Ben Burtt (born July 12, 1948 in Jamesville, New York) is the archetypal sound designer (a term he invented) and sound editor for many famous and noteworthy films, as well as directing an Oscar-nominated documentary. He has been awarded two Oscars in the Best Sound Editing category for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the 1982 award) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) as well as two Special Achievement Awards for his sound editing in Star Wars Episode IV (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He has also been nominated for many other Oscars: for both Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing in 1983 for Return of the Jedi, Best Sound Effects Editing in 1988 for Willow , Best Sound in 1989 for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Best Documentary Short Subject in 1996 for directing and Best Sound Effects Editing again in 1999 for Star Wars Episode I. Burtt's most memorable work includes the "voice" of robot R2-D2 in Star Wars as well as various sound effects like the lightsaber and the speederbike chase sounds from Return of the Jedi.
Born in Syracuse, New York, Burtt earned a college degree in Physics. In 1970, he won the National Student Film Festival with a war movie called Yankee Squadron. For his work on the special effects film Genesis he won a scholarship to USC, where he earned a Master's Degree in Film Production. Burtt has a reputation for including a sound effect dubbed "The Wilhelm scream" in many of the movies he's worked on. Taken from a character named "Wilhelm" in the film Charge at Feather River , the sound can be heard in Star Wars when a stormtrooper falls into a chasm and in Raiders of the Lost Ark when a Nazi soldier falls from a moving car.
Burtt appeared in two of the Star Wars films as an extra. He appeared in Return of the Jedi (the Imperial officer who yells "Freeze" before Han Solo throws him off a balcony) and The Phantom Menace (appears in the background near the end when Amidala congratulates Palpatine).
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