Ben Burtt
Known for: Sound
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.
Filmography
Film
WALL·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008
Film
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Naboo Courier (uncredited)
1999
Film
Return of the Jedi
'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
1983
Film
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Wat Tambor (uncredited)
2002
Series
LIGHT & MAGIC
Self - Sound Designer and Editor
2022
Series
LIGHT & MAGIC
Self - Editor
2022
Film
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
Self
2021
Film
BURN·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
2008
Film
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Self
2019
Film
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Self - Sound Designer
2004
Film
From Puppets to Pixels: The Making of Star Wars Episode II
Self
2002
Film
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Self
2005
Film
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self - Interviewee
2014
Film
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008
Film
Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III
Self
2005
Film
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self
2005
Film
Fog City Mavericks
Self
2007
Film
SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
Self
1980
Film
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Self
2001
Film
I Am Your Father
Himself
2015
Film
When Star Wars Ruled the World
Self
2004
Film
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Self
1980
Film
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Self
1983
Film
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
Self
1996
Film
Lincoln: An American Journey
Self
2013
Film
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Self
1997
Film
Films Are Not Released, They Escape
Self
2002
Film
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
Self
2007
Film
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Self
2008
Film
Star Wars: Music by John Williams
Self
1980
Film
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Self
2013
Film
The Force of Sound
Self
2018
Film
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Self
2006
Film
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Self
2006
Film
State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
Self
2002
Film
The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
Self
2003
A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
Film
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
Self
2012
Film
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
Self
2012
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
Self
2007
Film
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
Self
2014
Film
Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008
Film
Jet Jockeys in Love: The Making of CHAIN LIGHTNING ('50)
Self
2021