John Williams
2009 National Medal of Arts recipient and composer/conductor John Williams receives his medal from President Barack Obama at an East Room ceremony at the White House on February 25, 2010. The National Medal of Arts is a presidential initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts and is the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. Photo by Richard Frasier
Bio
John Williams is a composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career that spans five decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including all six Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter movies, and nearly all of Steven Spielberg's feature films. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993, and is now that orchestra's laureate conductor. Williams has been nominated for 45 Academy Awards and won five. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards, five Emmy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, and 21 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2003 he received the Olympic Order, the International Olympic Committee’s highest honor.