- "Once again, John Williams has exceeded my expectations and produced a lavish, rich, moving and thrilling score. Every fan of Star Wars—and of great music—is in his debt."
- ―George Lucas
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)[1] is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. He has composed nearly all of the music heard in the Star Wars films. He has also composed scores for multiple other well-known movies and television shows.
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Discography
- 2.1 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- 2.2 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- 2.3 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- 2.4 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- 2.5 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- 2.6 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- 2.7 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- 2.8 Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- 2.9 Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- 2.10 Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- 2.11 Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- 3 Awards
- 4 Bibliography
- 5 Notes and references
- 6 External links
Biography[edit | edit source]

Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
In 1977, he composed the music for Star Wars, which turned out to be a huge success. Star Wars became the best-selling score-only soundtrack of all time and won him an Oscar.
Williams's son, Joseph Williams, chose a musical career like his father. The two worked together on Return of the Jedi and Attack of the Clones.
Rick McCallum stated at Star Wars Reunion II that he had hoped to have John Williams on the musical score for the Star Wars live-action TV series and added that each episode would have had its own original score.
Discography[edit | edit source]
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Aside from writing and composing the score to the film, he also had a cameo, portraying the character Oma Tres. |
Awards[edit | edit source]
Academy Awards[edit | edit source]

Williams (with Jonathan Tunick, winner for Best Score Adaptation-A Little Night Music) holding his Oscar for Best Original Score
Year | Project | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope[4] | Best Original Score | Won |
1980 | Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back[4] | Best Original Score | Nominated |
1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi[4] | Best Original Score | Nominated |
2015 | Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens[5] | Best Original Score | Nominated |
2017 | Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi[6] | Best Original Score | Nominated |
2019 | Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker[7] | Best Original Score | Nominated |
BAFTA Awards[edit | edit source]
Year | Project | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope[8] | Original Film Music | Won |
1980 | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back[8] | Original Film Music | Won |
2015 | Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens[9] | Original Film Music | Nominated |
2019 | Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker[10] | Original Film Music | Nominated |
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- 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
- 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 Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
"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)
"The Wonder Column"—Star Wars Insider 200
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Battlefront II Updates, A Look Into Poe Dameron's Past, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Burlingame, Jon (2017-12-30). 'Solo' Locks In Key 'Star Wars' Veteran (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2020. Retrieved on December 30, 2017.
- ↑
John Williams - Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic Suite (Audio Only) on the DisneyMusicVEVO YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Awards. The John Williams Web Pages (2006-06-05). Archived from the original on June 10, 2002. Retrieved on October 9, 2013.
- ↑ The 88th Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved on November 5, 2020.
- ↑ The 90th Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved on November 5, 2020.
- ↑ The 92nd Academy Awards. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved on November 5, 2020.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 BAFTA Awards Search (John Williams). British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved on October 9, 2013.
- ↑ Film in 2016. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved on November 5, 2020.
- ↑ Film in 2020. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved on November 5, 2020.