Known for Sound
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.
Born
July 12, 1948 (age 78)
Birthplace
Jamesville, New York, USA
Filmography
116 films, 4 shows


Manassas: End of Innocence
2002 · 45m
country: Unknown
As the first major land battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Manassas, fought on July 21, 1861, shocked a nation expecting a short and easy conflict. Thirteen months later, Northern and Southern armies clashed again in the Second Battle of Manassas, a far larger battle that signaled the ascendancy of Confederate military prowess under the leadership of Robert E. Lee. With its narrative sweep and stunning imagery, Manassas: End of Innocence offers audiences a glimpse into the lives of soldiers and civilians enmeshed in the turmoil of war. Shot on location in Manassas National Battlefield Park and within the surrounding community, the film showcases such landmark features of the battlefield landscape as the Stone House and the Stone Bridge over Bull Run and recreates key scenes from both battles.


Behind the Scenes with King Kong in Special Effects
1996 · 32m
country: Unknown
Making of documentary for the King Kong segment of the in the 1996 IMAX movie 'Special Effects: Anything Can Happen', featuring stop-motion animation created by the late great David Allen.


Special Effects: Anything Can Happen
1996 · 40m
country: United States
An IMAX production that explores the ground-breaking special effects portrayed in Hollywood films from the very originals to the breathtaking special effects in movies today. Takes the audience on a "behind the scenes" look into what goes on during the production of a movie and how the special effects are created.


The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen
1995 · 1h 36m
country: United States
Working with the French Secret Service, Indy joins the legendary Lafayette Escadrille flying unit and embarks on dangerous airborne reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines. A run-in with German Ace Manfred von Richthofen leads to a death-defying dogfight that leaves Indy grounded and hot-in-pursuit of German aircraft designer Anthony Fokker. Undercover in hostile enemy territory, Indy discovers that the Germans possess a remarkable secret weapon that could change the course of the war and he resolves to bring news of it back to the Allies...if he doesn't destroy it first.


Destiny in Space
1994 · 39m
country: United States
Travel alongside the astronauts as they deploy and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, soar above Venus and Mars, and find proof of new planets and the possibility of other life forming around distant stars.


The American Gangster
1992 · 48m
country: Unknown
They fixed the World Series. They built Las Vegas. They terrorized America with their vicious murders and fearless robberies. They are men named Bugsy Siegel, Al Capone, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Lucky Luciano. And, for the first time, THE AMERICAN GANGSTER tells the true story behind their ruthless rise to wealth and power. Filled with vintage film and actual photographs, THE AMERICAN GANGSTER is a gripping look at the birth of organized crime. From prohibition to prostitution, from gangland massacres to gambling empires, their most infamous deeds are chronicled in shocking detail. Even more explosive than the movies they inspired, such as Scarface and The Godfather, are the true histories of the brilliant, brutal gangsters who turned the American Dream into an ongoing nightmare.


The True Story of Glory Continues
1991 · 46m
country: Unknown
Morgan Freeman narrates this documentary that explores the 54th Massachusetts regiment that is the basis of the motion picture, "Glory".


Blue Planet
1990 · 40m
country: Canada
From the unique vantage point of 200 miles above Earth's surface, we see how natural forces - volcanoes, earthquakes and hurricanes - affect our world, and how a powerful new force - humankind - has begun to alter the face of the planet. From Amazon rain forests to Serengeti grasslands, Blue Planet inspires a new appreciation of life on Earth, our only home.