John Williams is an American composer, pianist and conductor, born in 1932. With a career spanning over six decades, he has composed some of the most popular and recognisable film scores in cinematic history. Even if his name does not necessarily ring a bell, his compositions definitely will. With more than 20 Grammy Awards and numerous other awards, John Williams has composed music for ultimate classics such us Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982), the Indiana Jones series, the first two Home Alone and Jurassic Park films, as well as the first three films in the Harry Potter series.
John Williams grew up in a musical family; his father was a jazz percussionist. Young John attended UCLA while studying composition privately. 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 Julliard school where he studied piano. During this time Williams worked as a jazz pianist in the city's many jazz clubs.
Another big milestone on John William's career was Schindler's List (1993), which follows period in the life of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II. For the soundtrack, John Williams 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.
Interesting fact: John Williams currently holds the world record for the living person with more Academy Award nominations, with a total of 50. The only other person in history who has more nominations is Walt Disney, who had a total of 59.
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