enjoyed different sports such as hockey, boxing and baseball. Larry, a great boxer and quite tall, was Peter’s hero growing up.
“Larry had a sensitive nose, so in boxing matches, I would hit his nose to bloody him where it looked like I was getting the better of him,” Cullen said. “[He] grabbed me and said, ‘Peter, if you keep this up, I am really going to hurt you.’ Of course, when he hit me with his gloves, it was like being hit by a sandbag.”
Cullen considered Larry his hero.
“His personality stayed the same throughout his life,” he said. “He was noble, courageous, and had integrity, specifically being honest to the heart and Corps. My brother had Marine Corps strength actually built into him.”
Coming from an Athletic Family
Cullen’s parents instilled those values and athletic skills in him. His mother was an all-American hockey player in college, and his dad was a distance runner for Boston University where he was team captain. Roger Bannister beat Cullen’s father’s record for the mile. Cullen’s parents were dignified and demanded respect from their children.
“We were taught to be honest and truthful,” Cullen said. “That is ingrained in you. My Jesuit training from Loyola helped as well.”
His parents were loving, giving, and conservative in raising them. “When my mom walked into the room, we stood to attention,” Cullen said. Cullen’s father also used humor throughout his daily life.
His brother Larry joined the Marine Corps before the U.S. entered the Vietnam War. His brother thought that getting out of college, he wanted to continue playing football and planned to do so for the Marines.
Once Larry joined the Corps, the Vietnam War began to pick up pace. He was trained in Quantico, Virginia, as an officer. Larry served in Vietnam as an infantry officer with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. His personal awards include the Bronze Star with a “V,” two Purple Hearts with gold stars and the Combat Action Ribbon.
“Once he graduated from officer training, he was informed he was going to be on his way to Vietnam,” Peter Cullen said. “Our father worked in the international newspaper business and was going to be worried about his son.”
Operation Hastings
Cullen recalled being a radio station announcer in Montreal for the Milk Man’s Matinee from midnight until 6 a.m. He got the paper through the teletype machines, then put a record on. Once, he saw news come through on Operations Hastings.
“I was reading about the Marines there where the NVA [North Vietnamese Army] was coming through and executing officers in the field…,” Peter said. “Larry had a one in four chance of survival when talking about the situation.”
He wanted to intercept the newspaper and rushed home so his father wouldn’t read it. Peter said his father saw the news in his office downtown and had a stroke. Larry survived and was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” during Operation Hastings, and his father eventually recovered.
Cullen accompanied his brother on several Marine reunions.
“I was a speaker at one of them telling jokes and making them laugh; a great bunch of guys there,” Cullen said. “There is a special aura about Marines where you can pick them out…. They are the most sincere wonderful people where these reunions reminded me of that and how special they were. Larry got a lot of joy out of being around his fellow grunts.”
He believes Marines share a powerful message when they are around. Being around Larry’s friends from the Corps meant a lot to Peter.
“I talk to several of them [about] where they are starting to go,” Cullen said. “I still remain in contact with Larry’s platoon leaders and his enlisted men. Larry became a captain and was stationed in Camp Pendleton where I met a lot of them…. The feeling of being around Marines echoes through me.”
Branching off into Acting
Cullen began his entertainment career doing summer stock during the senior year of high school. He replaced a sick actor and was initially building sets and scenery. Cullen enjoyed doing the role and then pursued an acting career, going to the National Theatre School of Canada. He had parts in “West Side Story” and then “The King and I.” He had the lead in “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Cullen returned to Montreal to transition over to radio when President John Kennedy was assassinated. He took a job at a gas station before long and then was working at a radio station.
Peter and Larry became friends with comedian and actor Jonathan Winters, who served in the Marines during World War II. Winters shared a lot about his Marine stories and past with the brothers, spending up to 10 hours talking at a time.
Winters and Peter Cullen lived near each other and continued their friendship. Larry moved out to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, so the Cullen brothers and Winters spent a lot of time together. Winters exhausted Larry with laughter; they had to go home, because they were laughing so hard.
Cullen was a regular on “The Sonny and Cher Show.” Winters invited Cullen to work with him on a special, and Cullen appeared on “The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show” as well. He wanted a normal family, moved out to the country, and did voice acting. This led to him working as a voice actor for cartoons, promos for network TV, and movie trailers. Cullen also narrated films.
“Kids remember my voice from the different cartoons I worked on,” Cullen said. “I can’t even remember doing the voice.”
His Brother’s Influence on Optimus Prime
Cullen talked about how Optimus Prime came about.
“My character in ‘The Transformers’ for Optimus Prime came from Larry,” Cullen said. “I did not know that many Marines back in 1984; they always had that sense of dignity and honor built into them. There is something special about Marines.”
His agent called Cullen for an audition for the leader of these toys, called the Transformers. He was to play the leader that was a big semi-truck. His brother was staying with him at the time. Cullen needed to use the only car they had for the audition. Peter told his brother that the role was to voice a hero truck.
“If you are going to be a leader, be a real leader, not a Hollywood leader with the yelling and screaming and pretending to be a tough guy,” Larry said. “Be sincere, be honest, be respectful,… be strong enough to be gentle.”
Larry’s voice got deep and quiet when he said, “Be strong enough to be gentle.” His delivery surprised Cullen, and he thanked his older brother for the advice.
When he got to the audition, his paper stated that he was “Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, but it could have said my name is Larry Cullen, leader of the…” The voice just came out where the whole persona was Larry and was a Marine; “… the character was just a great guy.”
Two weeks later, Cullen’s agent contacted him to let him know he’d gotten the role. Cullen informed his older brother about him being the basis for the character; Larry was now a cartoon. Cullen’s loyalty and admiration he had for his brother is a great part of his life.
Michael Reagan recently invited Cullen on the USS Reagan aircraft carrier. Cullen met the ship’s captain and took a photo with the crew. He is humbled that “this character, Optimus Prime, has touched the hearts of so many people in the military.”
