John Williams

John Towner Williams, a distinguished KBE (having been born on February 8, 1932), is an accomplished American composer, as well as a conductor and pianist. The vast majority of music featured in the Star Wars saga was composed by him. In addition to Star Wars, he has also created the musical scores for several other notable films and television programs, such as Indiana Jones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Superman. Although Williams initially stated that he planned to retire from composing film scores following the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023 to dedicate more time to composing standalone orchestral and symphonic works, he later reversed this decision.

During September of 2022, both John Williams and the former head of Disney, Bob Iger, were granted honorary Knight of the Order of the British Empire titles by Queen Elizabeth II. This honor was bestowed upon Williams in recognition of his contributions to film music as both a composer and a conductor within the United Kingdom.

Biography

Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra

The year 1977 saw him compose the score for Star Wars, which proved to be an overwhelming triumph. Star Wars achieved record-breaking sales as the best-selling soundtrack consisting solely of instrumental music, and it also earned Williams an Academy Award.

Following in his father's footsteps, Williams's son, Joseph Williams, pursued a career in music. Together, the father and son collaborated on Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones.

At Star Wars Reunion II, Rick McCallum expressed his desire to have John Williams create the musical score for the planned Star Wars live-action TV series, noting that each episode would have featured its own distinctive original music.

Williams announced his intention to retire from film score composing after the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023 to focus more on composing independent orchestral and symphonic pieces, though he later rescinded this.

Works

Discography

Filmography

Awards

Academy Awards

Williams (with Jonathan Tunick, winner for Best Score Adaptation-A Little Night Music) holding his Oscar for Best Original Score

BAFTA Awards

Sources

  • Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  • The Star Wars Album
  • The Jedi Master's Quizbook
  • " Star Tours: 'The Ultimate Adventure' is Still the Ultimate Ride at Disneyland " — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 2
  • Dark Forces Official Player's Guide
  • We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale audio drama
  • The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
  • Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Limited Collector's Edition
  • Lucas Presents Maestro Award to Williams on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
  • The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars — " Ambush "
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars — " Rising Malevolence "
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars — " Shadow of Malevolence "
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars — " Lair of Grievous "
  • Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
  • " Launch Pad " — Star Wars Insider 110
  • " Launch Pad " — Star Wars Insider 146
  • Star Wars Rebels: An Interview with Composer Kevin Kiner on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • " Authors of the Expanded Universe: Matthew Woodring Stover " — Star Wars Insider 149
  • Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Introducing Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Master Filmmaking Team Announced for Star Wars: Episode VII on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Star Wars: Episode VII to Open December 18, 2015 on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens Receives 5 Oscar Nominations on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • 15 Easter Eggs to Find in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • " The Wonder Column " — Star Wars Insider 200
  • Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – The Official Collector's Edition
  • Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: Making of the Season 2 Finale
  • "It's Pure Magic": Celebrating John Williams and His Music on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • SWCA 2022: 20 Highlights from Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Lucasfilm Studio Showcase Recap | Star Wars Celebration 2022 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • SWCA 2022: Fans React to Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • SWCA 2022: 4 Things We Learned From the Attack of the Chords Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • SWCA 2022: Fans Share the Joy of Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • This Week! in Star Wars Star Wars Celebration Anaheim News and Reveals! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • Star Wars: Best of 2022 on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • The Mandalorian Season 3 Launch Event on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • Jedi at 40 | From a Certain Point of View: What's the Best Moment in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi? on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Jedi at 40 | Ben Burtt and Randy Thom on Crafting Ewokese, Jabba's Voice, and the Rancor's Roar on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • This Week! in Star Wars Indiana Jones is Back in Action, John Williams Performs, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • This Week! in Star Wars Harrison Ford Reflects on Playing Indiana Jones, New Adventures Come to the Disney Parks, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • This Week! in Star Wars This or Hat, Indiana Jones 101, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • “It’s Pure Magic”: Celebrating John Williams and His Music on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • What Is Star Wars: The High Republic? on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dial of Destiny Win Grammy Awards on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • This Week! in Star Wars Dispatch: The Phantom Menace Returns! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Celebrates 25 Years with Return to Theaters on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Season of the Force Is Here! on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • The Acolyte | Amandla & Her Violin | Streaming June 4 on Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • The Acolyte Star Amandla Stenberg Performs New John Williams Star Wars Arrangement on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Phantom at 25 | Sound-mixing The Phantom Menace with Gary Rydstrom on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Phantom at 25 | Ben Burtt Talks Sound Design and Picture Editing with George Lucas on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Scoring The Acolyte: Composing for the Jedi, the Witches, and the Many Moods of the Stranger on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • The Acolyte | Michael Abels - Finale | Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • Plan Ahead for Everything Star Wars at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • D23 2024: All the Star Wars News from D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event - Updated on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event Recap | Star Wars on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • In Music By John Williams, A New Documentary Chronicles the Maestro on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Phantom at 25 | Skywalker Sound's Matthew Wood Explains Why The Phantom Menace Was His Favorite Movie to Work On on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Music By John Williams | Official Trailer | Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  • Composer Mick Giacchino Joins Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Reveal on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • " Launchpad " — Star Wars Insider 229
  • Star Wars Year in Review 2024 on StarWars.com (backup link)
  • Star Wars Goes to the Grammys on StarWars.com (backup link)

Notes and references

External links

Appearances