Ben Burtt

Personal Info

Known For

Sound

Known Credits

39

Gender

Male

Birthday

1948-07-12 (77 years old)

Place of Birth

Jamesville, New York, USA

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

    WALL·E

  • Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

    Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

  • Return of the Jedi

    Return of the Jedi

  • LIGHT & MAGIC

    LIGHT & MAGIC

  • LIGHT & MAGIC

    LIGHT & MAGIC

  • BURN·E

    BURN·E

  • Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

    Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

  • And the Oscar Goes To...

    And the Oscar Goes To...

  • Films Are Not Released, They Escape

    Films Are Not Released, They Escape

  • George Lucas: Creating an Empire

    George Lucas: Creating an Empire

  • Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

    Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of

  • Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett

    Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett

  • Wings: Grandeur in the Sky

    Wings: Grandeur in the Sky

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

    From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga

  • The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'

    The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'

  • Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema

    Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema

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

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

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

    Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

  • Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon

    Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon

  • Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet

    Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet

  • The Force of Sound

    The Force of Sound

  • I Am Your Father

    I Am Your Father

  • R2-D2: Beneath the Dome

    R2-D2: Beneath the Dome

  • The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

    The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz

  • The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

    The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

  • Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up

    Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up

  • Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery

    Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery

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

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

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

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

  • Fog City Mavericks

    Fog City Mavericks

  • When Star Wars Ruled the World

    When Star Wars Ruled the World

  • Star Wars: Music by John Williams

    Star Wars: Music by John Williams

  • Lincoln: An American Journey

    Lincoln: An American Journey

  • WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets

    WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets

  • The Making of The Empire Strikes Back

    The Making of The Empire Strikes Back

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

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

  • RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”

    RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”

  • EditDroid: Rise and Fall

    EditDroid: Rise and Fall

  • A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte

    A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte