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 / M-O (voice)
WALL·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
Self
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
Self
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
BURN·E
Self
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
Self
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Self
Films Are Not Released, They Escape
Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
Self
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Self
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
Self - Sound Designer
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Self
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
Self
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Self - Interviewee
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
Self
When Star Wars Ruled the World
Himself
I Am Your Father
Self
State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
Self
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
Self
The Force of Sound
Self
From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II'
Self
The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
Self
Star Wars: Music by John Williams
Self
Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III
Self
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
Self
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Naboo Courier (uncredited)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
Return of the Jedi
Self
Lincoln: An American Journey
Self
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Self
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Self
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Self
Fog City Mavericks
Self
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Personal Info
Known For
Sound
Known Credits
37
Gender
Male
Birthday
1948-07-12
Place of Birth
Jamesville, New York, USA
Also Known As
Benjamin Burtt Jr.