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Ben Burtt

Ben Burtt

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

Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
2021 • Self
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
2019 • Self
The Force of Sound
The Force of Sound
2018 • Self
I Am Your Father
I Am Your Father
2015 • Himself
And the Oscar Goes To...
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014 • Self - Interviewee
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
2014 • Self
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
2013 • Self
Lincoln: An American Journey
Lincoln: An American Journey
2013 • Self

Full filmography

And the Oscar Goes To...
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014 • Self - Interviewee
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WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
2008 • WALL·E / M-O (voice)
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BURN·E
BURN·E
2008 • WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
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WALL·E
WALL·E
2008 • WALL·E / M-O (voice)
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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999 • Naboo Courier (uncredited)
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Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi
1983 • 'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
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