Composer John Williams has one of the most recognizable bodies of work in all of music — there are probably very few people in Western civilization who haven't heard something he's written. His ability to craft unforgettable melodies and emotionally reach listeners as on-screen events unfold are among his major trademarks. Williams has received 24 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and countless other accolades.

An American composer through and through, Williams was born in 1932 in Floral Park, New York, to a jazz percussionist father. In his teens, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he attended UCLA and studied composition.

Williams was drafted into the U.S. Air Force in 1952, where he played piano and brass as well as conducting and arranging music for the U.S. Air Force Band. When he left, he moved to New York City and attended the Juilliard School, where he studied piano. When he finished school, Williams began working with session musicians in recordings for TV.

Williams would go on to write music for some of American cinema's most important, groundbreaking films, including Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Hook, Jurassic Park, and some of the Harry Potter franchise. One of his most frequent collaborators is Steven Spielberg, whose films — nearly all of them — feature music by John Williams. Additionally, Williams composed music for the 1984 Summer Olympics, NBC News, and numerous TV shows. From 1980 until 1993, he acted as the principal conductor for the Boston Pops.

Receiving more than 50 Academy Award nominations, John Williams is the second-most-nominated person in history after Walt Disney himself. In 2005, the American Film Institute called his Star Wars score the greatest American film score of all time; it has since been preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry.