'Music by John Williams' Covers the Composer's Incredible Career

At age 92, John Williams is still composing music for concerts and films. Though who knows for how much longer. What we do know is that he’s had a truly incredible career, spanning seven decades, and scoring countless films that have become true worldwide phenomena.

Award-winning doesn’t begin to cut it. Williams has 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. He also has 54 Academy Award nominations, second to only Walt Disney himself, in terms of nominations.

Disney has a new documentary coming out November 1st entitled “Music By John Williams“. It’s an intimate look at the brilliant composer’s background, process, and impact in the world of music and film.

John Williams with Steven Spielberg, his frequent collaborator.

Reminding ourselves at how prolific John Williams’ reach has been, here’s just a cursory list of 20 of his best known scores:

1. Star Wars (1977)

2. Jaws (1975)

3. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

4. Jurassic Park (1993)

5. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

6. Schindler’s List (1993)

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

8. Superman (1978)

9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

10. Home Alone (1990)

11. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

12. Hook (1991)

13. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

14. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

15. The Patriot (2000)

16. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

17. The Last Crusade (1989)

18. The Force Awakens (2015)

19. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

20. War Horse (2011)

It’s clear he has mastery of thematic storytelling, and his scores feel iconic not just to the movies they represent, but the cultural impact and zeitgeist they embody.