John Williams

Sound

John Williams

Born 1932-02-08 · Queens, New York City, New York, USA

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically acclaimed film scoresin cinema history. He has a distinct sound that mixes romanticism, impressionism and atonal music with complex orchestration. He is best known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and has received numerous accolades including 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. With 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person, after Walt Disney, and is the oldest Oscar nominee in any category, at 91 years old. Williams's early work as a film composer includes Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Images and The Cowboys (both 1972), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He has collaborated with Spielberg since The Sugarland Express (1974), composing music for all but five of his feature films. He received five Academy Awards for Best Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993). Other memorable collaborations with Spielberg include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), and The Fabelmans (2022). He also scored Superman (1978), the first two Home Alone films (1990–1992), and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004). Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is its laureate conductor. Other works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; NBC Sunday Night Football; "The Mission" theme (used by NBC News and Seven News in Australia); and the television series Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and Amazing Stories. Among other accolades, he has received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004, the National Medal of the Arts in 2009 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998, the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000 and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2004. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office. In 2022, Williams was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music". In 2005, the American Film Institute placed Williams's score to Star Wars first on its list AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores; his scores for Jaws and E.T. also made the list. The Library of Congress entered the Star Wars soundtrack into the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Description above from the Wikipedia article John Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker poster
6.3

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once again as the journey of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle begins.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

2019

Spielberg poster
7.5

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg

2017

Ennio poster
8.3

A portrait of Ennio Morricone, the most popular and prolific film composer of the 20th century, the one most loved by the international public, a two-time Oscar winner and the author of over five hundred unforgettable scores.

Ennio

2022

Return to Jurassic Park poster
6.6

A multi-part documentary about the making of the Jurassic Park trilogy. Each part walks through the making of part of one of the films, including the hurricane during the shooting of the first film, and how advances in CGI for Jurassic Park helped change the world of special effects forever. All interviews for these retrospective documentaries come with comments from Spielberg, Johnston, Neill, Dern, Goldblum, the effects crews, the child actors, and Peter Stormare. This documentary is broken into six parts: Dawn of a New Era (25 min), Making Prehistory (20 min), The Next Step in Evolution (15 min), Finding the Lost World (28 min), Something Survived (16 min), and The Third Adventure (25 min).

Return to Jurassic Park

2011

Music by John Williams poster
8.0

His unforgettable scores are an essential part of some of the most beloved movies of our time, over a career that spans decades. See and hear maestro John Williams' own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history.

Music by John Williams

2024

The Beginning: The Making of Star Wars Episode I poster
7.3

The entire process of making Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) is shown here in this documentary. From pre-production through post-production, we get to see visual effects meetings, John Williams' music sessions, and even the storm that wiped out the pod-racers & props.

The Beginning: The Making of Star Wars Episode I

2001

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford poster
7.7

An in-depth look at an incredible moment in film history when Steven Spielberg and George Lucas assembled an amazing creative team to collaborate on another cinematic benchmark featuring never-before-seen footage and interviews with Spielberg, Lucas, Harrison Ford, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, James Mangold, and many others as well.

Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford

2023

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound poster
6.9

The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.

Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

2019

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story poster
7.5

The authorized documentary celebrating the film that redefined Hollywood, 50 years after its premiere. Featuring rare archival footage and interviews with acclaimed Hollywood directors alongside Steven Spielberg, top shark scientists, and conservationists, the film uncovers the behind-the-scenes chaos and how the film launched the summer blockbuster, inspired a new wave of filmmakers, and paved the way for shark conservation that continues today.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story

2025

Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III poster
7.2

This documentary offers a glimpse into all the people, departments, and work that went into creating the film, specifically, the fight between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Featured on the 2-Disc DVD for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Within a Minute: The Making of Star Wars Episode III

2005

The Skywalker Legacy poster
7.8

The story lives forever in this feature-length documentary that charts the making of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The Skywalker Legacy

2020

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy poster
7.6

From the earliest versions of the script to the blockbuster debuts, explore the creation of the Star Wars Trilogy.

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

2004

Score: A Film Music Documentary poster
7.2

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.

Score: A Film Music Documentary

2017

If These Walls Could Sing poster
6.5

The untold story of the Abbey Road studio, all-star interviews and intimate access to the premises.

If These Walls Could Sing

2022

Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood poster
10.0

In honor of Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, Tanglewood—the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—dedicated its entire 2018 season to the iconic composer, conductor, performer, educator and humanitarian. The festivities culminated on Bernstein’s centennial birthday on August 25, 2018, in a special celebrity-studded gala concert. Directed for the stage by James Darrah, The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood illuminates the breadth of Bernstein’s incredible life and career, which inspired generations of music lovers around the globe – from his talent as a composer to his generosity in mentoring other composers and musicians, his inimitable role as a driving musical force at Tanglewood for over 50 years and more.

Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood

2018

John Williams in Tokyo poster
8.4

30 years after his last visit to Japan, John Williams has returned for a special concert – making his debut with the world-famous Saito Kinen Orchestra in renditions of his beloved film scores and reuniting with his longtime friend, world-renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa (1935-2024). Captured live on record at Suntory Hall last year, John Williams In Tokyo is now being be released by Deutsche Grammophon and follows his acclaimed concert albums, The Berlin Concert and John Williams in Vienna, which topped charts around the globe.

John Williams in Tokyo

2024

Building a Scene poster
5.0

A documentary about the process of creating a scene for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).

Building a Scene

2003

Monty and the Movies poster
NR

An in-depth look at embattled filmmaker Alex “Monty” Canawati uncovers the indelible mark he's left on Hollywood.

Monty and the Movies

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos poster
5.6

The artistry, triumph and lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond. With film school equipment, they shoot the Soviet crackdown of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. As refugees they struggle in Hollywood, finally breaking into the mainstream with their pivotal contribution to the "American New Wave."

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

2009

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story poster
7.4

The troubled fraternal relationship between songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, the Oscar and Grammy-winning Sherman Brothers, famous for the iconic hits they wrote for Disney.

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

2009

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits poster
6.1

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the new lands at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in Southern California.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits

2019

No artwork available
NR

The 49th Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium on the 21st of November, 1977. Presented by Bob Hope, includes his own performances, Julie Andrews, Paul Anka, Pam Ayres, Harry Belafonte, Brotherhood of Man, Tommy Cooper, Alan King, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, John Williams, Little and Large, Shirley MacLaine, Jim Henson's Muppets, Rudolf Nureyev, Jack Parnell with special visits from Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Charles, Prince of Wales

The Royal Variety Performance 1977

1977

The 'E.T.' Journals poster
10.0

The following documentary is composed exclusively of original behind-the-scenes footage shot during the production of "E.T." in 1981. It follows the order of the scenes as they appear in the film.

The 'E.T.' Journals

2012

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga poster
7.4

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga is a 1983 television documentary special that originally aired on PBS. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the original Star Wars trilogy, with particular emphasis on the final film, Return of the Jedi. Narrated by actor Mark Hamill, the documentary was written by Richard Schickel who had written the previous television documentaries The Making of Star Wars (1977) and SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga

1983