Cast & creator
Ben Burtt
Best known for Alien, WALL·E, WALL·E
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.
Also known as: Benjamin Burtt Jr.
116
film credits
5
television credits
43
1975–2026 · acting roles
6.8
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (121)
Showing 121 of 121 credits
Alien
Sound Designer
1979
WALL·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008WALL·E
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
2008WALL·E
Supervising Sound Editor
2008WALL·E
Sound Designer
2008
Star Wars
Sound Designer
1977
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Sound Designer
1981
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sound Designer
2015
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Sound Designer
1984
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Sound Designer
1989
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Naboo Courier (uncredited)
1999Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Editor
1999Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Supervising Sound Editor
1999Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Sound Designer
1999
Star Trek
Special Sound Effects
2009
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sound Designer
2008
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Editor
2005Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Supervising Sound Editor
2005Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Sound Designer
2005
The Empire Strikes Back
Sound Designer
1980
Return of the Jedi
'Freeze' Officer in Endor Bunker / Tortured Power Droid (voice)
1983Return of the Jedi
Sound Designer
1983Return of the Jedi
Lyricist
1983
Star Trek Into Darkness
Sound Designer
2013
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Wat Tambor (uncredited)
2002Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Editor
2002Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Sound Designer
2002Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Supervising Sound Editor
2002
John Carter
Sound Designer
2012
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Sound Effects Designer
1978
LIGHT & MAGIC
Self - Sound Designer and Editor
2022LIGHT & MAGIC
Self - Editor
2022
Munich
Sound Designer
2005Munich
Supervising Sound Editor
2005
Super 8
Sound Designer
2011Super 8
Supervising Sound Editor
2011
Star Wars: Droids
Story
1985Star Wars: Droids
Creator
1985
Lincoln
Sound Designer
2012
Willow
Sound Designer
1988
Ray Gunn
Sound Designer
2026
Howard the Duck
Sound Effects Editor
1986Howard the Duck
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
1986
Escape from Planet Earth
Sound Designer
2013
The Signal
Sound Designer
2014
Death Race 2000
Sound Designer
1975
Star Wars Galaxy of Sounds
Sound Designer
2021
Always
Sound Designer
1989
Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
Self
2021
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Self
2019
Red Tails
Sound Designer
2012Red Tails
Editor
2012
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Sound Effects
1978
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
Self - Sound Designer
2004
More American Graffiti
Supervising Sound Editor
1979
The Adventures of André and Wally B.
Sound Designer
1984
009 Re:Cyborg
Sound Designer
2012
Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III
Self
2005
BURN·E
WALL·E / M-O (voice) (uncredited)
2008BURN·E
Sound Designer
2008
From Puppets to Pixels: The Making of Star Wars Episode II
Self
2002
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Spring Break Adventure
Second Unit Director
1999
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Self
2001
SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
Self
1980
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
Self
2007
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert
Editor
1999
The Force of Sound
Self
2018
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Demons of Deception
Editor
1999
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self - Interviewee
2014
Star Wars: Droids - The Great Heep
Associate Producer
1986Star Wars: Droids - The Great Heep
Writer
1986
When Star Wars Ruled the World
Self
2004
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
Editor
1999The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
Second Unit Director
1999
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil
Sound Designer
1999
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life
Editor
1999The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life
Second Unit Director
1999
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father
Sound Designer
1996
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Mystery of the Blues
Second Unit Director
1999
RKO Production 601: The Making of “Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World”
Self
2008
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga
Self
1983
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery
Self
1997
The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'
Self
1996
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self
2005
George Lucas: Creating an Empire
Self
2002
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Phantom Train of Doom
Second Unit Director
1999
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Tales of Innocence
Sound Designer
1999
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Espionage Escapades
Sound Designer
2000
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen
Writer
1995The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen
Director
1995The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen
Editor
1995
Lincoln: An American Journey
Self
2013
I Am Your Father
Himself
2015
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Self
1980
Star Wars: Music by John Williams
Self
1980
Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
Self
2006
Fog City Mavericks
Self
2007
Star Wars: Droids - Treasure of the Hidden Planet
Story
2004
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Self
2013
Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You Never Heard Of
Self
2012
The Sound of 'Indiana Jones'
Self
2003The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
Self
2007
Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up
2008
WALL·E's Treasures & Trinkets
WALL·E / M-O (voice)
2008
Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
Self
2006
Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
Director
1996
Films Are Not Released, They Escape
Self
2002
Recorded Live
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
1975
listen...
Sound Effects
1982
The True Story of Glory Continues
Director
1991
Blue Planet
Director
1990
Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
Self
2012
Destiny in Space
Director
1994
EditDroid: Rise and Fall
Self
2014A Bucket of Water and a Glass Matte
State of the Art: The Pre-Visualization of 'Episode II'
Self
2002
Manassas: End of Innocence
Director
2002
Jet Jockeys in Love: The Making of CHAIN LIGHTNING ('50)
Self
2021
The American Gangster
Director
1992
Behind the Scenes with King Kong in Special Effects
Director
1996
Porklips Now
Military Consultant
1980