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Date of birth: February 8 1932, in Floral Park, Long Island, New York, USA
Birth name: John Towner Williams
He attended both UCLA and the Los Angeles City College, studying orchestration
under MGM musical associate Robert van Eps and being privately tutored by
composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, until conducting for the first time during
three years with the U.S. Air Force. His return to the states brought him
to Julliard, where renowned piano pedagogue Madame Rosina Lhevinne helped
Williams hone his performance skills. He found work with the Hollywood studios
as a piano player, as well as forming a surprising friendship with Bernard
Herrmann. At age 24, he became a staff arranger at Columbia and then at 20th
Century-Fox, orchestrating for Alfred Newman and Lionel Newman, Dimitri Tiomkin,
Franz Waxman. In the field of popular music, he performed and arranged for
the likes of Vic Damone, Doris Day, and Mahalia Jackson... all while courting
actress/singer Barbara Ruick, who became his wife until her death in 1974.
John & Barbara had three children; their daughter is now a doctor, and
their two sons, Joseph and Mark, are rock musicians. When Spielberg had him
do the music for Jaws, they established themselves as a blockbuster team,
and Spielberg promptly recommended Williams to a friend, George Lucas. In
1977, Star Wars became the best selling score-only soundtrack of all time,
and spawned countless musical imitators. Intending to retire, his output became
sporadic during the 1990s. He has been nominated for 41 Oscars, but he has
only won five, has got twenty Gold and Platinum Records, and two Emmys, three
Golden Globes, eighteen Grammys, and seven BAFTA citations. He is currently
the Pop's Conductor Laureate. He was married to Barbara Ruick form 1956 –to
March 3 1974, when she died. They had three children together. In June 9th,
1980, he remarried to Samantha Winslow.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Superman Returns (2006)
Jaws Unleashed (2006)
Munich (2005)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Science of Star Wars (2005)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2005)
Jurassic Park IV (2005)
Indiana Jones 4 (2005)
The Terminal (2004)
Star Wars: Episode III (2005)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Herr Lehmann (2003)
'Catch Me If You Can': Behind the Camera (2003)
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (2003)
The E.T. Reunion (2002)
Home Video: The Making of Mad Matt (2002)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Josh Groban In Concert (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary Celebration (2002)
Minority Report (2002)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002)
Reflections of Evil (2002)
The Dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park III' (2001)
The Jurassic Park Phenomenon: A Discussion with Author Michael Crichton (2001)
The Making of 'Jurassic Park III' (2001)
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome (2001)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Smallville (2001)
Don't Say a Word (2001)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001)
Jaws 2: A Portrait by Keith Gordon (2001)
John Williams: The Music of 'Jaws 2' (2001)
The Making of 'Jaws 2'(2001)
The Patriot (2000)
The Unfinished Journey (1999)
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Stepmom (1998)
Lost in Space Forever (1998)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The Making of 'Lost World' (1997)
Amistad (1997)
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Rosewood (1997)
Sleepers (1996)
Nixon (1995)
Sabrina (1995)
The Making of Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' (1995)
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Amazing Stories: Book One (1992)
Indiana Jed (1992)
The Making of Indiana Jed 'Behind the Scenes' (1992)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Far and Away (1992)
There's Nothing Out There (1991)
JFK (1991)
Hook (1991)
Wow! (1990)
Home Alone (1990)
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Stanley & Iris (1990)
Always (1989)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Star Tours (1987)
SpaceCamp (1986)
Amazing Stories (1985) He did the themes to the episodes Ghost Train ,and
The Mission
The River (1984
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Jaws 3-D (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Aliens From Another Planet (1982)
Back (1980)
Monsignor (1982)
Yes, Giorgio (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Heartbeeps (1981)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1941 (1979)
Dracula (1979)
Superman (1978)
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Jaws 2 (1978)
The Fury (1978)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Star Wars (1977)
Black Sunday (1977)
Midway (1976)
The Missouri Breaks (1976)
Family Plot (1976)
Jaws (1975)
The Eiger Sanction (1975)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
Earthquake (1974)
Conrack (1974)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
The Cowboys (1974)
Cinderella Liberty (1973)
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973)
The Paper Chase (1973)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Images (1972)
The Screaming Woman (1972)
The Cowboys (1972)
Masterpiece Theatre (1971) He did the American Collection theme
Jane Eyre (1970)
NBC Nightly News (1970)
The Reivers (1969)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969)
Heidi (1968)
Land of the Giants (1968)
Sergeant Ryker (1968)
Code Name: Heraclitus (1967)
Fitzwilly (1967
Valley of the Dolls (1967)
A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
Penelope (1966)
Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966)
The Time Tunnel (1966)
The Tammy Grimes Show (1966)
The Plainsman (1966)
How to Steal a Million (1966)
The Kraft Summer Music Hall (1966)
The Rare Breed (1966)
The Katherine Reed Story (1965)
Lost in Space (1965)
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965)
None But the Brave (1965)
Gilligan's Island: Marooned (1964)
Nightmare in Chicago (1964)
Gilligan's Island (1964)
The Killers (1964)
Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)
Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)
Diamond Head (1963)
Flashing Spikes (1962)
Empire (1962)
The Wide Country (1962)
The Virginian (1962)
Bachelor Flat (1962)
Stark Fear (1961)
Alcoa Premiere (1961)
The Secret Ways (1961)
Checkmate (1960)
Because They're Young (1960)
I Passed for White (1960)
Daddy-O (1959)
My Gun Is Quick (1957)
M Squad (1957)
Wagon Train (1957)
Bachelor Father (1957)
Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)
Playhouse 90 (1956)
General Electric Theater (1953)
Today (1952)
Actor filmography:
The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) He played Himself, recalling his awards
The Music of 'AI' (2002) He played Himself
Josh Groban In Concert (2002) He played Himself
Jaws: The E! True Hollywood Story (2002) He played Himself
The 74th Annual Academy (2002) He was the Conductor
XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony (2002) He was the Performer
Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend (2001) He played Himself
Fiddler on the Roof: 30 Years of Tradition (2001) He played Himself
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001)
He played Himself
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001) He played Himself
John Williams: The Music of 'Jaws 2' (2001) He played Himself
Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman' (2001) He played Himself
The Stars of Star Wars: Interviews From the Cast (1999) He played Himself
The Making of 'Lost World' (1997) He played Himself
The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997) He played Himself
The Making of 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1996) He played Himself
The Making of Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' (1995) He played Himself
John Williams Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1993) He played Himself
The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball (1989) He played Himself
From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga (1983) He played Himself
The 55th Annual Academy Awards (1983) He was the Best Original Score Winner
Pavarotti & Friends (1982)
Evening at Pops (1970)
Previn and the Pittsburgh He was in the episode The Music That Made the Movies March 26 1978
The 20th Annual Grammy Awards (1978) He played Himself
The Contest Kid and the Big Prize (1978)
A Taste for Blue Ribbons (1973)
Twenty-Four Hours in a Woman's Life (1961)
Staccato He played Piano Player in the episode The Naked Truth September 10
1959, The Shop of the Four Winds October 1 1959