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John Williams

Date of Death: May 05, 1983 (80)

Birth Place: Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, ENGLAND

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BIO

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 Williams announced but then rescinded his intention to retire from film score composing after the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.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".

Photos

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


[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


Awards and Nominations


winner
Tony Awards - 1953 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

John Williams, Dial "M" for Murder

Videos

News


South Bend Symphony Orchestra to Present HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN in Concert
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 8, 2025

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series will return to Morris Performing Arts Center with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert. Learn more and see how to attend.
Carnegie Hall National Youth Orchestra 2 To Make European Debut At The Edinburgh International Festival
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 7, 2025

This month, 89 outstanding teen musicians from across the United States come together as Carnegie Hall's NYO2 (National Youth Orchestra 2). Created in 2016 for outstanding American instrumentalists, ages 14–17, NYO2 is one of Hall's three acclaimed national youth ensembles that convene each summer in New York City for concerts at Carnegie Hall and tour performances.
Photos: JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY Makes A Splash At European Premiere In Monaco
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 3, 2025

National Geographic continued its 50th anniversary celebration of Jaws with the European premiere of JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. Check out photos from the event.
JAWS Returning to Theaters This Summer for 50th Anniversary
by Josh Sharpe - Jul 2, 2025

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, the blockbuster film is returning to theaters nationwide in 4K this summer, with select screenings in IMAX®, RealD 3D, 4DX and D-BOX.
Wake Up With BroadwayWorld July 1, 2025
by - Jul 1, 2025

Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is July 1, 2025 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
Karl E. Held, Tony Award-Nominated Broadway Producer, Passes Away at 63
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 30, 2025

Karl E. Held, a Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer whose wide-ranging career in the performing arts spanned more than four decades, died on June 23 in New York City.
Video: Jonathan Bailey Plays the Clarinet for JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 30, 2025

In a new video for the scoring session of Jurassic World Rebirth, Jonathan Bailey can be seen playing the clarinet along with the orchestra on the iconic John Williams score. Watch it now!
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio Unveils 2025/26 YOSA Philharmonic Season at the Tobin Center
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 25, 2025

The Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) has unveiled its 2025/26 YOSA Philharmonic concert season, offering a powerful lineup of orchestral masterworks, film favorites, festive collaborations, and thought-provoking tributes—all under the baton of Music Director and Philharmonic Conductor Troy Peters.
JAWS Soundtrack Receives Exclusive Vinyl Release for 50th Anniversary
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 23, 2025

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 summer blockbuster, Jaws, UMe is releasing a limited-edition “Blood in the Water” splatter vinyl of the film's soundtrack.
The Academy Museum Reveals Details of JAWS: THE EXHIBITION
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 20, 2025

Celebrating the 50th anniversary year of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will present Jaws: The Exhibition, the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film
Viola Davis and Walter Murch to Receive Honorary Degrees From the AFI Conservatory
by Josh Sharpe - Jun 18, 2025

The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that it will confer a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa for contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image upon trailblazing actress and producer Viola Davis and legendary film editor and sound designer Walter Murch.
HARRY POTTER FILM CONCERT SERIES Will Come to NJPAC
by Stephi Wild - Jun 18, 2025

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center announced that New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will perform Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone in Concert in March 2026.
HADESTOWN, KINKY BOOTS and More Set for The Weidner 2025"2026 Broadway In Green Bay Series
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 11, 2025

The Weidner has unveiled its 2025–2026 Broadway In Green Bay Series, featuring seven major touring productions direct from New York. The new season includes the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Hadestown, the electrifying comeback story TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, the feel-good hit Kinky Boots, and more.
Review: ITCH, Opera Holland Park
by Franco Milazzo - Jun 4, 2025

Opera Holland Park has never shied away from audacious programming, and with Jonathan Dove’s Itch, it plunges boldly into radioactive territory—literally. Originally seen here in 2023 and based on Simon Mayo’s YA novel about a teenage element hunter who stumbles upon a potentially world-altering discovery, this opera bubbles with energy, invention and musical firepower.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Will Perform HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IN CONCERT
by Stephi Wild - Jun 4, 2025

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra announced the return of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert, the second film in the Harry Potter series.
Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota Celebrates 30th Anniversary Season in 2025-2026
by Stephi Wild - Jun 3, 2025

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota (ASC) will celebrate its 30th anniversary during the 2025-2026 season. The season features a mix of emerging and renowned artists spanning classical, jazz, chamber music, and bold, boundary-crossing collaborations.
STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK IN CONCERT Comes to the Philippines
by Stephi Wild - May 30, 2025

Film Concerts PH presents Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In Concert featuring composer John Williams’ GRAMMY-winning score performed live to the film.
TV: Entrevistamos a Xavier Torras en la presentación de CENICIENTA en Madrid
by Juan Cano - May 30, 2025

Durante la presentación oficial del musical CENICIENTA, que se estrenará el próximo 3 de octubre en el Teatro Coliseum de Madrid, pudimos entrevistar a Xavier Torras, supervisor y director musical de esta gran producción que llegará a la Gran Vía. “Ya había llegado el momento de disfrutar de dónde viene todo esto, de dónde nace el teatro musical, y qué mejor que hacerlo con una obra de los considerados padres del género”.
EGOT Explained: Who Has Joined the Elite Group and Who Is Close to Making History?
by Sidney Paterra - May 26, 2025

Few honors in entertainment are as coveted—or as rare—as achieving EGOT status. This elite distinction marks a career filled with versatility, longevity, and extraordinary talent across multiple mediums. What does it all mean? We're taking a closer look at the artists who have managed to join one of the industry’s most exclusive clubs.
Tanglewood Reveals Titles for 2025 Season Including THE GOONIES In Concert and More
by A.A. Cristi - May 22, 2025

Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has announced new programming for its 2025 season, including a live performance of The Goonies in Concert by the Boston Pops, a new wine and food festival, and a range of community-focused events.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has John Williams been in?

John Williams has appeared on Broadway in 30 shows.

How many West End shows has John Williams been in?

John Williams has not appeared in the West End

What awards has John Williams been nominated for?

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".

What awards has John Williams won?

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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