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John Williams was born on February 8th, 1932 in Flushing, Queens, NY. -
John grew up in Flushing, Queens, NY. His parents are Esther Williams and John Williams. He has one older sister, Joan, and two younger brothers, Jerry and Don. His father was a jazz drummer and percussionist.
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His family moved to LA where John attended North Hollywood High School.
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John graduated from North Hollywood High School in 1950. -
John attended Los Angeles City College for one semester for the school's jazz band.
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John briefly attended UCLA where he studied independently with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, an Italian composer at the time. -
John joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951 where he conducted and arranged music for the U.S. Air Force Band. He attended the Lackland Air Force Base for his basic training. In 1952, he was assigned to the Northeast Air Command in St John's, Newfoundland. During he service, he also took a few music courses at the University of Arizona.
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After his Air Force Service, John moved back to New York where he attended Julliard. Here, he studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne. Originally set on being a pianist, it was at Julliard where John decided his talents were best suited for a composer. He recalled,
"It became clear that I could write better than I could play."
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John married actor, Barbara Ruick in 1956. -
In 1956, Williams' first child, Jennifer Williams, was born. -
After his studies, John moved back to LA where he began his career working with musicians and composers such as Franz Waxman, Bernard Hermann, Alfred Newman, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, and Henry Mancini. His first notable film composition was for Daddy O (1958). -
In April, 1958, Williams' second child, Mark Towner Williams, was born. He later went on to become a musician. -
John received his first screen credit in 1960, for his contributions to the film, Because They're Young. -
Wiliams' third child, Joseph Williams, was born on September 1st, 1960. He later went on to become a musician. -
John received his first Oscar nomination for his score for Valley of the Dolls in 1967. -
In the 70s, Williams received 3 Oscars and 6 Grammys. His career took off from here.
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John won his first Oscar for his score for Fiddler on the Roof. -
Williams' most famous collaboration has been with Steven Spielburg, a collaboration that has spanned over 6 decades. Their most notable collaborations have been Jaws (1975), E.T. (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), The BFG (2010), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).
"I have to say, without question, John Williams has been the single most significant contributor to my success as a filmmaker" - Steven Spielburg
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In 1974, John Williams' wife, Barbara Ruick, unexpectedly died from a hemorrhagic stroke. -
Williams was asked by director, George Lucas to score his Star Wars (1977) movie. The score was so successful that it went on to earn Williams his second Academy Award for Best Original Score. Williams then returned to score Lucas' The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), both of which earned Williams Academy Award nominations.
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John created the score for Superman (1978). -
In June, 1980, Williams remarried, this time, to interior designer and photographer, Samantha Winslow. -
Williams served as the conductor of Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993. He still conducts the orchestra on occasion as the laureate conductor.
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John created the score for Home Alone (1990). -
In 2007, Williams' composition, "A Prayer for Peace" won a grammy award for Best Instrumental Composition. -
John created the score for The Book Thief (2013). -
John again wrote music for the Star Wars franchise when he wrote scores for Episode VII (2015), Episode VIII (2017), and Episode IX (2019) in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, again under direction of George Lucas.
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In 2018, John composed the main musical theme song for Disneyland and Disneylands attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. -
To date, Williams has earned 54 Academy Award nominations, making him the most nominated person alive. He is also the oldest Oscar nominee in history (age 92) for his nomination for the 2023 film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Williams has also received 3 Emmy awards, 26 Grammy awards, a National Medal of Arts, an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, and, in 2004, he was a Kennedy Centre honouree.