
Ben Burtt
- July 12, 1948
- Jamesville, New York, USA
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
Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
LIGHT & MAGIC
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
BURN·E
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga