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 / M-O (voice)

Return of the Jedi

'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Naboo Courier (uncredited)

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

Self

George Lucas: Creating an Empire

Self

LIGHT & MAGIC

Self - Sound Designer and Editor

LIGHT & MAGIC

Self - Editor

Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2021	Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett	Self
2019	Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound	Self
2018	The Force of Sound	Self
2015	I Am Your Father	Himself
2014	And the Oscar Goes To...	Self - Interviewee
2014	EditDroid: Rise and Fall	Self
2013	The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz	Self
2013	Lincoln: An American Journey	Self
2012	Wings: Grandeur in the Sky	Self
2012	Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of	Self
2008	WALL·E	WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008	WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets	WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008	BURN·E	WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
2008	Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008	RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”	Self
2007	The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk	Self
2007	Fog City Mavericks	Self
2006	Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon	Self
2006	Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet	Self
2005	Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema	Self
2005	George Lucas: Creating an Empire	Self
2005	Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III	Self
2004	Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy	Self - Sound Designer
2004	When Star Wars Ruled the World	Self
2003	The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'	Self
2002	Films Are Not Released, They Escape	Self
2002	State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'	Self
2002	From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II'	Self
2001	R2-D2: Beneath the Dome	Self
1999	Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace	Naboo Courier (uncredited)
1997	Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery	Self
1996	The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'	Self
1983	From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga	Self
1983	Return of the Jedi	'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
1980	Star Wars: Music by John Williams	Self
1980	The Making of The Empire Strikes Back	Self
	A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte

Year	TV Show	Role
2025	Star Wars: Droid Diaries	R2D2
2022	LIGHT & MAGIC	Self - Sound Designer and Editor
2022	LIGHT & MAGIC	Self - Editor