Ben Burtt
Biography
Benjamin "Ben" Burtt, Jr. is a sound designer, film editor, director, screenwriter, and voice actor. He has worked as sound designer on various films, including the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, WALL-E, and Star Trek. He is responsible for creating many of the iconic sound effects heard in the Star Wars film franchise, including the binary speech of R2-D2, the lightsaber hum, the sound of the blaster guns, and the heavy-breathing sound of Darth Vader, which he made by breathing into a scuba regulator. Burtt has a reputation for popularizing a sound effect dubbed the "Wilhelm scream", which was taken from a character named Wilhelm in the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River.
Also Known As
Movie Appearances
WALL·E
as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
as Self
1996
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
as Self
1997
BURN·E
as WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
2008
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
as Self
2021
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
as Self
1983
Films Are Not Released, They Escape
as Self
2002
Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
as Self
2005
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
as Self
2006
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
as Self
2005
A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
TBA
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
as Self - Sound Designer
2004
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
as Self
2007
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
as Self
2013
And the Oscar Goes To...
as Self - Interviewee
2014
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
as Self
2012
When Star Wars Ruled the World
as Self
2004
I Am Your Father
as Himself
2015
