John Williams

Date of Death: May 05, 1983 (80)

Birth Place: Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, ENGLAND

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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 scores in cinema history. He has a very distinct sound that mixes romanticism, impressionism and atonal music with complex orchestration. He is most 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 include Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Images (1972) and The Long Goodbye (1973). He has collaborated with Spielberg since his 1974 film The Sugarland Express, composing music for all but five of his feature films. He received five Academy Awards for Best Original 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), 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, the television series Lost in Space and Land of the Giants, and the incidental music for the first season of Gilligan's Island. Williams announced but then rescinded his intention to retire from film score composing after the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.

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". He has received numerous honors including the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004, the National Medal of the Arts in 2009, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016.[a] 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 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams's score to Star Wars as the greatest film score of all time. The Library of Congress entered the Star Wars soundtrack into the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

John Williams Photos

John Williams STAGE CREDITS

[Broadway]
1970
David Bliss

[Broadway]
1964
Sir Gregory

[Broadway]
1961
General Allenby

[Broadway]
1955
Belmann

[Broadway]
1952
Inspector Hubbard

[Broadway]
1952
Herbert Reedbeck

[Broadway]
1949
Bishop Gregor

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1948
Duke of Norfolk

[Broadway]
1948
Mark Kennicott

[Broadway]
1946
Walter Wallace

[Broadway]
1941
Jerry Seymoure

[Broadway]
1939
Philo Smith

[Broadway]
1939
Cunningham

[Broadway]
1938
Eric Lindon

[Broadway]
1937
Mr. Slope

[Broadway]
1934
Clyde Lockert

[Broadway]
1934
Clyde Lockert

[Broadway]
1933
Sergeant Brace

[Broadway]
1933
John

[Broadway]
1931
Felix

[Broadway]
1930
Richard Chalfont

[Broadway]
1928
Lord of Teylesmore

[Broadway]
1928
Burglar

[Broadway]
1927
Douglas Helder

[Broadway]
1927
James Depew

[Broadway]
1927
Howell Jamess

[Broadway]
1926
Charles Murdock

[Broadway]
1925
Lucien

[Broadway]
1925
Gerald Shannon

[Broadway]
1924
Clifford Hope


John Williams Awards and Nominations

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John Williams News


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Featuring more than 100 performances covering a range of genres and styles, the Nashville Symphony has announced its 2024/25 season.

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The National Symphony Orchestra has unveiled its 2024–2025 season. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.

LA Philharmonic to Tour FIDELIO with Deaf West Theatre to London, Paris & More

The LA Philharmonic and Deaf West Theatre will tour their production of Fidelio to the UK and more! Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Houston Symphony Reveals 24-25 Season Featuring Jessica Vosk, Pink Martini & More

The Houston Symphony has revealed its 2024−25 Season. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Unveils 2024-25 Season Featuring Leslie Odom, Jr., Itzhak Perlman & More

Los Angeles Philharmonic has revealed details of the 2024/25 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Learn more about the season and see how to purchase tickets.

New Jersey Symphony Announces Its 2024-25 Season

NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY, led by Music Director Xian Zhang, has announced its upcoming 2024-25 season.

The Studio Orchestra Performs STAR WARS Music on May the 4th

The Studio Orchestra will return to Cheltenham on International Star Wars Day to celebrate the iconic music of Star Wars. For one night only, the acclaimed orchestra will perform at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse, Saturday 4th May in a special concert like no other.

Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF IN CONCERT Breathes Life into an Old Favorite at Heinz Hall

The rediscovered orchestrations of John Williams make a beloved musical just that much better. If you were a movie or musical fan during the VHS era, you likely remember Fiddler on the Roof as one of those unwieldy three-hour films that require two different cassette tapes to watch in full, like Titanic.

Review: Carnegie Hall Brings Audience to Its Feet with AN EVENING WITH JOHN WILLIAMS AND YO-YO MA

This reviewer was overwhelmed by the memories from and enjoyment of these renowned works of the genius that is John Williams.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Unveils 2024/25 Season Featuring New Works, Guest Artists & More

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has revealed the details of its 2024/25 concert season. Learn about its programming and see how to purchase tickets.

Symphony San Jose Will Perform E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Next Month

Symphony San Jose presents  E.T.  The Extra-Terrestrial next month. Performances are on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 10 at 2:30pm at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.

South Bend Symphony Unveils 2024-25 Season Featuring Mozart, HARRY POTTER & More

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra has revealed the 2024-25 Season. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.

The Cleveland Orchestra Announces 2024 Blossom Music Festival Lineup Featuring Leslie Odom, Jr. and More

Learn more about the lineup of classical favorites and star-studded pops concerts for the 2024 Blossom Music Festival by The Cleveland Orchestra here!

South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Announces 2024-25 Season

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra has announced details of the 2024-25 season, its 103rd, which will feature the greatly anticipated revival of Giants in the Earth – the Pulitzer Prize winning opera by American composer Douglas Moore (The Ballad of Baby Doe) based on Ole Edvart Rølvaag's epic novel about Norwegian settlers of the Dakota Territory in 1873.  The SDSO's production will be the first ever fully professional staging of Moore's opera.  More details on Giants in the Earth can be found at the bottom of this release.

Sutton Foster, Joshua Henry, Harry Connick Jr. & More to Join Boston Pops Spring Season

The Boston Pops have unveiled their spring 2024 season, featuring songs from Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and more. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets.

South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor Thomas Fortner to Depart

Assistant Conductor Thomas Fortner is leaving the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra to pursue new career opportunities in Europe.

MAHLER 'LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN' Comes to La Monnaie This Month

MAHLER ‘LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN’ comes to La Monnaie this month. The performance is set for 18 February 2024.

Hollywood Bowl Named Outdoor Concert Venue Of The Year At 35th Annual Pollstar Awards

The Hollywood Bowl was honored last night as the Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year (Red Rocks Award) at the 35th Annual Pollstar Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE IN CONCERT Comes to Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Next Week

Join the FILMharmonic Orchestra for a live-to-film performance of Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert! Performances are on February 15th and 16th, 2024, at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Los Angeles Philharmonic Reveals 2024 Hollywood Bowl Summer Season

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has announced the 2024 Hollywood Bowl summer season with performances at the world-renowned amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills from June to September 2024. Learn more about the lineup here!

John Williams FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

John Williams has appeared on Broadway in 30 shows.

John Williams has not appeared in the West End

John Williams has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his role in "Dial M for Murder".

John Williams has won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his role in "Dial M for Murder."

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