Sound · Jamesville, New York, USA · Born July 12, 1948
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.
TVLIGHT & MAGIC
2022
as Self - Sound Designer and Editor
MovieUnder the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
2021
as Self
MovieJet Jockeys in Love: The Making of CHAIN LIGHTNING ('50)
2021
as Self
MovieMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019
as Self
MovieThe Force of Sound
2018
as Self
MovieI Am Your Father
2015
as Himself
MovieAnd the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self - Interviewee
MovieEditDroid: Rise and Fall
2014
as Self
MovieThe Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2013
as Self
MovieLincoln: An American Journey
2013
as Self
MovieWings: Grandeur in the Sky
2012
as Self
MovieMichael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
2012
as Self
MovieWALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
2008
as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
MovieAnimation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008
MovieBURN·E
2008
as WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
MovieRKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008
as Self
MovieWALL·E
2008
as WALL·E / M-O (voice)
MovieFog City Mavericks
2007
as Self
MovieStanding on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
2007
as Self
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
2007
as Self
MovieRobby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006
as Self
MovieAmazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006
as Self
MovieWithin a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III
2005
as Self
MovieBen-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005
as Self
MovieGeorge Lucas: Creating an Empire
2005
as Self
MovieEmpire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
2004
as Self - Sound Designer
MovieWhen Star Wars Ruled the World
2004
as Self
MovieThe Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
2003
as Self
MovieFilms Are Not Released, They Escape
2002
as Self
MovieState of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
2002
as Self
MovieFrom Puppets to Pixels: The Making of Star Wars Episode II
2002
as Self
MovieStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
2002
as Wat Tambor (uncredited)
MovieR2-D2: Beneath the Dome
2001
as Self
MovieStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
as Naboo Courier (uncredited)
MovieStar Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
1997
as Self
MovieThe Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
1996
as Self
MovieFrom Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
1983
as Self
MovieReturn of the Jedi
1983
as 'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
MovieThe Making of The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Self
MovieSP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Self
MovieStar Wars: Music by John Williams
1980
as Self
A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
