John Williams First Composer to Receive AFI Lifetime Achievement Award

by · October 10, 2015

Composer John Williams has been making music behind the scenes of some of Hollywood’s hottest flicks for the past 70 years. In an article posted earlier today on the Wrap, it was revealed that the renowned composer of some of our favorite movie tunes will be bestowed with the American Film Institute’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, summarized Williams’s place in our hearts and his impact on the film industry perfectly:

John Williams has written the soundtrack to our lives. Note by note, through chord and chorus, his genius for marrying music with movies has elevated the art form to symphonic levels and inspired generations of audiences to be enriched by the magic of the movies.

Williams has worked on over 150 film titles in over 70 years in the industry. Some of the most notable titles to which Williams has contributed his musical genius include Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Book Thief, and of course, the first three films in the Harry Potter franchise.

Williams has had more Oscar award nominations than any other living person. He has been nominated for 49 in total, and won five. On top of his Oscar accomplishments, Williams has received 22 Grammy Awards.

Apart from his contributions to the film world, Williams was also responsible for composing the music for the re-dedication ceremony for the Statue of Liberty in 1986, and he has composed themes for four separate Olympic games. In 2003, his contributions to the games were recognized when he was awarded  the Olympic Order, the highest honor that can be bestowed by the International Olympic Committee. Williams was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009.

He will be presented with AFI’s 44th Lifetime Achievement Award at a tribute to be hosted in Los Angeles on June 9, 2016. He will be the first composer to receive the award since its inception in 1973.

For more information on John Williams and his work, click here.