Summary
Transformersis an iconic franchise that has stretched on for decades. Over time, the franchise has added new elements, new stories, and beenrebooted numerous times. Each of these reboots comes with character changes to help audiences better connect with characters, such as the iconicleader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Optimus is portrayed as a heroic leader with a strong sense of justice. His primarytransformation is a semi-truck, but this has been changed to different vehicles in other incarnations—such as a fire engine.
This list will focus on thebestEnglish voice actors who have portrayed Optimus Prime, as not everyone will have access to the vast catalog of multi-language dubs throughout the franchise’s extensive history. There have been a lot of voice actors who had great careers but did notcapture the grandeur and iconic toneset by Peter Cullen — the original voice of Optimus Prime. However, these next actors all did justice to the role.
7Alan Tudyk
Softer And More Conversational
Alan Tudykhas a very iconic voice, one that has viewers saying “I know that voice” the moment they hear it. However, it is not very Optimus Prime-like. Despite this, he still manages to deliver a very great interpretation of the character.
His most notable voice work in theTransformersfranchise is for the CG animated seriesTransformers: Earthspark. In this series, Optimus has a lot more diplomatic responsibilities and his personality is much warmer and more empathetic. This is where Tudyk really nails the role and is able to successfully bring this interpretation to life.
6Chris Hemsworth
Orion Pax To Optimus Prime
Telling a story aboutOrion Paxis nothing new, as the character has been around since the first generation of theTransformersfranchise.Chris Hemsworthhas stated that he never tried to capture the distinctive qualities of Optimus Prime, but instead tried to create a new depiction of his precursor.
While he does not deliver the same grandiose that veteran Optimus Prime voice actors have been able to provide, Hemsworth’s portrayal fits perfectly with theTransformers: Onemovie’s Orion Pax interpretation. before eventually ascending to become the Optimus Prime we all know and adore.
5Garry Chalk
The First Optimus Primal
Garry Chalkhas provided his voice to both Optimus Prime andhis descendant, Optimus Primal. He first voiced Optimus Primal in 1996, but it would not be until 1999 that he would lend his voice to Optimus Prime in the form of a hologram.
His voice portrayal resembles that of a superhero, with plenty of bravado and gusto thrown into the voice. While this might not be what die-hardfans want for an Optimus Prime, it really does work to make for a memorable and engaging portrayal. It is both entertaining and enjoyable to watch any scene featuring the character. This is a voice that is ready for action.
4David Kaye
Less Deep, More Balanced
David Kaye’sportrayaldoes not feature any voice augmentation. A lot of incarnations use this to make the character of Optimus Prime sound more like a machine, but the characters of this series drop this trend to make the Transformers more relatable to the audience.
The Optimus Prime portrayal inTransformers: Animatedis not yet representingthe leader he is destined to be, as this Optimus is still growing into the role. He questions his actions, and this lets him evolve from someone who is more vulnerable to a much more confidently-spoken interpretation.
3Jon Bailey
A Tribute To Peter Cullen
Jon Baileyhas voiced Optimus Prime in many different projects. His first portrayal was actually a joke forThe High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orangeseries, but he did such a great job that he would go on to voice the character in an animated series andmultiple video games.
Jon would be the voice of Optimus inTransformers: Combiner Wars,where he draws a lot of inspiration from Peter Cullen’s version of the character—but Jon puts a lot more intensity into it. A similar intensity is used by actors trying to capture a Batman portrayal by focusing on a key element in how the character is known to behave.
2Jake Tillman Foushee
A Dedicated Optimus Prime Voice
Jake Tillman Fousheehas exclusively done voice work for the character of Optimus Prime as of 2020. This includes multiple animated series and video games. While Jon Bailey does an astonishing Optimus Prime voice, Fouchsee has been able to put more emotion into delivering his lines.
This allows the voice actor to help his character better express themselves through unexpected scenes and make them feel more real than simply reading lines from a script. Foushee may very well be the closest thing to a true successor of the original voice of Optimus Prime, and he’s earned the recognition of being the character’s modern interpretation.
1Peter Cullen
The Definitive Optimus Prime
Peter Cullenis not only the original voice of Optimus Prime on both TV and inthe feature film adaptations, but is still the best actor to take on the role. He blends the wisdom and authority of a leader, but he has also managed to capture every range of empathy and emotion needed to make Optimus feel believable and real.
It is very hard to pin down which is his most notable appearance, as he has provided his voice to the character more times than any other voice actor in every category—even includingthe times Optimus Prime has fallen in battle. He served as the voice for the original animated series, the live-action film franchise, numerous games, and even appearances in award shows and theme park rides. Hearing him as Optimus Prime just sounds and feels right.
