JW
John Williams
Composer, Actor, Additional CreditsBorn February 8, 1932 (94 years)
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.
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
Featured Videos
Filmography
| 2026 | Disclosure Day · as Original Music Composer |
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | John Williams in Tokyo · as Composer |
| 2024 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2024 | LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy (TV Series) |
| 2024 | Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (TV Series) · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2023 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2023 | The Making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny · as Original Music Composer |
| 2023 | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny · as Original Music Composer |
| 2022 | The Fabelmans · as Original Music Composer |
| 2022 | Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2022 | Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (TV Series) |
| 2022 | Jurassic World: Dominion · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2022 | Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV Series) · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2021 | For the Empire (TV Series) |
| 2021 | The Book of Boba Fett (TV Series) |
| 2021 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch (TV Series) |
| 2020 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker · as Original Music Composer |
| 2019 | Battle at Big Rock · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2017 | The Post · as Original Music Composer |
| 2017 | Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi · as Original Music Composer |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story · as Composer |
| 2016 | The BFG · as Original Music Composer |
| 2015 | Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · as Original Music Composer |
| 2015 | Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 2013 | The Book Thief · as Original Music Composer |
| 2013 | LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 2012 | Lincoln · as Original Music Composer |
| 2011 | War Horse · as Original Music Composer |
| 2011 | The Adventures of Tintin · as Original Music Composer |
| 2011 | Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace · as Original Music Composer |
| 2010 | Lego Star Wars: Bombad Bounty · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 2008 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull · as Original Music Composer |
| 2006 | Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut · as Original Music Composer |
| 2005 | Munich · as Original Music Composer |
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha · as Original Music Composer |
| 2005 | War of the Worlds · as Original Music Composer |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith · as Original Music Composer |
| 2004 | Empire of Dreams · as Original Music Composer |
| 2004 | The Terminal · as Original Music Composer |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban · as Original Music Composer |
| 2003 | Declaration of Independence · as Composer |
| 2002 | Catch Me If You Can · as Original Music Composer |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets · as Original Music Composer |
| 2002 | Minority Report · as Original Music Composer |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones · as Original Music Composer |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone · as Original Music Composer |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence · as Original Music Composer |
| 2001 | The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' · as Composer |
| 2000 | The Patriot · as Original Music Composer |
| 1999 | Angela's Ashes · as Original Music Composer |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace · as Original Music Composer |
| 1998 | Stepmom · as Original Music Composer |
| 1998 | Lost in Space Forever · as Original Music Composer |
| 1998 | Saving Private Ryan · as Original Music Composer |
| 1997 | Amistad · as Original Music Composer |
| 1997 | Seven Years in Tibet · as Original Music Composer |
| 1997 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park · as Original Music Composer |
| 1997 | Rosewood · as Original Music Composer |
| 1996 | Sleepers · as Original Music Composer |
| 1995 | Nixon · as Original Music Composer |
| 1995 | Sabrina · as Original Music Composer |
| 1993 | Schindler's List · as Original Music Composer |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park · as Original Music Composer |
| 1992 | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York · as Original Music Composer |
| 1992 | Far and Away · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | JFK · as Original Music Composer |
| 1991 | |
| 1990 | Home Alone · as Original Music Composer |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent · as Original Music Composer |
| 1990 | Stanley & Iris · as Original Music Composer |
| 1989 | Always · as Original Music Composer |
| 1989 | Born on the Fourth of July · as Original Music Composer |
| 1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade · as Original Music Composer |
| 1988 | The Accidental Tourist · as Original Music Composer |
| 1987 | Empire of the Sun · as Original Music Composer |
| 1987 | Superman IV: The Quest for Peace · as Composer |
| 1987 | The Witches of Eastwick · as Original Music Composer |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories · as Original Music Composer |
| 1986 | SpaceCamp · as Original Music Composer |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories (1985) (TV Series) · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 1984 | The River · as Original Music Composer |
| 1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom · as Original Music Composer |
| 1983 | From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi': The Making of a Saga · as Original Music Composer |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1982 | Monsignor · as Original Music Composer |
| 1982 | E.T. · as Original Music Composer |
| 1981 | Heartbeeps · as Original Music Composer |
| 1981 | Great Movie Stunts: Raiders of the Lost Ark · as Original Music Composer |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark · as Original Music Composer |
| 1980 | |
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back · as Original Music Composer |
| 1979 | 1941 · as Original Music Composer |
| 1979 | Dracula · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | |
| 1978 | Jaws 2 · as Original Music Composer |
| 1978 | The Fury · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope · as Original Music Composer |
| 1977 | Black Sunday · as Original Music Composer |
| 1976 | Midway · as Original Music Composer |
| 1976 | The Missouri Breaks · as Original Music Composer |
| 1976 | Family Plot · as Original Music Composer |
| 1975 | Jaws · as Original Music Composer |
| 1975 | The Eiger Sanction · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | The Towering Inferno · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Earthquake · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | Conrack · as Original Music Composer |
| 1974 | The Sugarland Express · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | Cinderella Liberty · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | The Paper Chase · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | Tom Sawyer · as Original Music Composer |
| 1973 | The Long Goodbye · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | Pete 'n' Tillie · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | The Poseidon Adventure · as Original Music Composer |
| 1972 | The Screaming Woman · as Main Title Theme Composer |
| 1972 | The Cowboys · as Original Music Composer |
| 1971 | |
| 1970 | Jane Eyre · as Original Music Composer |
| 1970 | Story of a Woman · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | The Reivers · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Goodbye, Mr. Chips · as Original Music Composer |
| 1969 | Daddy's Gone A-Hunting · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Heidi · as Original Music Composer |
| 1968 | Land of the Giants (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1968 | Sergeant Ryker · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Fitzwilly · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | Valley of the Dolls · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man · as Original Music Composer |
| 1967 | CBS Playhouse (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1966 | Penelope · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | Not with My Wife, You Don't! · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | The Time Tunnel (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1966 | How to Steal a Million · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | The Plainsman · as Original Music Composer |
| 1966 | The Rare Breed · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | Convoy (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1965 | Lost in Space (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! · as Original Music Composer |
| 1965 | None But the Brave · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Wayne and Shuster Take an Affectionate Look at... (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1964 | Redcap (1964) (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Gilligan's Island (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1964 | The Killers · as Original Music Composer |
| 1964 | Nightmare in Chicago · as Original Music Composer |
| 1963 | Kraft Suspense Theatre (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1963 | Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1963 | Breaking Point (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1963 | Gidget Goes to Rome · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | Diamond Head · as Original Music Composer |
| 1962 | |
| 1962 | The Eleventh Hour (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1962 | Empire (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1961 | Bachelor Flat · as Original Music Composer |
| 1961 | Alcoa Premiere (TV Series) · as Music Score Producer |
| 1961 | Ben Casey (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1961 | Kraft Mystery Theatre (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1961 | The Secret Ways · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | Checkmate (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1960 | Because They're Young · as Original Music Composer |
| 1960 | I Passed for White · as Original Music Composer |
| 1959 | Markham (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1958 | Daddy-O · as Original Music Composer |
| 1957 | M Squad (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1957 | Bachelor Father (TV Series) · as Original Music Composer |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1956 | Playhouse 90 (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater (TV Series) · as Composer |