Ben Burtt
Known for: Sound
Born: July 12, 1948
Place of birth: 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.
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Filmography
93 movies · 3 TV shows, newest first
NR
Ray Gunn
2026
7.9
LIGHT & MAGIC
2022
6.8
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
2021
6.0
Star Wars Galaxy of Sounds
2021
NR
Jet Jockeys in Love: The Making of CHAIN LIGHTNING ('50)
2021
6.9
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019
8.3
The Force of Sound
2018
7.2
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2015
6.5
I Am Your Father
2015
6.0
The Signal
2014
6.8
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
NR
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
2014
10.0
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2013
7.3
Star Trek Into Darkness
2013
5.8
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
5.5
Lincoln: An American Journey
2013
6.8
Lincoln
2012
7.0
009 Re:Cyborg
2012
6.4
John Carter
2012
7.0
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
2012
6.7
Red Tails
2012
6.7
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
2012
6.8
Super 8
2011
7.4
Star Trek
2009
7.0
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
2008
8.0
Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008
7.5
BURN·E
2008
8.0
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
2008
8.1
WALL·E
2008
6.0
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008
8.5
Fog City Mavericks
2007
6.2
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
20077.0
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
2007
7.0
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
2006
4.5
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
2006
7.1
Munich
2005
7.2
Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III
2005
6.5
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005
7.5
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
2005
5.0
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
2005
6.1
Star Wars: Droids - Treasure of the Hidden Planet
2004
7.6
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
2004
8.8
When Star Wars Ruled the World
2004
6.0
The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
2003
6.0
Films Are Not Released, They Escape
2002
6.0
State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
2002
6.8
From Puppets to Pixels: The Making of Star Wars Episode II
2002
6.6
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
2002
8.0
Manassas: End of Innocence
2002
6.7
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
2001
5.4
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
2000
5.5
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Demons of Deception
1999
6.0
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life
1999
5.6
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert
1999
5.8
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Tales of Innocence
1999
5.8
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Mystery of the Blues
1999
5.9
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Spring Break Adventure
1999
6.1
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Phantom Train of Doom
1999
5.3
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil
1999
5.8
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
1999
6.6
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
8.0
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
1997
NR
Behind the Scenes with King Kong in Special Effects
1996
7.4
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
1996
10.0
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
1996
6.1
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father
1996
6.0
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen
1995
7.1
Destiny in Space
1994
10.0
The American Gangster
1992
6.8
The True Story of Glory Continues
1991
6.1
Blue Planet
1990
6.2
Always
1989
7.9
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1989
7.0
Willow
1988
5.5
Howard the Duck
1986
6.2
Star Wars: Droids - The Great Heep
1986
5.4
Star Wars: Droids
1985
5.2
The Adventures of André and Wally B.
1984
7.3
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1984
7.4
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
1983
7.9
Return of the Jedi
1983
NR
listen...
1982
7.9
Raiders of the Lost Ark
1981
5.9
Porklips Now
1980
8.0
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
1980
8.2
SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
1980
8.4
The Empire Strikes Back
1980
7.3
Star Wars: Music by John Williams
1980
5.2
More American Graffiti
1979
8.2
Alien
1979
7.2
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1978
3.4
The Star Wars Holiday Special
1978
8.2
Star Wars
1977
6.2
Death Race 2000
1975
7.3
Recorded Live
1975NR
A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
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