Who played the voice of ET in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic?

Patricia “Pat” Welsh voiced ET in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film, helping give the animatronic alien a distinctive personality. Her contribution mattered despite her being little known: ET speaks only briefly, but his voice helps make him an engaging character.

Welsh was born in San Francisco in 1915 and had worked as a radio soap opera actress. Sound designer Ben Burtt reportedly heard her raspy voice in a camera shop and invited her to audition; he later altered its pitch and mixed it with animal sounds. She recorded roughly 30 short lines in nine and a half hours for less than $400, then voiced Boushh in Return of the Jedi the following year.