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John Williams



 
 
John Towner Williams (born February 7, 1932) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
 and pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film score
Film score

A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film, which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film. The term Soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does...
s in Hollywood history, including Star Wars
Star Wars music

The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
, Superman
Superman music

The various film and television renditions of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores....
, Born on the Fourth of July, Harry Potter
Harry Potter music

Harry Potter music may refer to:*Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ...
 and all but two of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion....
's feature films including the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
 series, Schindler's List, and Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)

Jurassic Park is a 1993 in film science fiction film Thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton....
. In addition, he has composed theme music for four Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
, NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News

NBC Nightly News is the daily evening news program for NBC News and broadcasts from the GE Building, Rockefeller Center in New York City. It has been known by this name since August 3, 1970....
, the inauguration of Barack Obama, and numerous television series and concert pieces.






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Encyclopedia


John Towner Williams (born February 7, 1932) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
, conductor
Conducting

Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors....
 and pianist
Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film score
Film score

A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film, which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film. The term Soundtrack is often confused with film score, though a soundtrack may also include songs featured in the film as well as previously released music by other artists, while the score does...
s in Hollywood history, including Star Wars
Star Wars music

The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
, Superman
Superman music

The various film and television renditions of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores....
, Born on the Fourth of July, Harry Potter
Harry Potter music

Harry Potter music may refer to:*Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ...
 and all but two of Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion....
's feature films including the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
 series, Schindler's List, and Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)

Jurassic Park is a 1993 in film science fiction film Thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton....
. In addition, he has composed theme music for four Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
, NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News

NBC Nightly News is the daily evening news program for NBC News and broadcasts from the GE Building, Rockefeller Center in New York City. It has been known by this name since August 3, 1970....
, the inauguration of Barack Obama, and numerous television series and concert pieces. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra

The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , founded four years earlier. Careful examination of the rosters of ?Pops orchestra" or ?Festival" orchestras, which are associated with a co-resident symphony orchestra in the same community, shows that the principal players of a ?pops" ensemble us...
 from 1980 to 1993, and is now the orchestra's laureate
Laureate

In English language, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize....
 conductor.

Williams is a five-time winner of the Academy Award. He has also won 4 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTA Awards and 21 Grammy Awards. With 45 Academy Award nominations, Williams is, together with composer Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
, the second most nominated individual after Walt Disney
Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney was a multiple Academy Award-winning American film producer, film director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur and philanthropist....
. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
 Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors
Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for theirlifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States....
 in 2004.

Early life and family

John Williams was born on February 8, 1932, in Floral Park, New York
Floral Park, New York

Floral Park is an Administrative divisions of New York State#Village in Nassau County, New York, New York on Long Island. The population is 16,800....
, the son of Esther and John Williams, Sr.
Johnny Williams (drummer)

Johnny Williams was an American jazz drummer and percussionist from the early 1930s to the late 1950s. In New York and Hollywood he worked on radio, in films, and as a recording artist....
. His father was a jazz drummer who played with the Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott

Raymond Scott , was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants....
 Quintet, whose music became internationally known through its use in Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's largest film producer of film and television.It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York City....
 cartoons.

In 1948, Williams moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 with his family. Williams attended North Hollywood High School
North Hollywood High School

North Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood, California in Los Angeles, California....
 and graduated in 1950. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
 and studied privately with composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was an Italy List of composers. Born in Florence, he was descended from a prominent banking family that had lived in the city since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492....
. In 1952, Williams was drafted into the United States Air Force
United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Military of the United States and one of the uniformed services of the United States....
, where he conducted and arranged music for the Air Force Band as part of his duties.

After his service ended in 1955, Williams moved to New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
 and entered Juilliard School
Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, located on the Upper West Side in New York City, is a performing arts music school. It is informally identified as simply Juilliard, and trains in dance, drama, and music....
, where he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne
Rosina Lhévinne

Rosina Lh?vinne , was a Russian pianist and piano pedagogue.Rosina Bessie was the daughter of a prosperous jeweler and began piano lessons at age 6 with a local teacher in Moscow where the family had moved in the years following her birth....
. During this time he worked as a jazz pianist at New York's many studios and clubs. He also played for composer Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini was an Academy Award winning American composer, Conducting and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores....
: The session musicians were John Williams on piano, Rolly Bundock on bass, Jack Sperling
Jack Sperling

Jack Sperling was an American Big Band, television and studio drummer. He was a recording artist, versatile jazz combo and dynamic Dixieland musician....
 on drums, and Bob Bain on guitar—the same lineup featured on the "Mr. Lucky" TV series. Williams recorded with Henry Mancini on the film soundtracks of Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn

Peter Gunn is an United States detective fiction television programme which aired on the National Broadcasting Company and later American Broadcasting Company television networks from 1958 to 1961....
 (1959), Charade (1963), and Days of Wine and Roses
Days of Wine and Roses

Days of Wine and Roses may refer to:*Days of Wine and Roses *Days of Wine and Roses , a 1962 film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Jack Lemmon...
 (1962). He was known as "Little Johnny Love" Williams in the early 1950s, and served as arranger and bandleader on a series of popular albums with singer Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine

Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful United States musician, singer and songwriter whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire " in 2005....
.

Williams was married to actress Barbara Ruick
Barbara Ruick

Barbara Ruick was an American actress and singer....
 from 1956 until her death on March 3, 1974. They had three children together: Jennifer (born 1956), Mark (born 1958), and Joseph (born 1960). His youngest son, Joseph Williams, is the former lead singer for the band Toto
Toto (band)

Toto was an United States Rock music Rock band founded in 1977 by some of the most popular and experienced session musicians of the era. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the 1980s, beginning with the band's Toto , released in 1978, which immediately brought the band into the mainstream rock spectrum of the time....
. His daughter, Jenny Williams, is a singer. He married for a second time on July 21, 1980, to his current wife, Samantha Winslow. Williams is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi

Kappa Kappa Psi is a national honorary band Fraternities and sororities dedicated to serving College#United States of America and University#United States band s....
, the national honorary fraternity for college band members.

Film scoring

While skilled in a variety of twentieth-century compositional idioms, Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form of neoromanticism
Neoromanticism (music)

In North American classical music and European classical music, neoromanticism is a style identified by the extended tonality that flourished during the late Romantic era, as well as a frank expression of emotional sentiment equally evocative of the period....
, inspired by the same large-scale orchestral music of the late 19th century—especially Wagnerian music
Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, Conducting, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas . Unlike most other great opera composers, Wagner wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works....
 and its concept of leitmotif
Leitmotif

A leitmotif is a recurring musical Theme , associated with a particular person, place, or idea. The word has also been used by extension to mean any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person....
—that inspired his film-composing predecessors.

After his studies at Juilliard, Williams returned to Los Angeles and began working as an orchestrator in film studios. Among others, he had worked with composers Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman

Franz Waxman was a Jewish German American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra, based on musical themes from the Georges Bizet opera Carmen, and for his musical scores for films....
, Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann was an United States composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho , North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo ....
, and Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
 and fellow orchestrators, Conrad Salinger
Conrad Salinger

Conrad Salinger was an United States arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited with orchestrating nine productions on Broadway theatre from 1931 to 1938, and over seventy-five motion pictures from 1931 in film to 1962 in film....
 and Bob Franklyn. He was also a studio pianist, performing in scores by composers such as Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith was an American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. Goldsmith was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards , and also won four Emmy Awards....
, Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein

'Elmer Bernstein' was an Academy Award and two-time Golden Globe award winning American film score composer. He was famous for composing music for The Ten Commandments , The Man with the Golden Arm, The Great Escape , The Magnificent Seven, and To Kill a Mockingbird ....
, and Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini

Henry Mancini was an Academy Award winning American composer, Conducting and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores....
 (for whom he played the opening riff to Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn

Peter Gunn is an United States detective fiction television programme which aired on the National Broadcasting Company and later American Broadcasting Company television networks from 1958 to 1961....
). Williams began to compose music scores for television series programs in the late 1950s, eventually leading to the pilot episode theme for Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island is an United States Television program Situation comedy originally produced by United Artists Television. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network, from September 26, 1964 to September 4, 1967....
,
Lost in Space
Lost in Space

Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS....
,
and The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel

The Time Tunnel is a 1966?1967 United States color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series....
.

Williams's first major film composition was for the B-movie
B-movie

A B movie is a low-budget commercial film conceived neither as an art film nor as pornography. In its original usage, during the so-called Cinema of the United States#Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
 Daddy-O
Daddy-O

Daddy-O is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film was later featured film on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000....
 in 1958, and his first screen credit came two years later in Because They're Young. He soon gained notice in Hollywood for his versatility in composing jazz, piano and symphonic music. He received his first Academy Award nomination for his score to the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls
Valley of the Dolls (film)

Valley of the Dolls is a 1967 in film United States drama film based on the 1966 Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for depressant, mood-altering drugs....
,
and was nominated again in 1969 for Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1969 in film United States musical film directed by Herbert Ross. The screenplay by Terrence Rattigan is based on James Hilton's Goodbye, Mr....
.
He won his first Academy Award for his adapted score to the 1971 film Fiddler On The Roof
Fiddler on the Roof (film)

Fiddler on the Roof is the 1971 Cinema of the United States film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. It was directed by Norman Jewison. The film won three Academy Awards, including one for arranger-conductor John Williams....
.
By the early 1970s, Williams had established himself as a composer for large-scale disaster films, with scores for The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure (film)

The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 American disaster film based on a The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico. It concerns the capsize of a luxurious ocean liner by a tidal wave and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to journey up to the bottom of the hull of the liner before it sinks....
,
Earthquake
Earthquake (film)

Earthquake is a 1974 in film USA disaster film that achieved huge box-office success, continuing the disaster film genre of the 1970s where recognizable all-star casts attempt to survive life or death situations....
,
and The Towering Inferno
The Towering Inferno (film)

The Towering Inferno is a 1974 in film disaster film produced by Irwin Allen featuring an all-star cast led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman....
;
the last two films, scored in 1974, borrowing musical cues from each other.

In 1974, Williams was approached by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion....
 to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express
The Sugarland Express

The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American drama film starring Goldie Hawn and William Atherton. It is the first theatrical feature film directed by Steven Spielberg....
.
The young director had been impressed with Williams's score to the 1969 film The Reivers
The Reivers

The Reivers, published in 1962, is the last novel by the United States author William Faulkner. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963....
,
and was convinced that the composer could provide the sound he desired for his films. They re-teamed a year later for the director's second film, Jaws
Jaws (film)

Jaws is a 1975 in film Cinema of the United States horror film thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's best-selling Jaws ....
.
Widely considered a classic suspense piece, the score's ominous two-note motif
Motif (music)

In music, a motif or motive is a perceivable or salience recurring fragment or succession of notes that may be used to construct the entirety or parts of complete melody and theme s....
 has become nearly synonymous with shark
Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full Cartilage skeleton and a highly Streamlines, streaklines and pathlinesd body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits....
s and approaching danger. The score earned Williams a second Academy Award, his first for an original composition. Shortly afterwards, Williams and Spielberg began preparing for their next feature film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Fran?ois Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Cary Guffey....
.
Unusual for a Hollywood production, Spielberg's script and Williams's musical concepts were developed at the same time and were closely linked. During the two-year creative collaboration, they settled on a distinctive five-note figure
Figure (music)

In music, a figure is a recurring fragment or succession of notes that may be used to construct the accompaniment. A figure is distinguished from a motif in that a figure is background while a motif is foreground: "A figure resembles a moulding in architecture: it is 'open at both ends', so as to be endlessly repetition ....
 that functioned both as background music and the communication signal of the film's alien mothership. Williams employed a system of musical hand signals in the film, based on hand signs designed by Zoltán Kodály
Kodály Method

The Kod?ly Method, which is also referred to in practice as the Kod?ly Concept, is an approach to music education which was developed in Hungary during the mid-twentieth century....
. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in 1977.

In the same period, Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director George Lucas
George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award-nominated United States film director, film producer, screenwriter and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the Epic film Sci-Fi franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones....
, who needed a composer to score his ambitious space epic, Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
.
Williams produced a grand symphonic score in the fashion of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss

Richard Georg Strauss was a German composer of the late Romantic music and early modern eras, particularly of operas, Lieder and tone poems. Strauss was also a prominent Conducting....
 and Golden Age
Golden age

The term Golden age in ancient Greece mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures . It refers either to the highest age in the Greek spectrum of Iron, Bronze, Silver and Golden ages, or to a time in the beginnings of Humanity which was perceived as an ideal state, or utopia, when mankind was pure and immortal....
 Hollywood composers Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Academy Award-winning 20th century film and romantic music composer....
 and Max Steiner
Max Steiner

Max Steiner was an Academy Award-winning Austrian-United States composer of music for theatre productions and films. He probably is known best for the Film score he composed for the classic Gone with the Wind and for the score and hugely popular theme song for the film A Summer Place ....
. Its main theme—"Luke's Theme
Star Wars music

The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
"—is among the most widely-recognized in motion picture history, and the "Force Theme
Star Wars music

The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
" and "Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of leitmotif
Leitmotif

A leitmotif is a recurring musical Theme , associated with a particular person, place, or idea. The word has also been used by extension to mean any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person....
. The film and its soundtrack were both immensely successful, and Williams won another Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 1980, Williams returned to score The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 in film space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett....
, where he famously introduced "The Imperial March" as the theme for Darth Vader
Darth Vader

Darth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas's first three Star Wars original trilogy films and Revenge of the Sith, voiced by James Earl Jones and portrayed physically by David Prowse in the Original trilogy and by Canadian actor Hayden Christensen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith....
 and the Galactic Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)

The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the Star Wars fictional universe. It is a tyranny, Star Wars galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith....
. The original Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 trilogy concluded with the 1983 film Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 in film space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan....
,
for which Williams' score provided the "Emperor's Theme
Star Wars music

The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
" and the climactic "Final Duel." Both scores earned Williams Academy Award nominations.

Williams worked with director Richard Donner
Richard Donner

Richard Donner is an United States film director, film producer, and comic book writer. The production company, The Donners' Company, is owned by Donner and his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner....
 to score the 1978 film Superman. The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman
Superman

Superman is a Character , a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio, and sold to DC Comics in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics Action Comics 1 and subseque...
 fanfare and the love theme, known as "Can You Read My Mind
Can You Read My Mind

Can You Read My Mind is the love theme from the 1978 film Superman , with music by John Williams and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.The music is a theme for Lois Lane, whose role in the film was performed by Margot Kidder....
," would appear in the four subsequent sequel films. For the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a action film-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford....
,
Williams wrote a rousing main theme known as "The Raiders March" to accompany the film's hero, Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
. He also composed separate themes to represent the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, where in rested the Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron's rod and manna....
, the character Marion and the Nazi villains of the story. Additional themes were featured in his scores to the sequel films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period piece adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise, and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark ....
,
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas....
,
and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Williams composed an emotional and sensitive score to Spielberg's 1982 fantasy film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 in film American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace-Stone and Peter Coyote....
.
The music conveys the film's benign, child-like sense of innocence, particularly with a spirited theme for the freedom of flight, and a soft string-based theme for the friendship between characters E.T. and Elliott. The film's final chase and farewell sequence marks a rare instance in film history, in which the on-screen action was re-edited to conform to the composer's musical interpretation. Williams was awarded a fourth Academy Award for this score.

The 1985 film The Color Purple
The Color Purple (film)

The Color Purple is a 1985 in film drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the eighth film directed by Spielberg and is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Color Purple by Alice Walker....
 is one of two feature films directed by Steven Spielberg for which John Williams did not serve as composer (the other was the 1971 direct-to-television Duel
Duel (film)

Duel is a 1971 in film television movie about a motorist on a remote and lonely road being stalked by a large tanker truck and its almost unseen driver....
,
Spielberg's first feature film). The film's producer, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones

Quincy Delight Jones, Jr. , is an United States music Conductor , record producer, musical arranger, film composer and trumpeter. During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend Award in 1991....
, wanted to personally arrange and compose the music for the project. Williams also did not score Twilight Zone: The Movie
Twilight Zone: The Movie

Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 in film film produced by Steven Spielberg as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone , a 1950s and 60s Television series created by Rod Serling....
,
but Spielberg had directed only one of the four segments in that film; the film's music was written by another veteran Hollywood composer, rival Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith was an American film score composer from Los Angeles, California. Goldsmith was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards , and also won four Emmy Awards....
, chosen by lead director and producer John Landis
John Landis

John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and Film producer. He is widely known for his influential Comedy film and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many Horror film projects....
. The Williams-Spielberg collaboration resumed with the director's 1987 film Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun (film)

Empire of the Sun is a 1987 coming of age war film based on J.G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the Empire of the Sun. Steven Spielberg directed the film, which stars Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Havers....
,
and has continued to the present, spanning genres from science fiction thrillers (1993's Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton. Often considered a cautionary tale on unconsidered biological tinkering in the same spirit as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, it uses the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its philosophical implications to explain the collapse of an amusement park showcasin...
),
to somber tragedies (1993's Schindler's List
Schindler's List

Schindler's List is an Cinema of the United States biographical film about Oskar Schindler, a Germany businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Poland Jews during the The Holocaust by employing them in his factories....
, 2005's Munich
Munich (film)

Munich is a 2005 in film fictional film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes by Black September gunmen....
),
to Eastern-tinged melodramas (2005's Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)

Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Rob Marshall....
, eventually helmed by Rob Marshall
Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall is an United States theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and Emmy winner whose most noted work includes the 2002 film Chicago and the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret ....
). Spielberg has said, "I call it an honorable privilege to regard John Williams as a friend."

In 1999 George Lucas
George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award-nominated United States film director, film producer, screenwriter and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the Epic film Sci-Fi franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones....
 launched the first of a series prequel
Prequel

A prequel is a work that portrays events and/or aspects of a previously completed narrative, but is set prior to the existing narrative. The word is a neologism, formed as a portmanteau from pre-, meaning before, and sequel, a work which takes place after a previous one ....
s to the original Star Wars
Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
 trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three films, starting with The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 in film space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the first in terms of Dates in Star Wars....
.
Along with themes from the previous movies, Williams created new themes to be used as leitmotifs in Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 in film space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales....
 (2002) and Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 science fiction film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the sixth film released in the Star Wars wiktionary:saga and the third in terms of the series' Dates in Star Wars....
 (2005). Most notable of these was "Duel of the Fates
Duel of the Fates

Duel of the Fates is a Motif recurring in the Star Wars Prequel trilogy and the Expanded Universe. It was composed by John Williams. This symphonic piece is played with both a full orchestra, as well as choir....
," an aggressive choral movement utilizing harsh Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 lyrics that broadened the style of music used in the Star Wars films. For Episode II, Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme for Padmé Amidala
Padmé Amidala

Padm? Naberrie, better known as Padm? Amidala, is a fictional character in George Lucas's space opera saga Star Wars. She first appeared on film in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the young queen of the planet Naboo....
 and Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker is the protagonist in the Star Wars fictional universe. The Original trilogy and Prequel trilogy follow Anakin's rise as a vessel of The Force , his fall to the dark side, and his ultimate Redemption ....
 (mirroring the love theme composed for the second film of the previous trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back). The final installment combined many of the themes created for the entire series, including "The Emperor's Theme," "The Imperial March," "Across the Stars," "Duel of the Fates," "A Hero Falls," "The Force Theme," "Rebel Fanfare," and "Luke's Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme." Few composers have scored an entire series of this magnitude: The combined scores of all six Star Wars films add up to music that takes a full orchestra more than 14 hours to perform entirely.

In the new millennium, Williams was asked to score the film adaptation of the widely successful young adult's book series, Harry Potter
Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
. He went on to score the first three installments of the franchise. As with his Superman
Superman

Superman is a Character , a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio, and sold to DC Comics in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics Action Comics 1 and subseque...
 theme, the most important theme from Williams' scores for the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling

Joanne "Jo" Rowling Order of the British Empire , who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, is a United Kingdom author, best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, the idea for which was conceived whilst on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990....
's Harry Potter series, dubbed "Hedwig's Theme", has been used in the fourth and fifth movies in the series (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000. The book attracted additional attention because of a pre-publication warning from J....
 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling. It is the longest book in the series, and was released on 21 June 2003....
), scored by Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle

Patrick Doyle is an Academy Award nominated Scotland musician and film score composer. His collaboration with Kenneth Branagh and the Shakespearean community is well known, but his scoring talents are versatile, and he has composed orchestral scores for a variety of films and film genres, including The Walt Disney Company's Shipwrecked ,...
 and Nicholas Hooper
Nicholas Hooper

Nicholas Hooper is a England film and television music composer. In the past, he has scored the award-winning BBC productions Land of the Tiger and Andes to Amazon, as well as the TV movies The Tichborne Claimant , My Family and Other Animals, and The Girl in the Caf?, among others....
 respectively. Like the main themes from Star Wars, Jaws, Superman, and Indiana Jones, fans have come to identify the Harry Potter films with Williams' original piece.

In 2006, Superman Returns
Superman Returns

Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Brandon Routh as Superman, as well as Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden and Parker Posey....
 was released, under the direction of Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer is an United States film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially popular among fans of the sci-fi and comic book genres, for his work on the first two X-Men films and Superman Returns....
, best known for directing the first two movies in the X-Men
X-Men

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team in the . In the series, Professor Xavier responds to anti-Mutant prejudice by creating a haven at his Westchester County, New York mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the benefit of humanity....
 series. Singer did not request Williams to compose a score for the new movie; instead, he employed the skills of X2
X2

X2 may refer to:...
 composer John Ottman
John Ottman

John Ottman is an United States film editor, composer and director.He is best known for his collaborations with film director Bryan Singer, editing and composing the scores for The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil , X2: X-Men United and most recently Superman Returns, adapting themes originally composed by John Williams....
 to honorably incorporate Williams' original Superman
Superman

Superman is a Character , a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio, and sold to DC Comics in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics Action Comics 1 and subseque...
 theme, as well as those for "Lois Lane
Can You Read My Mind

Can You Read My Mind is the love theme from the 1978 film Superman , with music by John Williams and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.The music is a theme for Lois Lane, whose role in the film was performed by Margot Kidder....
" and "Smallville
Superman music

The various film and television renditions of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores....
". Don Davis
Don Davis (composer)

Donald Romain Davis is an United States film score composer, conducting, and orchestration. Best known for his work on The Matrix, he has worked on a variety of films, from horror film to comedy film....
 performed a similar role for Jurassic Park III
Jurassic Park III

Jurassic Park III is the 2001 in film sequel to the 1997 in film film, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and is the first in the series that is neither based on a book by Michael Crichton nor directed by Steven Spielberg....
, recommended to the producers by Williams himself. (Film scores by Ottman and to a lesser extent Davis are often compared to those of Williams, as both use similar styles of composition.)

In 2008, Williams scored the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
 series, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; he will be scoring Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion....
's future projects Lincoln and Interstellar. He has also expressed an interest in composing the score for the seventh film in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It was recently announced that Williams will score The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, the first film in the upcoming Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic strips created by Belgium artist Herg?, the pen name of Georges Remi . The series first appeared in French in a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper on 10 January 1929....
 trilogy based on the comics by Hergé
Hergé

Georges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Herg?, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. "Herg?" is the French pronunciation of "RG", his initials reversed....
, continuing his long-time collaboration with Steven Spielberg, while also working with Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson

Peter Robert Jackson, New Zealand Order of Merit is a three-time Academy Award-winning New Zealand filmmaker, film producer and screenwriter, best known for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy trilogy adapted from the The Lord of the Rings by J....
 for the first time.

Conducting and performing

Williamsautograph
From 1980 to 1993, Williams succeeded the legendary Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler

Arthur Fiedler was the long-time Music of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music....
 as Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra

The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , founded four years earlier. Careful examination of the rosters of ?Pops orchestra" or ?Festival" orchestras, which are associated with a co-resident symphony orchestra in the same community, shows that the principal players of a ?pops" ensemble us...
. Williams never personally met Fiedler, although he did speak with him on the telephone. His arrival as the new leader of the Pops in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' first PBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions for The Empire Strikes Back, in addition to conducting many Fiedler audience favorites.

Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984. Considered a customary practice of opinion, some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal. Williams abruptly left the session and turned in his resignation, reportedly due to mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule as well as a perceived lack of discipline in the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams reconsidered his resignation and continued for nine more years. In 1995 he was succeeded by Keith Lockhart
Keith Lockhart

For the baseball player, see Keith Lockhart Keith Lockhart is an orchestral conducting.He is the current Music Director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, taking over from John Williams in 1995....
, the former associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall , recordings, and international tours....
 and Pops
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977. Erich Kunzel, celebrating his 30th season with the orchestra in 2005–2006, continues to lead the Pops today....
.

Williams is now the Laureate Conductor of the Pops, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parent, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five "....
 (BSO), resident of Symphony Hall in the Massachusetts capital. Williams leads the Pops on several occasions each year, particularly during their Holiday Pops season and typically for a week of concerts in May. He conducts an annual Film Night at both Boston Symphony Hall and Tanglewood
Tanglewood

Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox, Massachusetts and Stockbridge, Massachusetts and is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival....
, where he frequently enlists the Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Tanglewood Festival Chorus

The Tanglewood Festival Chorus is a chorus which performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops in major choral works. The Tanglewood Festival Chorus was organized in the spring of 1970, when conductor John Oliver became director of vocal and choral activities at the Tanglewood Music Center, the summer home of the BSO....
, official chorus of the BSO, to provide a choral accompaniment to films (such as Saving Private Ryan).

Williams makes annual appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an United States orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September....
 at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
, and took part as conductor and composer in the orchestra's opening gala concerts for Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale....
 in 2003.

Williams has written many concert pieces, including a symphony, Concerto for Horn written for Dale Clevenger, principal hornist of the Chicago Symphony, Concerto for Clarinet written for Michele Zukovsky (Principal Clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic

The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an United States orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September....
) in 1991, a sinfonietta for wind ensemble, a cello concerto
Concerto

The term Concerto usually refers to a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra....
 premiered by Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma is a France-born Chinese Americans virtuoso List of cellists and composer and winner of multiple Grammy Awards. He is one of the most revered cello players of the 20th and 21st centuries....
 and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in 1994, concertos for the flute and violin recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Arts Centre....
, tuba, and a trumpet concerto, which was premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra

The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five "....
 and their principal trumpet Michael Sachs in September 1996. His bassoon concerto, The Five Sacred Trees
The Five Sacred Trees

John Williams composed The Five Sacred Trees for Judith LeClair, the principal bassoon of the New York Philharmonic in 1995, to honor the orchestra's one hundred fiftieth anniversary....
, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall....
 and principal bassoon player Judith LeClair
Judith LeClair

Judith LeClair , from Newark, Delaware, is an American bassoonist.She has been the principal bassoon in the New York Philharmonic since 1981 and on the faculty at the Juilliard School since 1985, LeClair began studying the instrument at age 11 and began her professional career at the age of 15 in a performance with the Philadelphia Orchestr...
 in 1995, was recorded for Sony Classical by Williams with LeClair and the London Symphony Orchestra.

He is also an accomplished pianist, as can be heard in various scores in which he provides solos, as well as a handful of European classical music recordings.

In addition, in 1985, Williams composed the well-known NBC News theme "The Mission" (which he performs in concert to signal the final encore), "Liberty Fanfare
Liberty Fanfare

Liberty Fanfare is a composition for orchestra by John Williams. Written in 1986, the piece was commissioned to celebrate the Liberty Weekend on Independence Day of that year....
" for the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty , or, more formally, Liberty Enlightening the World , was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886....
, "We're Lookin' Good!" for the Special Olympics in celebration of the 1987 International Summer Games, and themes for the 1984, 1988, 1996, and 2002 Olympic games. His most recent concert work "Seven for Luck," for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove
Rita Dove

Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and author. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1993, and received a second special appointment in 1999....
. "Seven for Luck" was given its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with soprano Cynthia Haymon
Cynthia Haymon

Cynthia Haymon-Coleman is an American soprano, born September 6, 1958 in Jacksonville, Florida. She is known for the beauty of her voice and seeming ease with which she uses it....
.

John Williams also made a rare appearance on the BBC in 1980 to explain what life as a composer is like and how demanding it is to get everything just right.

In April of 2005, Williams and the Boston Pops performed "The Force Theme" from Star Wars opening day
Opening Day

Opening Day is warmly regarded in North American tradition as the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. It falls annually around the beginning of April, signaling such a generational feeling of rebirth for some that the writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins On Opening Day....
 in Fenway Park
Fenway Park

Fenway Park is a stadium located near busy Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood. The stadium's address is 4 Yawkey Way....
 as the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in . The Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball?s American League East. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park....
, having won their first World Series
World Series

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
 championship since 1918, received their championship rings.

In April 2004, February 2006, and September 2007, he conducted the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. Based in New York City, the Philharmonic performs most of its concerts at Avery Fisher Hall....
 at Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall

Avery Fisher Hall, known until 1973 as Philharmonic Hall, is a List of concert halls opened in 1962 as part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex in New York City....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. The initial program was intended to be a one-time special event, and featured Williams' medley of Oscar-winning film scores first performed at the previous year's Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
. Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006—fund-raising gala events featuring personal recollections by film director
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
s Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese

Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker, screenwriter, film producer, and film historian. Also affectionately known as "Marty", he is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation and a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Gol...
 and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3.1 billion....
. Continuing demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals of film director Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen

Stanley Donen is an American film director and choreographer hailed by David Quinlan as "the King of the Hollywood musicals". His most famous work is Singin' in the Rain , which he co-directed with Gene Kelly....
, and had the distinction of serving as the opening event of the New York Philharmonic season.

Pop culture references

  • In the Family Guy
    Family Guy

    Family Guy is an animated cartoon Television in the United States Situation comedy created by Seth MacFarlane that airs on Fox Broadcasting Company and regularly on other television networks in syndication....
     episode "Brian Does Hollywood
    Brian Does Hollywood

    "Brian Does Hollywood" is an episode of Family Guy and the conclusion of the two-part story arc . It is the 30th episode of Family Guy. It guest-starred Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy, and Ray Liotta as themselves....
    ", John Williams is presented as a nominee for Best Musical Score in the fictional Adult Movie Awards. Unlike the other nominees, who are shown wearing headphones and using electronic instruments to record their music, he is shown conducting a 48-piece orchestra.
  • John Williams was seen calling Daniel Negreanu's $100,000 challenge in a promotional video for PokerStars.
  • In the Family Guy
    Family Guy

    Family Guy is an animated cartoon Television in the United States Situation comedy created by Seth MacFarlane that airs on Fox Broadcasting Company and regularly on other television networks in syndication....
     sixth season opener "Blue Harvest
    Blue Harvest (Family Guy)

    "Blue Harvest" is an Emmy-nominated hour-long premiere to the List of Family Guy episodes#Season 6: 2007-2008 of the Fox Broadcasting Company series Family Guy....
    " (the working title of Return of the Jedi
    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 in film space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan....
    )
    , John Williams is seen conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, performing "The Force Theme" from Star Wars, as well as the theme for The People's Court
    The People's Court

    The People's Court is an American television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a Arbitration....
    . Later, "Luke" (played by Chris
    Chris Griffin

    Christopher Cross "Chris" Griffin is a Character from the list of animated television series Family Guy. He is the middle child and eldest son of Peter Griffin and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie Griffin and Meg Griffin....
    ) finds the charred remains of Williams and the orchestra at his burning homestead and laments that the rest of the show will have to be scored by Danny Elfman
    Danny Elfman

    Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an United States musician, who is famous for composing scores and songs for Tim Burton's films, composing "The Simpsons Theme," and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as singer/songwriter from 1976 until its breakup in 1995....
    , whom he immediately beheads.
  • In the 1995 Simpsons episode "The Springfield Connection
    The Springfield Connection

    "The Springfield Connection" is the 23rd episode of the The Simpsons of The Simpsons, and original aired May 7, 1995. After watching Snake Jailbird cheat Homer Simpson out of United States dollar20 in a Three-card Monte con game, Marge Simpson successfully chases Snake and knocks him out with the lid of a garbage can....
    ", Homer
    Homer Simpson

    Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and father of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show The Simpsons shorts "Good Night " on April 19, 1987....
     complains about a Springfield Pops performance of music from Star Wars by exclaiming, "They're butchering the classics! John Williams must be rolling around in his grave".
  • In the Roy Zimmerman
    Roy Zimmerman

    Roy Zimmerman is a Californian satirical singer-songwriter and guitarist with outspoken left-wing opinions.In the early 1980s, he wrote a series of satirical musical reviews which were presented in association with the San Jose Repertory Theatre, including "YUP!" "Up the YUP" and "YUP it UP!" ....
     song "Guns In Space", John Williams is mentioned in the line "or they just do not like a war for which John Williams does the score."


Notable compositions


Film scores

The following list consists of select films for which John Williams wrote the score and/or songs. Those films for which his music won an Oscar are in bold. 109 total.

1950s
  • Daddy-O
    Daddy-O

    Daddy-O is a 1958 B-movie starring Dick Contino. It was directed by Lou Place and written by David Moessinger. The film was later featured film on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000....
     (1958)


1960s
  • Because They're Young (1960)
  • I Passed for White
    I Passed for White

    I Passed for White is a 1960 in film film directed and adapted for the screen by Fred M. Wilcox from a novel of the same name by Reba Lee "as told to" Mary Hastings Bradley....
     (1960)
  • The Secret Ways
    The Secret Ways

    The Secret Ways is a 1961 in film thriller film based on Alistair McLean's novel The Last Frontier ....
     (1961)
  • Bachelor Flat
    Bachelor Flat

    Bachelor Flat is a 1962 in film USA comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Terry-Thomas, Tuesday Weld, Richard Beymer and Celeste Holm....
     (1962)
  • Diamond Head
    Diamond Head (film)

    Diamond Head is a film starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, and James Darren, directed by Guy Green , and released by Columbia Pictures....
     (1963)
  • Gidget Goes to Rome
    Gidget Goes to Rome

    Gidget Goes to Rome is a Columbia Pictures feature film starring Cindy Carol as the archetypal high school teen surfer girl originally created by Sandra Dee in the 1959 film Gidget....
     (1963)
  • The Killers
    The Killers (1964 film)

    The Killers, sometimes marketed as Ernest Hemingway's The Killers, is a 1964 crime film released by Universal Studios. It is the second Hollywood adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Killers , following a The Killers made in 1946....
     (1964)
  • None but the Brave
    None But the Brave

    None But the Brave, also known as in Japan, is a 1965 in film war film starring Clint Walker, Frank Sinatra, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takeshi Kato, Brad Dexter, and Tommy Sands....
     (1965)
  • The Rare Breed
    The Rare Breed

    The Rare Breed is a 1966 in film American western film starring James Stewart , Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills and Ben Johnson and directed by Andrew V....
     (1966)
  • John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)
  • Valley of the Dolls
    Valley of the Dolls (film)

    Valley of the Dolls is a 1967 in film United States drama film based on the 1966 Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. The "dolls" within the title is a slang term for depressant, mood-altering drugs....
     (1967) Oscar nomination (songs written by André and Dory Previn)
  • A Guide for the Married Man
    A Guide for the Married Man

    A Guide for the Married Man is a 1967 in film American comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Robert Morse, and Inger Stevens. The film was directed by actor Gene Kelly....
     (1967)
  • Fitzwilly
    Fitzwilly

    Fitzwilly is a 1967 in film film by Delbert Mann, based on Poyntz Tyler's novel, A Garden of Cucumbers, adapted for the screen by Isobel Lennart....
     (1967)
  • How to Steal a Million
    How to Steal a Million

    How to Steal a Million is an Heist film, directed by William Wyler, starring Peter O'Toole as Simon Dermott, caught by Audrey Hepburn sneaking through her house clutching a painting....
     (1968)
  • The Reivers
    The Reivers (film)

    The Reivers is a 1969 film directed by Mark Rydell based on the William Faulkner The Reivers. It stars Steve McQueen, Sharon Farrell, Mitch Vogel and Burgess Meredith as the narrator....
     (1969) Oscar nomination
  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips
    Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)

    Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1969 in film United States musical film directed by Herbert Ross. The screenplay by Terrence Rattigan is based on James Hilton's Goodbye, Mr....
     (1969) Oscar nomination


1970s
  • Storia di una donna (1970) His only score written for a foreign movie
  • Jane Eyre
    Jane Eyre (1970 film)

    Jane Eyre is a 1970 TV-film directed by Delbert Mann starring George C. Scott and Susannah York. It is based on the 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront?....
     (1970)
  • Fiddler on the Roof
    Fiddler on the Roof (film)

    Fiddler on the Roof is the 1971 Cinema of the United States film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. It was directed by Norman Jewison. The film won three Academy Awards, including one for arranger-conductor John Williams....
    (1971) Oscar winner (score adaptation)
  • Images
    Images (film)

    Images is a 1972 English language psychological thriller directed by Robert Altman....
     (1972) Oscar nomination
  • The Poseidon Adventure
    The Poseidon Adventure (film)

    The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 American disaster film based on a The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico. It concerns the capsize of a luxurious ocean liner by a tidal wave and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to journey up to the bottom of the hull of the liner before it sinks....
     (1972) Oscar nomination
  • The Cowboys
    The Cowboys

    The Cowboys is a 1972 Western film starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Slim Pickens, A Martinez and Bruce Dern. Robert Carradine makes his film debut....
     (1972)
  • Cinderella Liberty
    Cinderella Liberty

    Cinderella Liberty is a 1973 in film film which tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 11-year-old mixed race son....
     (1973) Oscar nomination
  • The Long Goodbye
    The Long Goodbye (film)

    The Long Goodbye , directed by Robert Altman, is a contemporary film noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler?s elegiac novel The Long Goodbye , the screenplay is by Leigh Brackett ? co-writer of the Humphrey Bogart-Philip Marlowe film The Big Sleep , based on the eponymous Chandler novel....
     (1973), also title song.
  • The Paper Chase
    The Paper Chase (film)

    The Paper Chase is a 1973 film starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, and John Houseman and directed by James Bridges. Based on John Jay Osborn, Jr.'s 1970 novel, The Paper Chase, the film tells the story of Hart, a first-year law school student at Harvard Law School, and his experiences with Professor Charles Kingsfield , the bril...
     (1973)
  • Tom Sawyer (1973) Oscar nomination shared with Robert B. Sherman
    Robert B. Sherman

    Robert Bernard Sherman is an United States songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard M. Sherman. Some of Sherman's best known writing includes the songs from Mary Poppins , The Jungle Book , The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , The Slipper and the Rose and the them...
     & Richard M. Sherman
    Richard M. Sherman

    Richard Morton Sherman is an United States songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert B. Sherman. Some of the Sherman Brothers' best known writing includes the songs from Mary Poppins , The Jungle Book , Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , The Slipper and the Rose and the theme park song, "...
  • The Towering Inferno
    The Towering Inferno (film)

    The Towering Inferno is a 1974 in film disaster film produced by Irwin Allen featuring an all-star cast led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman....
     (1974) Oscar nomination
  • The Sugarland Express
    The Sugarland Express

    The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American drama film starring Goldie Hawn and William Atherton. It is the first theatrical feature film directed by Steven Spielberg....
     (1974)
  • Jaws
    Jaws (film)

    Jaws is a 1975 in film Cinema of the United States horror film thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's best-selling Jaws ....
    (1975) Golden Globe, BAFTA & Oscar winner
  • The Eiger Sanction
    The Eiger Sanction (film)

    The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 in film Action film thriller based on a The Eiger Sanction by American author Dr. Rodney William Whitaker, under the pen name Trevanian....
     (1975)
  • Family Plot
    Family Plot

    Family Plot is a 1976 in film film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, his final completed film. It stars Barbara Harris , Bruce Dern, William Devane and Karen Black....
     (1976)
  • Midway
    Midway (film)

    Midway is a 1976 in film war film made by the Mirisch Corporation and released by Universal Pictures . It was directed by Jack Smight and produced by...
     (1976)
  • The Missouri Breaks
    The Missouri Breaks

    This article is about the motion picture. For the geographical feature, see Upper Missouri River Breaks National MonumentThe Missouri Breaks is a 1976 in film USA Western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson....
     (1976)
  • Black Sunday
    Black Sunday (1977 film)

    Black Sunday is a 1977 in film Cinema of the United States thriller film based on the Black Sunday by Thomas Harris. The film was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture in 1978....
     (1977)
  • Star Wars
    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
    (1977) later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
    Oscar, Golden Globe & BAFTA winner
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind
    Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Fran?ois Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Cary Guffey....
     (1977) Oscar nomination
  • Jaws 2
    Jaws 2

    Jaws 2 is a 1978 in film Cinema of the United States horror film/thriller directed by Jeannot Szwarc. It is the first sequel to Steven Spielberg's 48th Academy Awards-winning classic Jaws ....
     (1978)
  • The Fury
    The Fury (film)

    The Fury is a 1978 in film supernatural thriller film directed by Brian de Palma. The film was written by John Farris based on his The Fury of the same name....
     (1978)
  • Superman (1978) Oscar nomination & double Grammy nominations
  • 1941
    1941 (film)

    1941 is a period comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It starred John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and premiered in December 1979....
     (1979)
  • Dracula (1979)


1980s
  • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
    Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

    Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 in film space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett....
     (1980) Oscar & double Grammy nominations, BAFTA winner
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
    Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Raiders of the Lost Ark is a action film-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford....
     (1981) Oscar & double Grammy nominations
  • Heartbeeps
    Heartbeeps

    Heartbeeps is an United States comedy film about two robots who fall in love and decide to strike out on their own. It was directed by Allan Arkush, and starred Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters as the robots....
     (1981)
  • Monsignor
    Monsignor (film)

    Monsignor is a 1982 in film film about a Roman Catholic Church priest's rise through the ranks of the Holy See, during and after World War II....
     (1982)
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 in film American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace-Stone and Peter Coyote....
    (1982) Golden Globe, Oscar & BAFTA winner
  • Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

    Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 in film space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan....
     (1983) Oscar nomination
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period piece adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise, and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark ....
     (1984) Oscar nomination
  • The River
    The River (1984 film)

    The River is a 1984 in film film which tells the story of a struggling farm family in the Tennessee valley trying keep its farm going in the face of bank foreclosures, floods, and other hard times....
     (1984) Oscar nomination
  • SpaceCamp
    SpaceCamp

    SpaceCamp is a 1986 film based on a book by Patrick Bailey and Larry B. Williams and inspired by the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama....
     (1985)
  • Empire of the Sun
    Empire of the Sun (film)

    Empire of the Sun is a 1987 coming of age war film based on J.G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel of the Empire of the Sun. Steven Spielberg directed the film, which stars Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson and Nigel Havers....
     (1987) Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner
  • The Witches of Eastwick
    The Witches of Eastwick (film)

    The Witches of Eastwick is a 1987 in film fantasy film/comedy film based on a The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. It stars Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer....
     (1987) Oscar nomination
  • The Accidental Tourist
    The Accidental Tourist (film)

    The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 in film United States drama film. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, with an Academy Award nominated score by John Williams, the film's screenplay was adapted by Kasdan and Frank Galati from the The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler....
     (1988) Oscar nomination
  • Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Oscar nomination
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas....
     (1989) Oscar nomination
  • Always (1989)


1990s
  • Stanley and Iris
    Stanley and Iris

    Stanley and Iris is a Romance film drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro. The screenplay by Harriet Frank Jr....
     (1990)
  • Presumed Innocent
    Presumed Innocent (film)

    Presumed Innocent is a 1990 in film film adaptation of the best-selling Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow, which tells the story of a prosecutor charged with the murder of his female colleague and Mistress ....
     (1990)
  • Home Alone (1990) double Oscar nominations
  • Hook
    Hook (film)

    Hook is a 1991 family film fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Charlie Korsmo and Amber Scott....
     (1991) Grammy & Oscar nominations
  • JFK
    JFK (film)

    JFK is an Cinema of the United States directed by Oliver Stone and released on December 20, 1991 in film. It examines the events leading to the John F....
     (1991) Oscar nomination
  • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
    Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

    Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is the 1992 in film sequel to the 1990 in film film Home Alone , written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus ....
     (1992)
  • Far and Away
    Far and Away

    Far and Away is a 1992 in film adventure film-drama film-romance film directed by Ron Howard from a script by Howard and Bob Dolman, and stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman....
     (1992)
  • Jurassic Park
    Jurassic Park (film)

    Jurassic Park is a 1993 in film science fiction film Thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton....
     (1993)
  • Schindler's List
    Schindler's List

    Schindler's List is an Cinema of the United States biographical film about Oskar Schindler, a Germany businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Poland Jews during the The Holocaust by employing them in his factories....
    (1993) Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA winner
  • Nixon
    Nixon (film)

    Nixon is a 1995 in film USA biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President of the United States Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
     (1995) Oscar nomination
  • Sabrina
    Sabrina (1995 film)

    Sabrina is a 1995 in film romantic comedy film adapted by Barbara Benedek and David Rayfiel, based on the Sabrina , which in turn was based upon a play entitled Sabrina Fair....
     (1995) double Oscar nominations
  • Sleepers
    Sleepers (film)

    Sleepers is a 1996 legal drama film by Barry Levinson based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name....
     (1996) Oscar nomination
  • Rosewood
    Rosewood (film)

    Rosewood is a 1997 film, starring Ving Rhames as a fictional character who travels to the town of Rosewood, Florida, United States, and becomes a witness to the 1923 Rosewood massacre....
     (1997)
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park
    The Lost World: Jurassic Park

    The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 in film American science fiction film and the second Jurassic Park film as part of the Jurassic Park franchise....
     (1997)
  • Seven Years in Tibet
    Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)

    Seven Years in Tibet is a 1997 in film film based on Seven Years in Tibet written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War, the interim period, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army moving into Tibet in 1950....
     (1997)
  • Amistad
    Amistad (1997 film)

    Amistad is a 1997 in film Steven Spielberg film based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard a La Amistad in 1839, and the Amistad that followed....
     (1997) Grammy & Oscar nominations
  • Stepmom
    Stepmom (film)

    Stepmom is a 1998 in film United States comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus . The film stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon....
     (1998)
  • Saving Private Ryan
    Saving Private Ryan

    Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 in film Cinema of the United States war film set during the Invasion of Normandy of Normandy in World War II. It was film director by Steven Spielberg and Screenplay by Robert Rodat....
     (1998) Golden Globe, Grammy & Oscar nominations
  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
    Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

    Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 in film space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the first in terms of Dates in Star Wars....
     (1999) Grammy nomination
  • Angela's Ashes
    Angela's Ashes (film)

    Angela's Ashes is a 1999 film based on the Angela's Ashes of the same title by Frank McCourt. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens and Michael Legge ....
     (1999) Grammy & Oscar nomination


2000s
  • The Patriot
    The Patriot (2000 film)

    The Patriot is a 2000 epic film war film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Robert Rodat, and starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger. It was produced by the Mutual Film Company and Centropolis Entertainment, and was distributed by Columbia Pictures....
     (2000) Oscar nomination
  • A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
    A.I. (film)

    A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a 2001 science fiction film directed, produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg. Based on the short story Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, the film stars Haley Joel Osment, Frances O'Connor, Jude Law, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas and William Hurt....
     (2001) Grammy & Oscar nominations
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Oscar nomination & double Grammy nominations
  • Catch Me if You Can
    Catch Me If You Can

    Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 comedy-drama crime film loosely based on the life of Frank Abagnale, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully confidence trick millions of United States dollar by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor and Louisiana prosecutor....
     (2002) Oscar nomination
  • Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
    Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

    Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 in film space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales....
     (2002)
  • Minority Report
    Minority Report (film)

    Minority Report is a 2002 in film science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story The Minority Report and it is one of several Philip K....
     (2002)
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)

    Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 in film fantasy adventure film, and the second film in the popular Harry Potter , based on the novel by J....
     (2002) Grammy nomination
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 in film fantasy adventure film, based on the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J....
     (2004) Grammy & Oscar nominations (soundtrack
    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (soundtrack)

    The Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban original motion picture soundtrack was released on 25 May 2004. The film's score was composed and conducted by John Williams, as were the scores for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ....
    )
  • The Terminal
    The Terminal

    The Terminal is a 2004 in film comedy-drama film produced and written by Andrew Niccol and Sacha Gervasi. The film is co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones....
     (2004)
  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
    Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

    Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 science fiction film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the sixth film released in the Star Wars wiktionary:saga and the third in terms of the series' Dates in Star Wars....
     (2005) double Grammy nominations
  • War of the Worlds
    War of the Worlds (2005 film)

    War of the Worlds is a 2005 in film science fiction-disaster film based on H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin....
     (2005) Grammy nomination
  • Memoirs of a Geisha
    Memoirs of a Geisha (film)

    Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and directed by Rob Marshall....
     (2005) Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy winner, Oscar nomination
  • Munich
    Munich (film)

    Munich is a 2005 in film fictional film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation after the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes by Black September gunmen....
     (2005) Oscar nomination, Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition and Grammy nomination for Best Score Soundtrack Album


2010s
  • Lincoln
    Lincoln

    Lincoln may refer to: ...
     (2009)
  • The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (2011)
  • Interstellar (2011)


The Olympics


Williams has composed music for four Olympic Games
Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece, Greece....
:
  • "Olympic Fanfare and Theme
    Olympic symbols

    The Olympic symbols are the icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some ? such as the flame, fanfare, and theme ? are more common during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year....
    " – 1984 Summer Olympics
    1984 Summer Olympics

    The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984....
    , Los Angeles
    • Written specifically for the opening ceremonies. In a 1996 re-release, the opening trumpet fanfare was replaced with Bugler's Dream, a previous Olympic Theme written by Leo Arnaud
      Leo Arnaud

      Leo Arnaud or L?o Arnaud was a French-American composer of film scores, best known for scoring Bugler's Dream, which is used as the theme for the Olympic Games....
      . This recording has been used as the theme for NBC's Olympic coverage ever since.
  • "The Olympic Spirit
    Olympic symbols

    The Olympic symbols are the icons, flags and symbols used by the International Olympic Committee to promote the Olympic Games. Some ? such as the flame, fanfare, and theme ? are more common during Olympic competition, but others, such as the flag, can be seen throughout the year....
    " – 1988 Summer Olympics
    1988 Summer Olympics

    The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea....
    , Seoul
    Seoul

    Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
    • Commissioned by NBC Sports
      NBC Sports

      NBC Sports is the brand used for sports programming on NBC, responsible for the televising of many sports events on the network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games , the NBC Sunday Night Football, the The NHL on NBC, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, the PGA Tour, the Un...
       for their television coverage.
  • "Summon the Heroes" – 1996 Summer Olympics
    1996 Summer Olympics

    The 1996 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
    , Atlanta, Georgia
    Atlanta, Georgia

    Atlanta is the Capital and most populous city in Georgia , as well as the 33rd largest city in the United States of America with a population of 519,145....
    • Written in commemoration of the Centennial of the Modern Olympic Games. Premiering on July 19, 1996, the piece features heavy use of the brass and wind sections and is approximately six minutes in length. (Principal Boston Pops trumpeter Timothy Morrison played the opening solo on the album recording.) It has been arranged for various types of ensembles, including wind ensembles. This theme is now used prevalently by NBC for intros
      Introduction (music)

      In music, the introduction is a passage or Section_ which opens a Movement or a separate Musical composition. In popular music this is often called an intro....
       and outro
      Outro

      An outro is the Conclusion to a piece of music, literature or television program. It is the opposite of an Introduction ."Outro" is a blend or portmanteau as it replaces the element "in" of the "intro" with its opposite, to create a new word....
      s to commercial breaks of the Olympics.
  • "Call of the Champions
    Call of the Champions

    Call of the Champions was composed by John Williams for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Premiering at the Opening Ceremony on February 8, 2002, it begins with the call by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of "Citius! Altius! Fortius!" , which is the Olympic Motto chosen by the founder of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Couberti...
    " – 2002 Winter Olympics
    2002 Winter Olympics

    The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States....
    , Salt Lake City, Utah
    Salt Lake City, Utah

    Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC....


Television themes

  • For NBC:
    • NBC News
      NBC News

      NBC News is the news division of United States television network NBC, a part of NBC Universal, which is majority-owned by General Electric. Its current president is Steve Capus....
       - The Mission
      • NBC Nightly News
        NBC Nightly News

        NBC Nightly News is the daily evening news program for NBC News and broadcasts from the GE Building, Rockefeller Center in New York City. It has been known by this name since August 3, 1970....
      • The Today Show
      • Meet The Press
        Meet the Press

        Meet the Press is a weekly Television in the United States news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the List of longest running U.S. television series television show in worldwide broadcasting history, having made its television debut on November 6, 1947....
    • NBC Sunday Night Football
      NBC Sunday Night Football

      NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC Sports that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Pro Football Hall of Fame Game....
  • Amazing Stories
  • Checkmate
    Checkmate

    Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured....
  • Land of the Giants
    Land of the Giants

    Land of the Giants was an hour-long United States science fiction television program lasting two seasons beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970....
  • Lost in Space
    Lost in Space

    Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS....
  • The Time Tunnel
    The Time Tunnel

    The Time Tunnel is a 1966?1967 United States color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series....
  • For Seven Network
    Seven Network

    The Seven Network is an Australia Television broadcasting in Australia owned by the Seven Media Group. It dates back to 2 December 1956, when the first stations on the Very high frequency frequency were established in Sydney and Melbourne....
    • Seven News
      Seven News

      Seven News is the television news service of the Seven Network in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while flagship 6pm bulletins are produced in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, Western Australia....


Concerti

  • Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1969), premiered only in 1981 by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin
    Leonard Slatkin

    Leonard Edward Slatkin is an United States conducting. Long associated with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he is now music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra....
    .
  • Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1976 rev. 1998), premiered only in 1981 by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra under Slatkin.
  • Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra (1985), premiered by the tubist Chester Schmitz of the Boston Pops for their 100th anniversary.
  • Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (1991), recorded by Michele Zukovsky for whom it was written.
  • Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra (The Five Sacred Trees
    The Five Sacred Trees

    John Williams composed The Five Sacred Trees for Judith LeClair, the principal bassoon of the New York Philharmonic in 1995, to honor the orchestra's one hundred fiftieth anniversary....
    ) (1993).
  • Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1994).
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1996).
  • Elegy for Cello and Piano (1997), later arranged for Cello and Orchestra (2002). Based on a theme from Seven Years in Tibet
    Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)

    Seven Years in Tibet is a 1997 in film film based on Seven Years in Tibet written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War, the interim period, and the Chinese People's Liberation Army moving into Tibet in 1950....
    .
  • TreeSong, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2000).
  • Heartwood: Lyric Sketches for Cello and Orchestra (2002).
  • Concerto for Horn and Orchestra
    Horn Concerto (Williams)

    John Williams's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra is a concerto for Horn with orchestra accompaniment. Williams wrote the piece for Dale Clevenger of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2003 o?n a commission from the Edward F....
     (2003). Premiered with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra

    The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five "....
     in November 2003.
  • Duo Concertante for Violin and Viola (2007). Premiered at Tanglewood
    Tanglewood

    Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox, Massachusetts and Stockbridge, Massachusetts and is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival....
     in August 2007.


Celebration pieces and other concert works

  • Prelude and Fugue (1965), for orchestra. Available for download in MP3 at the .
  • Symphony #1 (1966), premiered by Houston Symphony under André Previn
    André Previn

    Andr? Previn Order of the British Empire is a German-born American Academy Award and Grammy Award winning pianist, conducting, and composer. He first came to prominence by arranging and composing Hollywood film scores in 1948....
     in 1968. Williams reworked the piece in 1988 (performed by San Francisco Symphony during a visit as guest conductor in early '90s)
  • Thomas and the King (musical, 1975), premiered in London. Recorded in 1981 by the .
  • Jubilee 350 Fanfare (1980), it was premiered by the Boston Pops conducted by Williams. Piece celebrating the 350th anniversary of the City of Boston.
  • Liberty Fanfare (1986), premiered on July 4, 1986 by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. Piece composed for the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty
    Liberty Weekend

    Liberty Weekend was the celebration of the recent restoration and centennial of the Statue of Liberty in New York City, New York. It began on Thursday, July 3 and ended on Sunday, July 6, 1986....
    .
  • A Hymn to New England
    New England

    New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
     (1987).
  • Fanfare for Michael Dukakis (1988). Composed for Michael Dukakis
    Michael Dukakis

    Michael Stanley Dukakis is an American Democratic Party politician, former Governor of Massachusetts, and was the Democratic Party United States presidential election, 1988....
    ' presidential campaign and premiered at the 1988 Democratic National Convention
    1988 Democratic National Convention

    The 1988 National Convention of the USA Democratic Party was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia from July 18–July 21, 1988 to select a candidate for the U.S....
    .
  • For New York (Variations on theme by Leonard Bernstein) (1988). Composed for Leonard Bernstein's 70th birthday celebrations.
  • Celebrate Discovery (1990). Composed for the 500th anniversary celebration of the arrival of Columbus in America.
  • Sound the Bells! (1993).
  • Song for World Peace (1994).
  • Variations on Happy Birthday (1995).
  • American Journey (1999). Portions premiered as accompaniment to a film by Steven Spielberg as part of the Millennium Celebration in Washington D.C. December 31, 1999.
  • Three Pieces for solo Cello (2001).
  • Soundings (2003), composed for the Walt Disney Concert Hall
    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale....
    .
  • Star Spangled Banner (2007), special arrangement for game 1 of the 2007 World Series
    2007 World Series

    The 2007 World Series, the 103rd edition of Major League Baseball's World Series, began on Wednesday, October 24 and ended on Sunday, October 28....
     played by the Boston Pops Orchestra
    Boston Pops Orchestra

    The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , founded four years earlier. Careful examination of the rosters of ?Pops orchestra" or ?Festival" orchestras, which are associated with a co-resident symphony orchestra in the same community, shows that the principal players of a ?pops" ensemble us...
    .
  • A Timeless Call (2008). Score to the Steven Spielberg war veteran tribute film shown on day 3 of the 2008 Democratic National Convention
    2008 Democratic National Convention

    The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the United States....
    .
  • Air and Simple Gifts
    Air and Simple Gifts

    Air and Simple Gifts is a classical music quartet arranged by United States composer John Williams for the January 20, 2009, Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration as President of the United States....
    , performed by Itzhak Perlman
    Itzhak Perlman

    Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-United States of America violin virtuoso, conducting, and teacher....
     on violin, Yo-Yo Ma
    Yo-Yo Ma

    Yo-Yo Ma is a France-born Chinese Americans virtuoso List of cellists and composer and winner of multiple Grammy Awards. He is one of the most revered cello players of the 20th and 21st centuries....
     on cello, Gabriela Montero
    Gabriela Montero

    Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist.Montero gave her first public performance at the age of five. At age eight, she made her concert debut with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra, conducted by Jos? Antonio Abreu and was granted a scholarship from the Venezuelan government to study in the USA....
     on piano, and Anthony McGill
    Anthony McGill

    File:Inauguration performance of Air and Simple Gifts.jpgAnthony McGill is the principal clarinetist for the Metropolitan Opera. McGill is originally from Chicago, Illinois, growing up in the city's Chatham neighborhood....
     on clarinet. Composed for the Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration.


Awards


John Williams has won a total of five Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 and four Golden Globe Awards. He has been nominated for 21 Golden Globes and 59 Grammys. With 45 Oscar nominations, Williams currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person being the second most nominated person in the history of the Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
, tied with late fellow film composer Alfred Newman
Alfred Newman

Alfred Newman was a major United States composer of music for films.He received 45 Academy Awards nominations, making him the second most nominated composer-arranger in the history of the Academy Awards, behind John Williams ....
, to Walt Disney
Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney was a multiple Academy Award-winning American film producer, film director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur and philanthropist....
's 59. Forty of Williams' Oscar nominations are for Best Original Music Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score

The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of Film score written specifically for the film by the submitting composer....
 and 5 are for Best Original Song. All five winners are in the former category.

Williams has also received two Emmy Award
Emmy Award

The Emmy Award, also known as the 'Emmy', is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards....
s and four nominations, seven BAFTAs
British Academy of Film and Television Arts

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation....
, twenty Grammy Award
Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
s, and has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame
Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
. In 2004 he received a Kennedy Center Honor
Kennedy Center Honors

The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for theirlifetime of contributions to Culture of the United States....
. He also won a Classical Brit award
Classical Brit Awards

The Classical BRIT Awards are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of European classical music, and are the classical equivalent of pop music's Grammy or BRIT Awards....
 in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year.

Williams' richly thematic and highly popular 1977 score to the first
Star Wars film
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
 was selected in 2005 by the American Film Institute
American Film Institute

The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B....
 as the greatest American movie score of all time
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores

Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores is a list of the top 25 film scores in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute in 2005....
. His scores for
Jaws
Jaws (film)

Jaws is a 1975 in film Cinema of the United States horror film thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's best-selling Jaws ....
and E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 in film American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace-Stone and Peter Coyote....
also appeared on the list, at #6 and #14, respectively.

Grammy awards

  • Jaws (1975) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Pop Instrumental Performance)
  • Main Title from Star Wars (1977) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Main Title Theme from Superman (1979) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Superman (1979) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • E.T. (1982) (Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture)
  • Flying (Theme from E.T.) (1982) (Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording)
  • Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Schindler's List (1993) (Instrumental Composition for a Motion Picture or Television)
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television)
  • Theme from Angela's Ashes (2000) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • Memoirs Of A Geisha (2007) (Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media)
  • "A Prayer For Peace" (Theme from Munich) (2007) (Best Instrumental Composition)
  • "The Adventures of Mutt" (from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) (2008) (Best Instrumental Composition)


Golden Globe Awards

  • Jaws (1975) (Best Original Score)
  • Star Wars (1977) (Best Original Score)
  • E.T. (1982) (Best Original Score)
  • Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Best Original Score)


Emmy Awards

  • Heidi (1968) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)
  • Jane Eyre (1971) (Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition)


Academy Award Nominations (excluding wins)

  • Valley of the Dolls (1967) (Scoring-adaptation or treatment)
  • The Reivers (1969) (Original Score)
  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) (Scoring-adaptation of treatment)
  • Images (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • The Poseidon Adventure (1972) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Tom Sawyer (1973) (Original Song Score and Adaptation-or-Scoring: Adaptation)
  • Cinderella Liberty (1973) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Nice to Be Around (from Cinderella Liberty) (1973) (Song)
  • The Towering Inferno (1974) (Original Score)-
  • Star Wars (1977) (Original Score)
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (Original Score)
  • Superman (1978) (Original Score)
  • The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Original Score)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) (Original Score)
  • If We Were in Love (from Yes, Giorgio) (1982) (Song)
  • Return of the Jedi (1983) (Original Score)
  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (Original Score)
  • The River (1984) (Original Score)
  • Empire of the Sun (1987) (Original Score)
  • The Witches of Eastwick (1987) (Original Score)
  • The Accidental Tourist (1988) (Original Score)
  • Born on the Fourth of July (1989) (Original Score)
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) (Original Score)
  • Home Alone (1990) (Original Score)
  • Somewhere in My Memory (from Home Alone) (1990) (Song)
  • JFK (1991) (Original Score)
  • When You're Alone (from Hook) (1991) (Song)
  • Nixon (1995) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Sabrina (1995) (Original Musical or Comedy Score)
  • Moonlight (from Sabrina) (1995) (Song)
  • Sleepers (1996) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Amistad (1997) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Original Dramatic Score)
  • Angela's Ashes (1999) (Original Score)
  • The Patriot (2000) (Original Score)
  • A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) (Original Score)
  • Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (2001) (Original Score)
  • Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Original Score)
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (Original Score)
  • Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (Original Score)
  • Munich (2005) (Original Score)


See also

  • Star Wars music
    Star Wars music

    The music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original trilogy , and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel trilogy ....
  • Superman music
    Superman music

    The various film and television renditions of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores....
  • Harry Potter music
    Harry Potter music

    Harry Potter music may refer to:*Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ...


External links

  • (First solo album)
  • at Soundtrackguide.net
  • on SoundtrackNet
  • at SoundtrackCollector.com
  • A series of six articles from Film Score Monthly that examine Williams' whole career
  • at New York Times (2005)