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John Williams

John Williams

Composer, also actor · Born February 8, 1932 (94) · Queens, New York City, New York, USA

5 Oscars · 3 Primetime Emmys · 4 Golden Globes · 3 other major award bodies

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular, recognizable, and critically acclaimed film scoresin cinema history. He has a distinct sound that mixes romanticism, impressionism and atonal music with complex orchestration. He is best known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and has received numerous accolades including 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. With 54 Academy Award nominations, he is the second-most nominated person, after Walt Disney, and is the oldest Oscar nominee in any category, at 91 years old. Williams's early work as a film composer includes Valley of the Dolls (1967), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Images and The Cowboys (both 1972), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He has collaborated with Spielberg since The Sugarland Express (1974), composing music for all but five of his feature films. He received five Academy Awards for Best Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993). Other memorable collaborations with Spielberg include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), and The Fabelmans (2022). He also scored Superman (1978), the first two Home Alone films (1990–1992), and the first three Harry Potter films (2001–2004). Williams has also composed numerous classical concertos and other works for orchestral ensembles and solo instruments. He served as the Boston Pops' principal conductor from 1980 to 1993 and is its laureate conductor. Other works by Williams include theme music for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games; NBC Sunday Night Football; "The Mission" theme (used by NBC News and Seven News in Australia); and the television series Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and Amazing Stories. Among other accolades, he has received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004, the National Medal of the Arts in 2009 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2016. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998, the Hollywood Bowl's Hall of Fame in 2000 and the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2004. He has composed the score for nine of the top 25 highest-grossing films at the U.S. box office. In 2022, Williams was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, "for services to film music". In 2005, the American Film Institute placed Williams's score to Star Wars first on its list AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores; his scores for Jaws and E.T. also made the list. The Library of Congress entered the Star Wars soundtrack into the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Description above from the Wikipedia article John Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 8, 1932 (94)
From
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer, also actor
Titles
139 on MovieCove · 186 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 19% in 30 days

What are John Williams' films like?

Across their 124 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Action26 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama23 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure22 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Music2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Music movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Western movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Self
19%
Morality
18%
Survival
10%
Society
10%
Power
10%
Ideas
10%
Family bonds31 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice19 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love17 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival17 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity14 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose14 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt11 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity12 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 122 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 53 · Serious 29 · Dark 40

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 56 · Stylized 35 · Heightened 31

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 28 · Charged 50 · Intense 44

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 49 · Shifting 60 · Whiplash 13

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 69 · Some laughs 43 · Funny 10

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 52 · Even-paced 55 · Relentless 15

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 53 · Engaged 52 · Full focus 17

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 47 · Affecting 43 · Heavy 32

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 98 · Open-ended 17 · Ambiguous 7

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
70
Melancholic
49
Warm
33
Joyful
28
Thrilling
25
Other
132

How their films linger

Hopeful51 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet48 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good38 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun27 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 16 with a twist

  • Happy52
  • Bittersweet59
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous9

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Williams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 86 of their 139 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (25).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Williams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

186 credits, 139 with a MovieCove page; 69 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Disclosure Day(2026)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord(2026)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Cinema of John Williams (Indiana Jones, E.T., Star Wars and more) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Superman(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Jurassic World: Rebirth(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • OSN: Musiche dall'America con Gianna Fratta e Alessandro Taverna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Jonas Kaufmann: The Sound of Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Compositor

  • Music by John Williams(2024)

    Composer · as Self - Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • Jurassic World: Chaos Theory(2024)

    Show 39 episodes · Main Title Theme Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • John Williams in Tokyo(2024)

    Composer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Eastwood Symphonic - Une affaire de Famille(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny(2023)

    Composer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny(2023)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Main Title Theme Composer

  • The Fabelmans(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Piano Cinéma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • Jurassic World: Dominion(2022)

    Main Title Theme Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Obi-Wan Kenobi(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Main Title Theme Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Friends: Beethoven and Williams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as selbst

  • OSN: Il ballo al Cinema con John Axelrod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • The Book of Boba Fett(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • John Williams Live - Music from the Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Composer · Actor

  • For the Empire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • Star Wars: The Bad Batch(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • John Williams: Live in Vienna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer · as Self - Conductor

  • Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker(2019)

    Composer · as Oma Tres

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Battle at Big Rock (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Main Title Theme Composer

  • The Post(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Dear Basketball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Hoshino (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • The BFG(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales(2015)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • The Book Thief(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles(2013)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Lincoln(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Darth Maul Returns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Theme Song Performance

  • War Horse(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Tintin(2011)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Composer

  • LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Main Title Theme Composer

  • The Big Rescue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Songs

  • A Timeless Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Composer

  • Love Will Tear Us Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • Päronet och bajskorven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Composer

  • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • An Inconvenient Truth(2006)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Munich(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Memoirs of a Geisha(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • War of the Worlds(2005)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith(2005)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: A Musical Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • The Terminal(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(2004)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Building a Scene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Catch Me If You Can(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Minority Report(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Music of E.T.: A Discussion with John Williams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Thanks · as Self

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • A.I. Artificial Intelligence(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'(2001)

    Composer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Patriot(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Unfinished Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • Angela's Ashes(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace(1999)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Stepmom(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Saving Private Ryan(1998)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Amistad(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Seven Years in Tibet(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Rosewood(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sleepers(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Atlanta 1996: Games of the XXVI Olympiad - Opening Ceremony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Conductor

  • Nixon(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Sabrina(1995)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Ewok(1982)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Schindler's List(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Jurassic Park(1993)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Home Alone 2: Lost in New York(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Far and Away(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • JFK(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Hook(1991)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Home Alone(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Presumed Innocent(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Stanley & Iris(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Always(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Born on the Fourth of July(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Accidental Tourist(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Empire of the Sun(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Witches of Eastwick(1987)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • SpaceCamp(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 45 episodes · Main Title Theme Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The River(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi(1983)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Cinderella Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • The Man Who Saved the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • Monsignor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • Yes, Giorgio(1982)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Heartbeeps(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Raiders of the Lost Ark(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Superman II(1980)

    Composer · Theme Song Performance

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • 1941(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Dracula(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Superman(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Jaws 2(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Fury(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Royal Variety Performance 1977 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Actor

  • Bloodthirsty Hawk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Black Sunday(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Midway(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Missouri Breaks(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Family Plot(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Jaws(1975)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Eiger Sanction(1975)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Towering Inferno(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Earthquake(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Sugarland Express(1974)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Conrack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • Cinderella Liberty(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Paper Chase(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Tom Sawyer(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Long Goodbye(1973)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Images(1972)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Pete 'n' Tillie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • The Poseidon Adventure(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Screaming Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer · Main Title Theme Composer

  • The Cowboys(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Fiddler on the Roof(1971)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Arranger · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Jane Eyre(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Story of a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • The Reivers(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye, Mr. Chips(1969)

    Composer · Conductor · Music Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Daddy's Gone A-Hunting(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Heidi(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Sergeant Ryker(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Valley of the Dolls(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Fitzwilly(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Ghostbreakers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Composer

  • A Guide for the Married Man(1967)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Penelope(1966)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Not with My Wife, You Don't!(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Plainsman(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • How to Steal a Million(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Rare Breed(1966)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Kathryn Reed Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

  • Lost in Space(1965)

    Show 83 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!(1965)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • None But the Brave(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Redcap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 26 episodes · Composer

  • The Killers(1964)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Nightmare in Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Composer

  • Gidget Goes to Rome(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Best Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • Diamond Head(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Stark Fear(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Flashing Spikes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Bachelor Flat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Alcoa Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Music Score Producer

  • The Guns of Navarone(1961)

    Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Ways(1961)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Because They're Young(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • I Passed for White(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Daddy-O(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Bachelor Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 57 episodes · Composer

  • Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Show 1 episode · Conductor

  • Montage: Great Film Composers and The Piano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 179 titles, 178 of them dated from 1952 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

$2.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Disclosure Day (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting10 of 179: 8 only acting, 2 with another roleMusic162 of 179: 146 only music, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thOther crew23 of 179: 9 only other crew, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

179 titles, 16 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1950s3 · crew1960s32 · crew1970s32 · 1 acting · 31 crew1980s21 · crew1990s24 · 1 acting · 23 crew2000s24 · 3 acting · 21 crew2010s16 · 2 acting · 15 crew2020s26 · 2 acting · 25 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

5 Oscars, 3 Primetime Emmys, 4 Golden Globes, 7 BAFTA Awards and 38 other major awards from 195 major nominations, 1962–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Music Film
  2. 2024
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • +1 other major body · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated ×2 · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
  3. 2023
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Orchestral Performance
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  4. 2021
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
  5. 2020
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Original Music
    • +1 other major body · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
  6. 2019
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
  7. 2018
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
      • Grammy Award, won · Trustees Award
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  8. 2017
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Show 46 earlier years
  1. 2016
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Original Music
  2. 2015
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
  3. 2014
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
  4. 2013
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Score
  5. 2012
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Score
  6. 2009
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
    • +1 other major body · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  7. 2007
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  8. 2006
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 3 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated ×2 · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Composer
  9. 2005
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  10. 2004
    • Grammy Award, nominated ×2 · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  11. 2003
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Composer
  12. 2002
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Music, Original Score
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Direction
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Classical Crossover Album
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Composer
  13. 2001
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
  14. 2000
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Arrangement
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
  15. 1999
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins and 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Classical Crossover Album
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Score
  16. 1998
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated ×2 · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  17. 1997
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  18. 1996
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
  19. 1995
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  20. 1994
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Score
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
  21. 1993
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  22. 1992
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television
  23. 1991
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Arrangement on an Instrumental
  24. 1990
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
  25. 1989
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Score
    • +1 other major body · 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
  26. 1988
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
  27. 1986
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Recording for Children
  28. 1985
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
  29. 1984
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
  30. 1983
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Score
    • +1 other major body · 3 wins and 2 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  31. 1982
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
  32. 1981
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won
    • +1 other major body · 3 wins and 3 nominations
      • Grammy Award, won ×2 · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated ×2 · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  33. 1980
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
    • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  34. 1979
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • +1 other major body · 3 wins and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won ×2 · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
  35. 1978
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 5 wins and 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Instrumental Composition
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Pop Instrumental Performance
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Pop Instrumental Recording
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
  36. 1977
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Instrumental Arrangement
  37. 1976
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, won
    • +1 other major body · 2 wins
      • Grammy Award, won ×2 · Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
  38. 1975
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
  39. 1974
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Song
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation
    • Golden Globe, nominated ×2 · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
  40. 1973
    • Oscar, nominated ×2 · Best Music, Original Dramatic Score
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
  41. 1972
    • Oscar, won · Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition - For a Special Program
  42. 1970
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Score of a Musical Picture (Original or Adaptation)
  43. 1969
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition
  44. 1968
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment
  45. 1963
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Achievement in Composing Original Music
  46. 1962
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composed for Television
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Score from Motion Picture or Television

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do John Williams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 127; across their 122 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 122

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 122

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 122

Midcredits score across 139 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up70
  • 50th to 74th39
  • 25th to 49th22
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

71 of their 139 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved36
  • Universally Panned2
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser71
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · composer

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965)

75th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 73/100 in their films, across 104 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Williams' work okay for kids?

Across up to 81 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore76 titles29–85 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity81 titles6–52 · median 23 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity78 titles12–68 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs71 titles8–41 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense74 titles30–85 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John Williams work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steven Spielberg shares the most, 34.

Directors

  • Steven Spielberg34 titles · 27 as director    See newest 12 of 34 shared titles with Steven Spielberg
  • Chris Columbus7 titles · 5 as director    See all 7 shared titles with Chris Columbus
  • Laurent Bouzereau5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Laurent Bouzereau
  • George Lucas15 titles · 4 as director    See newest 12 of 15 shared titles with George Lucas

Writers

Actors

  • Harrison Ford13 titles    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Harrison Ford
  • Anthony Daniels10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Anthony Daniels
  • Mark Hamill7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Mark Hamill
  • Carrie Fisher6 titles    See all 6 shared titles with Carrie Fisher

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles