John Williams

Biography

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically acclaimed film scoresin cinema history. He has a distinct sound that mixes romanticism, impressionism and atonal music with complex orchestration. He is best known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and has received numerous accolades including 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. With 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person, after Walt Disney, and is the oldest Oscar nominee in any category, at 91 years old. Williams's early work as a film composer includes Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Images and The Cowboys (both 1972), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He has collaborated with Spielberg since The Sugarland Express (1974), composing music for all but five of his feature films. He received five Academy Awards for Best Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993). Other memorable collaborations with Spielberg include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), and The Fabelmans (2022). He also scored Superman (1978), the first two Home Alone films (1990–1992), and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004). Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is its laureate conductor. Other works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; NBC Sunday Night Football; "The Mission" theme (used by NBC News and Seven News in Australia); and the television series Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and Amazing Stories. Among other accolades, he has received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004, the National Medal of the Arts in 2009 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998, the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000 and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2004. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office. In 2022, Williams was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music". In 2005, the American Film Institute placed Williams's score to Star Wars first on its list AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores; his scores for Jaws and E.T. also made the list. The Library of Congress entered the Star Wars soundtrack into the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Description above from the Wikipedia article John Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Self - Composer

Music by John Williams

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The Making of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'

John Williams Live - Music from the Movies

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The Making of 'Jaws'

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Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery

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From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga

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Anne-Sophie Mutter - Vivace

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Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

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Ennio

Himself

John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker: The Berlin Concert

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Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen

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The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball

Self - Conductor

Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes

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The Stories of West Side Story

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The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of "Jaws"

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No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

John Williams: Creating a Musical Tradition

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The Making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

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In the Teeth of Jaws

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John Williams at the BBC

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A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later

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The Fabelmans: A Family in Film

Himself

Deconstructing Dad: The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott

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Jaws: The Inside Story

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Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

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Galakonzert mit Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams und Beethoven aus Pittsburgh

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If These Walls Could Sing

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Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford

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Catch Me If You Can: Behind the Camera

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A John Williams Celebration

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When Star Wars Ruled the World

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Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

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John Williams in Tokyo

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Frankie Laine: An American Dreamer

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The Beginning: Making Episode I

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Plotting 'Family Plot'

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Disney Legends Awards Ceremony

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Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman'

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Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend

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The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'

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The Making of '1941'

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Score: A Film Music Documentary

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Spielberg

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The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

Self - Conductor

Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood

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The Music of 'Indiana Jones'

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Music

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Star Wars: Music by John Williams

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The 'E.T.' Journals

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Return to Jurassic Park

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Star Wars: Within a Minute - The Making of Episode III

Oma Tres

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Self (archive footage)

John Williams: The Seventh Symphony

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Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits

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The Making of 'The Lost World'

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The Skywalker Legacy

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The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams

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Lincoln: An American Journey

Self - Conductor

John Williams: Live in Vienna

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AFI's Master Class - The Art of Collaboration: Steven Spielberg and John Williams

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The Revamping of Dracula

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The Making of The Empire Strikes Back

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A World Without Beethoven?

Self / Performer

Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me

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You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman

Star Wars: A Musical Journey

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Star Wars Concert

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John Williams: A Legacy In Sound

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Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story