Ben Burtt

Biography

Ben Burtt is an American sound designer who also works as a director, editor, screenwriter, and voice actor. Born in Jamesville, New York, he studied physics at Allegheny College. He made films as a student and won a National Student Film Festival award for Yankee Squadron, and his work on Genesis brought him to the University of Southern California for a master's degree in film production. He pioneered modern sound design, favoring natural recorded sounds over electronic effects. He worked on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Star Trek (2009), and WALL-E (2008). For Star Wars he created the lightsaber hum, the blaster sounds, Darth Vader's breathing, and the voice of R2-D2, and devised the Ewok language. He was sound editor on WALL-E and voiced its title robot, has won four Academy Awards, and has directed IMAX documentaries.

78years old

Turns 79 on July 12in 273 days

Born July 12, 1948Jamesville
Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
Also credited as Benjamin Burtt, Jr.

Movie Career

Films: 6
Career span: 39 years1980 to 2019

Genres

Documentary67%, 4 films
Adventure33%, 2 films
Animation33%, 2 films
Biography17%, 1 film
Family17%, 1 film

First and latest

Ben Burtt movies on Netflix

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound2019IMDb rating 7.6as Himself
I Am Your Father2015IMDb rating 6.5as Himself
BURN·E2008IMDb rating 7.5as WALL·E
WALL·E2008IMDb rating 8.4as WALL·E / M-O / Robots (voice)
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2as Self - Sound Designer
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1as Himself

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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WALL·E2008 Adventure, Animation, Familyas WALL·E / M-O / Robotsvoice
IMDb rating 8.41.3M votes
BURN·E2008 Adventure, Animationas WALL·E
IMDb rating 7.514K votes
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound2019as Himself
IMDb rating 7.62.5K votes
I Am Your Father2015as Himself
IMDb rating 6.51.9K votes
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004as Self - Sound Designer
IMDb rating 8.25.7K votes
The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980as Himself
IMDb rating 8.1100 votes

Most often with

Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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George Lucas

Kenny Baker

Mark Hamill

Carrie Fisher

Jeff Garlin

Anthony Daniels

Films together

George Lucas3 films together, 1980 to 2019
George Lucas's page
- Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound2019IMDb rating 7.6Burtt as HimselfLucas as Himself
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2Burtt as Self - Sound DesignerLucas as Himself
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1Burtt as HimselfLucas as Himself
Kenny Baker3 films together, 1980 to 2015
Kenny Baker's page
- I Am Your Father2015IMDb rating 6.5Burtt as HimselfBaker as Himself
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2Burtt as Self - Sound DesignerBaker as Himself
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1Burtt as HimselfBaker as Himself
Mark Hamill2 films together, 1980 to 2004
Mark Hamill's page
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2Burtt as Self - Sound DesignerHamill as Himself
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1Burtt as HimselfHamill as Himself
Carrie Fisher2 films together, 1980 to 2004
Carrie Fisher's page
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2Burtt as Self - Sound DesignerFisher as Himself
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1Burtt as HimselfFisher as Himself
Jeff Garlin2 films together, 2008
Jeff Garlin's page
- BURN·E2008IMDb rating 7.5Burtt as WALL·EGarlin as Captain
- WALL·E2008IMDb rating 8.4Burtt as WALL·E / M-O / RobotsvoiceGarlin as Captainvoice
Anthony Daniels2 films together, 1980 to 2004
Anthony Daniels's page
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy2004IMDb rating 8.2Burtt as Self - Sound DesignerDaniels as Himself
- The Making of The Empire Strikes Back1980IMDb rating 8.1Burtt as HimselfDaniels as Himself
Also two films together5 more actors
- Steven SpielbergMaking Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019) and Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)
- Peter MayhewEmpire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004) and The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Elissa KnightBURN·E (2008) and WALL·E (2008)
- Irvin KershnerEmpire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004) and The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- MacInTalkBURN·E (2008) and WALL·E (2008)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Awards

Four awards and honors from 1978 to 1990, two of them major.

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Ben Burtt's awards and nominations, grouped by award
Year	Award	Film	Result
Academy Awards
1990	Best Sound Editing	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	Won
1983	Best Sound Editing	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	Won
Other honors
1982	Special Achievement Academy Award		Won
1978	Special Achievement Academy Award		Won

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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