
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.
Acting (35 movies)

WALL·E
2008

WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
2008

The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
1996

Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
1997

BURN·E
2008

Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
2021

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
1983

Films Are Not Released, They Escape
2002

Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008

Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005

Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006

George Lucas: Creating an Empire
2005

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
2004

The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2013

And the Oscar Goes To...
2014

Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
2012

When Star Wars Ruled the World
2004

I Am Your Father
2015

State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
2002

Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
2012

The Force of Sound
2018

From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II'
2002

The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
2003

Star Wars: Music by John Williams
1980

Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III
2005

EditDroid: Rise and Fall
2014

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999

Return of the Jedi
1983

Lincoln: An American Journey
2013

R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
2001

Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006

The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
1980

Fog City Mavericks
2007

RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008
Directing (8 movies)

Blue Planet
1990

Destiny in Space
1994

Manassas: End of Innocence
2002

The True Story of Glory Continues
1991

Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen
1995

Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
1996

The American Gangster
1992

Behind the Scenes with King Kong in Special Effects
1996
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: Droids - The Great Heep | 1986 | Writer |
| Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen | 1995 | Writer |