Film music was typically mellow and sounded nostalgic until early '60s. Nobody expected that film score would be as much exciting as Beatles and Michael Jackson. Enter John Williams, one of the most popular and successful film composers. With his innovative approach to film music and his firm roots in jazz and orchestral music, Williams brought a different dimension to the film music, then to American pop music, and then the Hollywood.

John Williams, possessor of more than 20 awards (including five Oscars and seventeen Grammys), was born February 8, 1932 in Long Island, New York. Influenced by his studio musician father, he studied music at UCLA and Julliard School. While working as a jazz pianist in N.Y., he met Henry Mancini with whom he later contributed on the score for the hit television series 'Peter Gunn'. Moving to L.A., Williams entered the film industry as a soundtrack composer for movies and TV programs.

Williams began drawing attention since late '60s as he received Oscar nominations for the soundtrack to 'Valley Of The Dolls', 'The Rivers And Goodbye' and 'Mr. Chips'. He finally won the arrangement award for 'Fiddler On The Roof' in 1972, followed by a series of success with 'The Poseidon Adventure', 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Towering Inferno'. Then came the landmark encounter with the up-and-coming filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Kicking off with 'The Sugarland Express', Williams wrote scores for Spielberg's hit movies 'Jaws', 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind', 'E.T.', 'Indiana Jones' series, 'Julassic Park' and 'Schindler's List', most of which earned him Academy Awards nominations and five awards. Williams' fascinating music grew into a phenomenon, spurred by Spielberg's spectacular movies. Other popular works by Williams include scores for George Lucas' 'Star Wars' series, 'Superman', 'Empire Of The Sun', 'Home Alone', 'Minority Report', 'A.I.', 'Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone' and many more.

John Williams is also known for concert works. He was named the 19th Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1980s.