Ben Burtt Benjamin Burtt , Jr . , known simply as Ben Burtt , is an American four - time Academy Award - winning sound designer and sound editor who designed the special sound effects and montage for ' s . As sound designer and supervising sound editor of George Lucas ' Lucasfilm Limited , Burtt has worked on many hit films since the mid - 1970s , but he is perhaps best known for his sound work on the six " Star Wars " films . Early life . Burtt was born in Jamesville , New York , and earned a college degree in Physics from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania . In 1970 , he won the National Student Film Festival for a short war film called " Yankee Squadron " . Burtt ultimately won a scholarship from the University of Southern California , from which he graduated with a Master ' s Degree in Film Production in 1975 . In July of that year , he joined Lucasfilm and began working on " Star Wars " . Career at Lucasfilm . Burtt created many of the memorable sound effects heard in the " Star Wars " films , notably the vocalizations of R2 - D2 and other droids , the light saber sounds effects , the speederbike sound effects , Darth Vader ' s breathing , and Chewbacca ' s roar . For his work on the first " Star Wars " in 1977 , Burtt received a Special Achievement Award from the Academy Awards . He also won a BAFTA Award for the film , which he shared with his sound team , including Ray West . After " Star Wars " , Burtt ' s next film was the 1978 remake of " Invasion of the Body Snatchers " , in which star Leonard Nimoy had a supporting role . He then returned to the " Star Wars " franchise as sound designer and supervising sound effects editor on " Episode V : The Empire Strikes Back " . Afterward , he designed the sound for the first Indiana Jones film , " Raiders of the Lost Ark " , for which he won a second Special Achievement Award , shared with supervising sound editor , Richard L . Anderson . " Raiders " also marked Burtt ' s first of many collaborations with filmmaker , who produced many of his movies through Lucasfilm . For Spielberg ' s hit 1982 film " E . T . the Extra - Terrestrial " , Burtt designed the distinctive voice for E . T . , which earned him that year ' s Academy Award for Best Effects , Sound Effects Editing . Burtt subsequently received two Academy Award nominations for " Star Wars : Episode VI – Return of the Jedi " ( one of which he shared with Randy Thom ) , a nomination for George Lucas ' " Willow " , and one win and one nomination for Steven Spielberg ' s " Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade " . Other films he worked on during the 1980s include Jim Henson ' s " The Dark Crystal " and Spielberg ' s " Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom " and " Always " . Burtt is known for rediscovering the sound effect called " " and for including it in many of the films he works on . The distinctive scream was originally recorded under the title " Man Being Eaten by Alligator " for the 1951 film " Distant Drums " , which featured Richard Webb . Burtt named the effect after Private Wilhelm , a minor character in the 1953 film " The Charge at Feather River " who emitted the scream after being shot with an arrow . In " Return of the Jedi " , the scream is emitted by Burtt himself when the Imperial officer he plays in a cameo is attacked by Han Solo and falls to his death . Directing and return to Lucasfilm . In 1990 , Burtt decided to leave Lucasfilm and go freelance , in search of opportunities as a director . He directed a number of documentaries , including the IMAX film " Blue Planet " . In 1992 , Burtt returned to Lucasfilm and worked on the television series " The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles " . He was the second unit director for twenty episodes of the series , in addition to occasionally editing the show and providing sound design . He returned to directing in 1995 with the feature - length TV movie " The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones : Attack of the Hawkmen " . In 1996 , Burtt again left Lucasfilm for a year to co - write and direct the IMAX documentary " Special Effects : Anything Can Happen " . For this project , Burtt and producer / co - writer Susanne Simpson both received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary , Short Subjects . After returning to Lucasfilm , Burtt was the sound designer , supervising sound editor , and film editor on " Star Wars : Episode I – The Phantom Menace " , " Star Wars : Episode II – Attack of the Clones " , and " Star Wars : Episode III – Revenge of the Sith " . He shared an Academy Award nomination for Sound Effects Editing on " The Phantom Menace " . In late May 2005 , after completing his work on the " Star Wars " prequels , Burtt again left Lucasfilm , this time to join Pixar Animation . Later projects . Although he no longer worked at Lucasfilm , Burtt continued his collaboration with Steven Spielberg , designing and editing the sound effects for Spielberg ' s films " Munich " ( which , like 2009 ' s " Star Trek " , starred Eric Bana ) , and " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull " ( which featured Pasha Lychnikoff and Alan Dale ) . At Pixar , Burtt was the sound designer of the studio ' s hit computer - animated feature " WALL · E " , which included designing and supplying the voice for the title character .