John Towner Williams was born on February 8, 1932, inQueens, New York,[14] to Esther (née Towner) andJohnny Williams,[15] a jazz drummer and percussionist who played with theRaymond Scott Quintet. He has an older sister, Joan,[15] and two younger brothers, Jerry and Don, who play on his film scores.[15] Williams said of his lineage: "My father was aMaine man—we were very close. My mother was fromBoston. My father's parents ran a department store inBangor, Maine, and my mother's father was a cabinetmaker."[16] John Williams collaborated withBernard Herrmann, and his son sometimes joined him in rehearsals.[17] Like his father, he was also known as Johnny Williams into his young adult life, but he later went by John Williams.
In 1955, following his service, Williams moved toNew York City and was accepted intoJuilliard, where he studied piano withRosina Lhévinne.[18] He originally planned on becoming a concert pianist, but after hearing contemporary pianists likeJohn Browning andVan Cliburn perform, he switched his focus to composition, recalling that he "could write better than [he] could play."[26][27] During his studies, Williams found work in many of the city's jazz clubs as a pianist.[28]
Williams was also a studio pianist and session musician, performing scores byJerry Goldsmith,Elmer Bernstein andHenry Mancini. One of his first jobs was working under mentor Alfred Newman with an uncredited orchestral role forCarousel (1956), which coincidentally starred his soon-to-be wifeBarbara Ruick.[31]
He released several jazz albums under the name Johnny Williams, includingJazz Beginnings,World on a String andThe John Towner Touch.[34] Williams also served as music arranger and bandleader for a series of popular music albums alongsideRay Vasquez andFrankie Laine.[35][36]
The American-Japanese anti-war epicNonebut the Brave (1965) marked the beginning of Williams' full transition from television to major Hollywood film composing, and shaped his style for future blockbusters. AVariety reviewer highlighted his score for providing "excellent background". The film was also Williams' first collaboration withFrank Sinatra, who directed and starred in it. He later conducted for Sinatra at venues such as aSloan-Kettering Cancer Center gala.[40][41]
His prominence grew in the early 1970s thanks to his work for Irwin Allen'sdisaster films, such asThe Poseidon Adventure (1972),The Towering Inferno, andEarthquake (both 1974). Williams named hisImages score as a favorite; he recalls "the score used all kinds of effects for piano, percussion, and strings... if I had never written film scores, if I had proceeded writing concert music, it might have been in this vein".[43] As it happened, Williams' scores forThe Reivers (1969) andThe Cowboys (1972) shaped the direction of his career.
1974–present: Collaborations with Steven Spielberg
Williams' scores forThe Reivers andThe Cowboys impressed a youngSteven Spielberg, who was getting ready to direct his feature debut,The Sugarland Express (1974), and requested Williams. Williams recalled, "I met what looked to be this seventeen-year-old kid, this very sweet boy, who knew more about film music than I did—everyMax Steiner andDimitri Tiomkin score. We had a meeting in a fancy Beverly Hills restaurant, arranged by executives. It was very cute—you had the feeling Steven had never been in a restaurant like that before. It was like having lunch with a teenage kid, but a brilliant one".[43] They reunited a year later forJaws. Spielberg used Williams' theme forImages as atemp track while editingJaws. When Williams played his main theme forJaws, based on the alternation of two notes, Spielberg initially thought it was a joke. Williams explained in reply, "the sophisticated approach you would like me to take isn't the approach you took with the film I just experienced". After hearing variations on the theme, Spielberg agreed: "sometimes the best ideas are the most simple ones".[44] The score earned Williams his second Academy Award, his first forBest Original Score.[45] Its ominous two-noteostinato has become a shorthand for approaching danger.[46]
Shortly thereafter, Spielberg and Williams began a two-year collaboration onClose Encounters of the Third Kind. They crafted the distinctive five-note motif that functions both in the score and in the story as thecommunications signal of the film'sextraterrestrials. Darryn King writes: "One moment in that film captures some of Spielberg and Williams' alchemy: the musical dialogue between the humans and the otherworldly visitors, itself an artistic collaboration of sorts".[47] Pauline Kael wrote of the scene inThe New Yorker: "the earthlings are ready with a console, and they greet the great craft with an oboe solo variation on the five-note theme; the craft answers in deep, tuba tones. The dialogue becomes blissfully garrulous ... there is a conversational duet: the music of the spheres".[48] Williams says the surprise of the final two notes comes from the fact that the first three notes of the theme are already resolved, adding "I realized that twenty years after the fact".[33]
John Williams conducting the score toRaiders of the Lost Ark in the Avery Fisher Hall in 2007
The Spielberg-Williams collaboration resumed in 1987 withEmpire of the Sun and continued withAlways (1989),Hook (1991),Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequelThe Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997),Amistad (1997) andSaving Private Ryan (1998). Williams also contributed the theme music for, and scored several episodes of, Spielberg's anthology television seriesAmazing Stories (1985).Schindler's List (1993) proved to be a challenge for Williams; after viewing the rough cut with Spielberg, he was so overcome with emotion that he was hesitant to score the film. He told Spielberg, "I really think you need a better composer than I am for this film". Spielberg replied, "I know, but they're all dead".[53] Williams asked classical violinistItzhak Perlman to play the main theme for the film. Williams garnered his fourth Oscar for Best Original Score, his fifth overall.
Williams composed the music for the opening logo to theDreamWorks Pictures film studio, which was co-founded by Spielberg. The logo made its debut in DreamWorks Pictures' first releaseThe Peacemaker, released on September 26, 1997.[54][55] In 2001, Williams scored Spielberg'sA.I. Artificial Intelligence, which was based on an unfinished projectStanley Kubrick asked Spielberg to direct.A. O. Scott argued that the movie represented new directions Williams, writing that Spielberg created "a mood as layered, dissonant and strange as John Williams' unusually restrained, modernist score".[56] Per Kubrick's request, Williams included a quotation ofRichard Strauss'Der Rosenkavalier in his score.[57] Williams' jazz-inspired score for Spielberg'sCatch Me If You Can (2002) alluded to works byHenry Mancini. ForThe Terminal (2004), Williams wrote a national anthem for the fictional nation of Krakozhia.[58] His score for Spielberg'sWar of the Worlds (2005) took inspiration from scores for classic monster movies. That same year, he scored Spielberg'sepic historical drama filmMunich.
In 2011, after a three-year hiatus from film scoring, Williams composed the scores for Spielberg'sThe Adventures of Tintin andWar Horse. The former was his first score for an animated film, and he employed various styles, including "1920s, 1930s European jazz" for the opening credits and "pirate music" for the maritime battles. The Oscar nominations were Williams' 46th and 47th, making him the most nominated musician in Academy Award history, previously tied withAlfred Newman's 45 nominations, and the second most nominated overall, behindWalt Disney. Williams won anAnnie Award for his score forTintin. In 2012, he scored Spielberg'sLincoln, for which he received his 48th Academy Award nomination.[59] He was also set to write the score forBridge of Spies that year, but in March 2015, it was announced thatThomas Newman would score it instead, as Williams' schedule was interrupted by a minor health issue.[60] This was the first Spielberg film sinceThe Color Purple (1985) not scored by Williams.[61] Williams composed the scores for Spielberg's fantasyThe BFG and his dramaThe Post (2017).[62]
In 2019, Williams served as music consultant for Spielberg'sWest Side Story (2021)[63][64] and scored his semi-autobiographicalThe Fabelmans (2022).[65] In June 2022, Williams announced thatIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, scheduled for a 2023 release, would likely be his last film score as he planned to retire from film and focus on solely composing concert music.[2][66] However, he reversed this decision by January 2023, stating that he had at least "10 more years to go. I'll stick around for a while!". He compared the decision to Spielberg's fatherArnold, who had worked in his field until he was 100.[67][68]
In 1999, Lucas launched the first of three prequels to the originalStar Wars trilogy. Williams was asked to score all three, starting withThe Phantom Menace. Along with themes from the previous films, Williams created new themes for 2002'sAttack of the Clones and 2005'sRevenge of the Sith. Most notable of these was "Duel of the Fates", an aggressive choral composition in the style ofVerdi'sRequiem,[70][user-generated source?] using harshSanskrit lyrics that broadened the style of music used in theStar Wars films. The use of vocal melodies was unusual for Williams, who generally preferred brass instruments. Also of note was "Anakin's Theme", which begins as an innocent childlike melody and morphs insidiously into a quote of the sinister "Imperial March". ForAttack of the Clones, Williams composed "Across the Stars", a love theme forPadmé Amidala andAnakin Skywalker (mirroring in part the love theme composed forThe Empire Strikes Back).[71][72] The final installmentRevenge of the Sith combined many of the themes created for the series' previous films, including "The Emperor's Theme", "The Imperial March", "Across the Stars", "Duel of the Fates", "The Force Theme", "Rebel Fanfare", "Luke's Theme", and "Princess Leia's Theme", as well as new themes forGeneral Grievous and the film's climax, titled "Battle of the Heroes".[73]
Williams also scored the first three film adaptations ofJ. K. Rowling'sHarry Potter series. The most important theme from Williams' scores for theHarry Potter films, "Hedwig's Theme", was used in each of the subsequent films in the series. Like the main themes fromJaws,Star Wars,Superman, andIndiana Jones, fans have come to identify theHarry Potter films with Williams' themes. Williams was asked to return to score the film franchise's final installment,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, but directorDavid Yates said that "their schedules simply did not align", as he would have had to provide Williams with a rough cut of the film sooner than was possible.[74]
In early 2013, Williams expressed interest in working on theStar Wars sequel trilogy, saying: "Now we're hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016... so I need to make sure I'm still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George."[75] In 2015, Williams scoredStar Wars: The Force Awakens, earning him his 50th Academy Award nomination.[76][77] In 2017, he wrote the music forStar Wars: The Last Jedi,[78] the eighth episode of the saga. Williams contributed "The Adventures of Han" and several additional demos for the 2018 standaloneStar Wars filmSolo: A Star Wars Story, whileJohn Powell wrote the film's original score and adapted Williams' music.[79][80][81]
In March 2018, Williams announced that followingStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), he would retire from composing music for theStar Wars franchise: "We knowJ. J. Abrams is preparing oneStar Wars movie now that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine, that will be quite enough for me."[82] Williams also makes a cameo in the film as Oma Tres, aKijimi bartender.[83] In July 2018, Williams composed the main musical theme forDisneyland andDisney's Hollywood Studios theme park attractionStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge.William Ross, who conducted the symphonic recording of the theme with theLondon Symphony Orchestra on Williams' behalf, additionally arranged Williams' original composition in different musical contexts for use, recording nearly an hour of musical material atAbbey Road Studios in November 2018.[84][85] Williams won theGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for hisStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite. In 2022, he contributed the theme music for theStar Wars miniseriesObi-Wan Kenobi, which was subsequently adapted further by William Ross.[86]
ForFamily Plot, Hitchcock told Williams to remember one thing: "Murder can be fun". Taking inspiration from Hitchcock's frequent composer,Bernard Herrmann, Hitchcock was pleased with the result. Williams followed a similar approach when scoringBrian de Palma'sThe Fury (1978). Kael called Williams "a major collaborator" on the film, writing that he had "composed what may be as apt and delicately varied a score as any horror movie has ever had. He scares us without banshee melodramatics. He sets the mood under the opening titles: otherworldly, seductively frightening. The music cues us in".[87]
That same year, Williams scoredRichard Donner'sSuperman (1978). Donner reportedly interrupted the demo premiere of the opening title by running onto the soundstage, exclaiming, "The music actually says 'Superman'!"[88] King writes that "Donner had a theory that the three-note motif in the main theme—the one that makes you want to punch the air in triumph—is a musical evocation of 'SU-per-MAN!'". When asked if there was anything to that, Williams replied "There'severything to that."[33] The score's heroic and romantic themes, particularly the main march, the Superman fanfare and the love theme, "Can You Read My Mind?", appeared in the subsequent Salkind/Cannon film sequels as well asSuperman Returns (2006). The main march returned as part ofJohn Murphy andDavid Fleming'sscore toJames Gunn'sSuperman (2025), the first film of theDC Universe.[89][90]
Williams scored the 2013 filmThe Book Thief,[94] his first collaboration with a director other than Spielberg since 2005. The score earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. It was his 44th nomination forBest Original Score (and 49th overall), setting a new record for the most nominations in that category (he tiedAlfred Newman's record of 43 nominations in 2013).[45][95] In 2017, Williams scored the animated short filmDear Basketball, directed byGlen Keane and based on a poem byKobe Bryant.[96][97] In 2023, he was commissioned byESPN to write an original composition titled "Of Grit and Glory" for the2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.[98]
From 1980 to 1993, Williams served as theBoston Pops' principal conductor, succeedingArthur Fiedler. Williams never met Fiedler in person but spoke to him by telephone. His arrival as the Pops' new leader in the spring of 1980 allowed him to devote part of the Pops' firstPBS broadcast of the season to presenting his new compositions forThe Empire Strikes Back.[99] Williams almost ended his tenure with the Pops in 1984 when some players hissed while sight-reading a new Williams composition in rehearsal; Williams abruptly left the session and tendered his resignation.[100] He initially cited mounting conflicts with his film composing schedule but later admitted a perceived lack of discipline in, and respect from, the Pops' ranks, culminating in this latest instance. After entreaties by the management and personal apologies from the musicians, Williams withdrew his resignation and continued as principal conductor for nine more years.[101] In 1995, he was succeeded byKeith Lockhart, the former associate conductor of theCincinnati Symphony Orchestra andCincinnati Pops Orchestra.[102] Williams is now the Pops' laureate conductor, thus maintaining his affiliation with its parentBoston Symphony Orchestra. 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 andTanglewood, where he frequently enlists theTanglewood Festival Chorus.[103]
Williams composed theLiberty Fanfare for theStatue of Liberty's rededication; "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. One of his concert works,Seven for Luck, for soprano and orchestra, is a seven-piece song cycle based on the texts of former U.S. poet laureateRita Dove. It had its world premiere by the Boston Symphony under Williams with sopranoCynthia Haymon.[105]
Williams has guest conducted "The President's Own" United States Marine Band on several occasions, who commissioned him in 2013 to write "Fanfare for The President's Own" (his first concert band work since his sinfonietta for wind ensemble) in honor of their 215th anniversary.[110] In 2023, Williams was made an honoraryU.S. Marine at the conclusion of his fifth concert with the Marine Band at theKennedy Center in Washington DC.[111]
In 2021, Williams conducted the world premiere of "Overture to the Oscars" at Tanglewood's 2021 "Film Night".[112] This was followed in 2022 by a "Fanfare for Solo Trumpet", written for the reopening ofDavid Geffen Hall,[113] and "Centennial Overture", written in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of theHollywood Bowl.[114] He is currently completing a piano concerto forEmanuel Ax.[115]
In February 2004, April 2006, and September 2007, Williams conducted theNew York Philharmonic atAvery Fisher Hall in New York City. 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'sAcademy Awards.[116] Its unprecedented popularity led to two concerts in 2006, fundraising gala events featuring personal recollections byMartin Scorsese andSteven Spielberg.[117][118] Continued demand fueled three more concerts in 2007, which all sold out. These featured a tribute to the musicals ofStanley Donen and served as the New York Philharmonic season's opening event.[119][120] After a three-season absence, Williams conducted the Philharmonic once again in October 2011.[121]
After over a ten year break, Williams returned to New York in 2022 to conduct thePhiladelphia Orchestra for a benefit concert atCarnegie Hall, with special guest violinistAnne-Sophie Mutter.[122] The next year, he was feted at a gala atDavid Geffen Hall by Spielberg, celebrating their nearly fifty-year collaboration.[123] In 2024, he returned to headline another gala at Carnegie Hall with the Philadelphia Orchestra, this time with Yo-Yo Ma as his special guest.[124]
Stanley Donen (left) and Williams at Avery Fisher Hall in 2007
John Williams conducting the Boston Pops in May 2018
Anne-Sophie Mutter, introduced to Williams by their mutual friendAndré Previn, collaborated with Williams on an album,Across the Stars, on which Mutter played themes and pieces from Williams' film scores in his new arrangements for violin. It was released in August 2019.[127] TheVienna Philharmonic Orchestra invited Williams to lead concerts in January 2020, his first engagement with a European orchestra,[128] for an all-Williams concert featuring Mutter as soloist. The concert included many pieces fromAcross the Stars. The resulting concert album,John Williams in Vienna, became the bestselling orchestral album of 2020, reaching the top 10 in many countries and topping the U.S. and UK classical charts.[129] The orchestra also commissioned a new procedural from Williams for their annualPhilharmonikerball,[130] replacingthe 1924 fanfare byRichard Strauss.
Williams conducted theBerlin Philharmonic from October 14–16, 2021, marking his second engagement with a European orchestra and his first with the Berlin Philharmonic.[131] In 2022, in celebration of his 90th birthday, Williams conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in March, and was honored on August 20 with a tribute atTanglewood.[132] The tribute at Tanglewood featuredJames Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, andBranford Marsalis. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed some of Williams' best-known music, with Williams conducting the "Raiders March" from the Indiana Jones movies at the end of the show.[133] Williams made a surprise appearance at the U.S. premiere of theIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) on June 15, where he conducted themes with a live symphony orchestra. Also present were Spielberg, Lucas,Harrison Ford, andJames Mangold.[134] Later that year, he conducted theSaito Kinen Orchestra inMatsumoto andTokyo, Japan, marking his return to the country for the first time in over thirty years.[135]
In 1956, Williams marriedBarbara Ruick, an American actress and singer, and they remained married until her death in 1974.[136] The couple had three children: Jennifer "Jenny" Williams Gruska (b. 1956), Mark Towner Williams (b. 1958), andJoseph Williams (b. 1960); the latter is best known as the lead singer ofToto.[137] Through his daughter Jennifer, his grandchildren are Barbara Gruska and Ethan Gruska, who are the members of the duo bandThe Belle Brigade.[138]
In 1980, Williams married Samantha Winslow, a photographer.[139]
Williams is regarded as one of the most influential film composers of all time. His work has influenced other composers of film, popular, and contemporary classical music. Norwegian composerMarcus Paus argues that Williams' "satisfying way of embodying dissonance and avant-garde techniques within a larger tonal framework" makes him "one of the great composers of any century".[140] Similarly, his film music has clear influences from other classical and film composers, includingHolst,[141]Stravinsky,Korngold, and others. While some have specifically referenced the similarities,[142][143] these are generally attributed to the natural influence of one composer on another. TheBoston Globe named Williams as "the most successful composer of film music in the history of the medium".[144]
Williams has been inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and theHollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. Williams was honored with the annual Richard Kirk award at the 1999BMI Film and TV Awards, recognizing his contribution to film and television music.[154] In 2004, he received aKennedy Center Honor.[155] He won aClassic Brit Award in 2005 for his soundtrack work of the previous year. Williams has won theGrammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for his scores forStar Wars,Close Encounters of the Third Kind,Superman,The Empire Strikes Back,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,Angela's Ashes,Munich,Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, andThe Book Thief. The competition includes not only composers of film scores, but also composers of instrumental music of any genre, including composers of classical fare such assymphonies andchamber music.
In 2003, theInternational Olympic Committee accorded Williams its highest individual honor, theOlympic Order.[156] In 2009, Williams received theNational Medal of Arts in the White House in Washington, D.C., for his achievements in symphonic music for films, and "as a pre-eminent composer and conductor [whose] scores have defined and inspired modern movie-going for decades".[157] In 2012, Williams received theBrit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[158] In 2013, Williams was presented with theKen Burns Lifetime Achievement Award.[159] In 2016, Williams was made aChevalier De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres –Government of France[160] In 2018, the performing rights organizationBroadcast Music, Inc. established The John Williams Award, of which Williams became the first recipient.[161] That same year, Williams received the GrammyTrustees Award, a Special Merit Award presented to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions other than performance (and some performers through 1983) to the field of recording.[162] He additionally received a President's Medal award from TheJuilliard School and announced during the ceremony that he intended to bequeath his entire library of concert and film music scores, as well as his sketchbooks, to the college.[163]
^ab"Sony Classical Williams Biography". Archived fromthe original on October 12, 2007. RetrievedOctober 12, 2007. at Sony Classical; retrieved September 29, 2007. During his time in college, Williams was a pianist at a local club.
^John Williams (2002).A Conversation with John Williams (DVD). Universal.
^Daniloff, Caleb (May 18, 2009)."Williams surprises Spielberg".BU Today. Boston University.Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. RetrievedJuly 15, 2021.
^"John Williams – Film Composer'.h2g2.Archived September 27, 2016, at theWayback Machine Accessed June 1, 2019. "Reminiscent of the 'Dies Irae' from Verdi's Requiem, 'Duel of the Fates' was written to accompany the climactic lightsaber battle in the first of theStar Wars prequels. While much of the film failed to meet the expectations generated by its hype, this scene stood out as a dazzling work of fight choreography, and the score was an important part of that."
^"The 61st Academy Awards, 1989".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014.Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. RetrievedApril 3, 2022.
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