John Williams, the Composer of Star Wars, Will Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2004, the Library of Congress declared the soundtrack of Star Wars composed by legendary composer John Williams, a significant part of the United States culture. The Library of Congress honored John Williams’ contribution to the music industry by placing it into the National Recording Registry.

Eleven years later, John Williams, age 83, who has over 150 scores to his name, can add another achievement to his incredible career in the entertainment industry, as he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.

This is a historical moment for the American Film Institute as well because it is the first time in the institute’s forty-four years that the award will go to a composer. The American Film Institute is known to typically present the award to directors and actors. Throughout the years, Williams has composed music for blockbuster films such as Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones franchise, Lincoln, Jurassic Park, and other notable films.

In his career, which expands an incredible seven decades, he has received 49 Oscar nominations, wining 5 times for Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler’s List. Moreover, he has won seven British Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and 22 Grammy Awards. He has collaborated often with past Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Steven Spielberg.

In 2005, the American Film Institute recognized Williams score for the 1977 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope as the most brilliant film score to date. Fast forward to 2015, the AFI announced their choice for who the recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award will be.

In 2015, Steve Martin received the recognition and in 2016, the American Film Institute will honor John Williams for his contribution to the American cinema. Chairman of the AFI’s board of trustees Howard Stringer said, “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.”

John Williams is truly a legend in his own right, as his presence in the film industry is felt through the many scores he has conducted. Finally, a renowned institution is recognizing him as one of the greats to have entered the film industry and make people fall in love with him through his compositions.

Past winners of the award include Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, Alfred Hitchcock, Meryl Streep, and Martin Scorcese. John Williams will receive his Lifetime Achievement Award on June 9, 2016 in Los Angeles. Later in the same month, a TV special honoring him will air on TNT, but the TV channel has not announced the time and date of the airing.