
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.
Gallery


Known For
Acting History
2022
LIGHT & MAGIC as Self - Sound Designer and Editor
2022LIGHT & MAGIC as Self - Editor
2021Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett as Self
2019Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound as Self
2018The Force of Sound as Self
2015I Am Your Father as Himself
2014And the Oscar Goes To... as Self - Interviewee
2014EditDroid: Rise and Fall as Self
2013The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz as Self
2013Lincoln: An American Journey as Self
2012Wings: Grandeur in the Sky as Self
2012Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of as Self
2008WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008BURN·E as WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
2008RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World” as Self
2008WALL·E as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2007Fog City Mavericks as Self
2007The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk as Self
2006Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet as Self
2006Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon as Self
2005Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III as Self
2005Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema as Self
2005George Lucas: Creating an Empire as Self
2004Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy as Self - Sound Designer
2004When Star Wars Ruled the World as Self
2003The Sound of 'Indiana Jones' as Self
2002Films Are Not Released, They Escape as Self
2002From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' as Self
2002State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II' as Self
2001R2-D2: Beneath the Dome as Self
1999Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as Naboo Courier (uncredited)
1997Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery as Self
1996The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' as Self
1983From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga as Self
1983Return of the Jedi as 'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
1980The Making of The Empire Strikes Back as Self
1980Star Wars: Music by John Williams as Self
—A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte









