John Williams
John Williams | |
|---|---|
Williams in 2024 | |
| Born | John Towner Williams February 8, 1932 Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles Juilliard School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Works | List of compositions |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3, including Joseph |
| Father | Johnny Williams |
| Relatives | Ethan Gruska, Bobby Gruska (grandchildren) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)[1][2][3] is an American composer and conductor. Over his seven-decade career, he has composed some of the best known scores in film history.[4][5] His compositional style blends romanticism, impressionism, and atonal music with complex orchestration.[6]
Best known for his collaborations with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, he has received numerous accolades, including 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With a total of 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person in the award's history, after Walt Disney.[a] He is also the oldest Academy Award nominee in any category, receiving a nomination at 91 years old.[7]
He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004, the National Medal of the Arts in 2009, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016.[b] 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 scores for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office.[8] In 2022, Williams was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music".
In 2005, the American Film Institute placed Williams' score to Star Wars first on its list AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores; his scores for Jaws and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 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".[9]
- ^ Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022). "Classical Connection review: Nov. 12, Fort Wayne Philharmonic". WBOI - NPR News & Diverse Music in Northeast Indiana. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
nyt90was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dyer, Steven (April 23, 2022). "From Jaws to Star Wars, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra celebrates John Williams". CTVNews. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ "Nominee Facts" (PDF). awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ Golding, Dan (February 7, 2022). "From Jaws to Star Wars to Harry Potter: John Williams, 90 today, is our greatest living composer". The Conversation. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ Lehman, Frank. "A Guide to John Williams's Musical Universe: Revised and Expanded" (PDF). franklehman.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 23, 2024). "John Williams & Martin Scorsese Make Oscar History As Oldest Nominees, Set Records For Most Noms". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Top Lifetime Adjusted Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
- ^ "Star Wars Score Named To National Recording Register". Film Buff Online. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).