John Williams facts: Movie scores, family, age and awards
From composing the world's best-loved soundtracks - such as Star Wars and Harry Potter - to writing violin concertos, John Williams is one of today's musical giants. But how much do you know about the film composer, from his family to his compositions?
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1. How old is John Williams?
John Williams was born on 8 February 1932 in Long Island, and grew up in a musical family; his father was a jazz percussionist.
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2. John Williams' early career
Young John attended UCLA while studying composition privately with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Drafted in 1952, Williams spent three years conducting and arranging music for the U.S. Air Force Band. After his service ended, Williams moved to New York City and entered Juilliard where he studied piano.
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3. John Williams' awards
The film composer has won five Oscars, four Golden Globes, seven BAFTAs and 25 Grammys. With 52 Oscar nominations, he is second only to Walt Disney as most nominated person ever. His first-ever Oscan win was for musical direction for Fiddler on the Roof.
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4. John Williams is a pianist
Williams worked as a pianist in jazz clubs and eventually studios, most notably for the brilliant Henry Mancini. 'Little Johnny Love Williams' played the famous piano riff on the groundbreaking Peter Gunn theme. Williams went on to be music arranger and bandleader for a number of albums for singer Frankie Laine.
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5. Who is John Williams' wife?
John Williams married photographer Samantha Winslow in 1980. He was previously married to Barbara Ruick from 1956 to 1974.
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6. John Williams’ son is Toto’s Joseph Williams
John Williams’ son, Joseph Williams, was lead vocalist of the rock band Toto from 1986 to 1988, and again since 2010.
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7. John Williams' quotes
"Writing a tune is like sculpting," Williams once said. "You get four or five notes, you take one out and move one around, and you do a bit more and eventually, as the sculptor says, "In that rock there is a statue, we have to go find it."
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8. John Williams and Steven Spielberg
In 1974, a young director called Steven Spielberg approached Williams to compose music for his film, The Sugarland Express. They teamed up again the following year for Jaws. The threatening shark motif, two low notes played alternately on the tuba, has since become synonymous with sharks in general and danger at sea. Spielberg and Williams have gone on to work on more than 20 films together, most recently War Horse, Lincoln and The Adventures of Tintin.
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9. John Williams and Star Wars
Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend George Lucas, who needed a composer for Star Wars. Williams delivered a grand symphonic score in the style of Hollywood's swashbucklers of the 1930s and 1940s. The soundtrack remains the best-selling non-pop record of all-time - and Williams won another Oscar for Best Original Score. He was also nominated for the follow-up scores for The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi.
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10. John Williams and Indiana Jones
The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Williams at the peak of his powers and success. He scored Superman in 1978, followed by The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), created by George Lucas and directed by Spielberg. Williams' rousing Raiders March theme has defined the character of Indiana Jones and become a concert hall favourite in its own right.
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11. Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra
From 1980 to 1993, Williams was Principal Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He is now its Laureate Conductor, a role he was granted after 14 highly successful seasons.
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12. The music to Schindler's List
Considered by many to be the finest film score of recent decades, Schindler's List followed hot on the heels of Spielberg and Williams' collaboration on Jurassic Park - and it couldn't be more different. When he first saw the film, the composer told the director: 'You need a better composer than I am for this film.' Spielberg replied, 'I know. But they're all dead!' For the soundtrack Williams, following Spielberg's suggestion, hired the great violinist Itzhak Perlman. The film's main theme, played with such passion and emotional intensity by Perlman, is heartbreakingly simple and touching. For Schindler's List, Williams won his fifth Oscar.
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13. John Williams' score to Harry Potter
Moving into the 21st century, Williams was brought in to score the film adaptations of J.K.Rowling's hugely successful Harry Potter books. He worked on the first three instalments. Hedwig's Theme continued to be used through the whole series. Like the main themes from Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, and Indiana Jones, fans have come to identify the Harry Potter films with Williams' original compositions.
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14. John Williams' classical compositions
Williams has written numerous pieces for the concert hall, including a symphony and concertos for horn, clarinet, cello, flute and violin. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter commissioned the composer to write a Second Violin Concerto, which she premiered alongside the BSO conducted by Williams at Tanglewood in July 2021.
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15. John Williams received the 2009 National Medal of Arts
U.S. President Barack Obama presented the 2009 National Medal of Arts to John Williams on 25 February 2010, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. The Medal is the highest honour specifically given for achievement in the arts conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the American people. Williams received it 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.'
