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Ben Burtt

Jul 12, 1948 (77 years old) in 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

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WALL·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Naboo Courier (uncredited)
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Return of the Jedi
'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
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LIGHT & MAGIC
Self - Sound Designer and Editor
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BURN·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
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George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Self
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Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Self
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I Am Your Father
Himself
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And the Oscar Goes To...
Self - Interviewee
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Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
Self

Credits