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.
Known For
WALL·E
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Return of the Jedi
LIGHT & MAGIC
LIGHT & MAGIC
BURN·E
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
All Movies (40)
- Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett2021 · as Self
- Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound2019 · as Self
- The Force of Sound2018 · as Self
- I Am Your Father2015 · as Himself
- And the Oscar Goes To...2014 · as Self - Interviewee
- EditDroid: Rise and Fall2014 · as Self
- The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz2013 · as Self
- Lincoln: An American Journey2013 · as Self
- Wings: Grandeur in the Sky2012 · as Self
- Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of2012 · as Self
- WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets2008 · as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
- Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up2008
- BURN·E2008 · as WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
- RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”2008 · as Self
- WALL·E2008 · as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
- Fog City Mavericks2007 · as Self
- Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 20012007 · as Self
- The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk2007 · as Self
- Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon2006 · as Self
- Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet2006 · as Self
- Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III2005 · as Self
- Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema2005 · as Self
- George Lucas: Creating an Empire2005 · as Self
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004 · as Self - Sound Designer
- When Star Wars Ruled the World2004 · as Self
- The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'2003 · as Self
- Films Are Not Released, They Escape2002 · as Self
- State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'2002 · as Self
- From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II'2002 · as Self
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones2002 · as Wat Tambor (uncredited)
- R2-D2: Beneath the Dome2001 · as Self
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace1999 · as Naboo Courier (uncredited)
- Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery1997 · as Self
- The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'1996 · as Self
- From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga1983 · as Self
- Return of the Jedi1983 · as 'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980 · as Self
- SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back1980 · as Self
- Star Wars: Music by John Williams1980 · as Self
- A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte—
All TV Shows (2)
- LIGHT & MAGIC2022 · as Self - Sound Designer and Editor
- LIGHT & MAGIC2022 · as Self - Editor