John Towner WilliamsΒ (born February 8, 1932)Β 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 acclaimedΒ film scoresinΒ cinema history. He has a distinct sound that mixesΒ romanticism,Β impressionismΒ andΒ atonal musicΒ with complexΒ orchestration.Β He is best known for his collaborations withΒ Steven SpielbergΒ andΒ George LucasΒ and has receivedΒ numerous accoladesΒ including 26Β Grammy Awards, fiveΒ Academy Awards, sevenΒ BAFTA Awards, threeΒ Emmy AwardsΒ and fourΒ Golden Globe Awards. With 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person, afterΒ Walt Disney,Β and is theΒ oldest Oscar nomineeΒ in any category, at 91 years old.
Williams's early work as a film composer includesΒ Valley of the DollsΒ (1967),Β Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969),Β ImagesΒ andΒ The CowboysΒ (both 1972),Β The Long GoodbyeΒ (1973) andΒ The Towering InfernoΒ (1974). He has collaborated with Spielberg sinceΒ The Sugarland ExpressΒ (1974), composing music for all but five of his feature films. He received fiveΒ Academy Awards for Best ScoreΒ forΒ Fiddler on the RoofΒ (1971),Β Jaws (1975),Β Star WarsΒ (1977),Β E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialΒ (1982) andΒ Schindler's ListΒ (1993). Other memorable collaborations with Spielberg includeΒ Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), theΒ Indiana JonesΒ franchiseΒ (1981β2023),Β HookΒ (1991),Β Jurassic ParkΒ (1993),Β Saving Private RyanΒ (1998),Β Catch Me If You CanΒ (2002),Β War HorseΒ (2011),Β LincolnΒ (2012), andΒ The FabelmansΒ (2022). He also scoredΒ SupermanΒ (1978), the first twoΒ Home AloneΒ filmsΒ (1990β1992), and the first threeΒ Harry PotterΒ filmsΒ (2001β2004).
Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestralΒ ensemblesΒ and solo instruments. He served as theΒ Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is itsΒ laureateΒ conductor.Β Other works by Williams include theme music for theΒ 1984 Summer OlympicΒ Games;Β NBC Sunday Night Football;Β "The Mission" theme (used byΒ NBC NewsΒ andΒ Seven NewsΒ in Australia); and the television seriesΒ Lost in Space,Β Land of the GiantsΒ andΒ Amazing Stories.
Among other accolades, he has received theΒ Kennedy Center HonorΒ in 2004, theΒ National Medal of the ArtsΒ in 2009 and theΒ AFI Life Achievement AwardΒ in 2016.Β He was inducted into theΒ Songwriters Hall of FameΒ in 1998, theΒ Hollywood Bowl'sΒ Hall of FameΒ in 2000 and theΒ American Classical Music Hall of FameΒ in 2004. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25Β highest-grossing filmsΒ at the U.S. box office.Β InΒ 2022, Williams was appointed anΒ Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British EmpireΒ (KBE) byΒ Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music". In 2005, theΒ American Film InstituteΒ placed Williams's score toΒ Star WarsΒ first on its listΒ AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores; his scores forΒ JawsΒ andΒ E.T.Β also made the list. TheΒ Library of CongressΒ entered theΒ Star WarsΒ soundtrackΒ into theΒ National Recording RegistryΒ for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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