John Williams' 54 Oscar nominations to date, with five victories recorded
John Williams: A Career Filled with Oscar Nominations and Wins
John Williams, the renowned film composer, has had a prolific career spanning over five decades. With more than 100 films scored, many of his works have earned him Academy Award (Oscar) nominations and several wins.
One of Williams' most celebrated scores is for the Star Wars series, including A New Hope (1977), which won the Best Original Score. Other notable films that garnered Oscar recognition for Williams include Jaws (1975), which won the award for Best Original Score, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Schindler's List (1993), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), all of which were nominated for Best Original Score.
Williams has also been nominated for Best Original Score for films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Home Alone (1990), The Witches of Eastwick (1988), The River (1985), The Towering Inferno (1975), and Tom Sawyer (1974).
In addition to his work on films, Williams has been recognised for his musical contributions to projects such as Cinderella Liberty (1974), where he was nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score, and 'Nice to Be Around' from Cinderella Liberty, which was nominated for Best Original Song.
Williams' work on The Fabelmans in 2023 earned him his 53rd Oscar nomination, making him the oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar.
As of 2025, Williams is 90 years old and holds the record for the most Oscar nominations among living people, with a total of 54. He has won five Oscars throughout his career.
Williams' collaboration with directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas has resulted in some of the most iconic blockbuster films, and his music style has significantly influenced film scoring. Some of his earliest Academy Award nominations were for films like Fiddler on the Roof (1971), his first Oscar win.
For the 2024 Oscars, Williams is up against four other composers for the Best Original Score title: Ludwig Göransson for Oppenheimer, Jerskin Fendrix for Poor Things, Laura Karpman for American Fiction, and Robbie Robertson for Killers of the Flower Moon.
In 2024, Williams received another nomination for his score in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Other recent nominations include The Book Thief (2014), The Adventures of Tintin (2012), War Horse (2012), Munich (2006), Lincoln (2013), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2020), and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2018).
Williams' impressive career has been marked by numerous nominations and wins, solidifying his place as one of the most celebrated film composers in history.
References: [1] IMDb. (n.d.). John Williams. IMDb. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000063/
[2] Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (n.d.). John Williams. Oscars.org. Retrieved from https://www.oscars.org/people/john-williams/
[3] Williams, J. (2016). John Williams in Conversation. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/john-williams-in-conversation
John Williams' work stretches across multiple genres of movies and television, contributing to the entertainment industry with his iconic film scores. Among his numerous award-winning compositions, Williams receives frequent recognition from the Academy for categories such as Best Original Score in films like 'Cinderella Liberty', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', and 'The Fabelmans'.
