All of John Williams’ 54 Oscar nominations so far – including five wins

23 January 2024, 15:59 | Updated: 6 February 2024, 17:58

All of John Williams’ record-breaking 54 Oscar nominations so far
All of John Williams’ record-breaking 54 Oscar nominations so far. Picture: Getty

By Maddy Shaw Roberts

With 54 Academy Award nominations across his glittering career, John Williams continues to hold the record as the most Oscar-nominated living person. Here’s every nomination he has ever had.

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As the Oscars nods have been announced over the last few years, one headline has remained the same – once again, film composer John Williams has broken his own record for the most nominations of any living person.

Last year, Williams scored a 53rd nomination for his music for Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, making the then 90-year-old maestro the oldest person to be nominated for an Oscar.

2024 saw Williams scoop a further nod for his newly written score for the great Indy finale, Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – another piece in the successful puzzle of Williams and Spielberg’ decades-long partnership.

In 2024, Williams will be going 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.

Before we find out the winner on 10 March, let’s explore all of John Williams’ 54 nominations so far, including his five wins.

Read more: Which film scores have won best soundtrack at the Oscars?

  1. 1968: Valley of the Dolls

    Best Scoring of Music – Nominated

  2. 1970: Goodbye, Mr Chips

    Best Score of a Musical Picture – Nominated

  3. 1970: The Reivers

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  4. 1972: Fiddler on the Roof

    Best Scoring – Won

    Chaim Topol in Fiddler on the Roof - John Williams’ first Oscar win
    Chaim Topol in Fiddler on the Roof - John Williams’ first Oscar win. Picture: Alamy
  5. 1973: Images

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  6. 1973: The Poseidon Adventure

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  7. 1974: Cinderella Liberty

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  8. 1974 – ‘Nice to Be Around’ from Cinderella Liberty

    Best Song – Nominated

  9. 1974: Tom Sawyer

    Best Scoring – Nominated

  10. 1975: The Towering Inferno

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  11. 1976: Jaws

    Best Original Score – Won

    John Williams won his second Oscar for 'Jaws'
    John Williams won his second Oscar for 'Jaws'. Picture: Alamy
  12. 1978: Star Wars

    Best Original Score – Won

    John Williams hold his Oscar for 'Star Wars', at the 50th Annual Academy Awards in 1978
    John Williams hold his Oscar for 'Star Wars', at the 50th Annual Academy Awards in 1978. Picture: Getty
  13. 1978: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  14. 1979: Superman

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  15. 1981: The Empire Strikes Back

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  16. 1982: Raiders of the Lost Ark

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  17. 1983: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

    Best Original Score – Won

    John Williams holds his Oscar gong for 'E.T'
    John Williams holds his Oscar gong for 'E.T'. Picture: Getty
  18. 1983: ‘If We Were in Love’ from Yes, Giorgio

    Best Original Song – Nominated

  19. 1984: Return of the Jedi

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  20. 1985: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  21. 1985: The River

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  22. 1988: Empire of the Sun

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  23. 1988: The Witches of Eastwick

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  24. 1989: The Accidental Tourist

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  25. 1990: Born on the Fourth of July

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  26. 1990: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  27. 1991: Home Alone

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  28. 1991: ‘Somewhere in the Memory’ from Home Alone

    Best Original Song – Nominated

  29. 1992: JFK

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  30. 1992: ‘When You’re Alone’ from Hook

    Best Original Song – Nominated

  31. 1994: Schindler’s List

    Best Original Score – Won

    John Williams holding his 1994 Oscar for Schindler's List
    John Williams holding his 1994 Oscar for Schindler's List. Picture: Getty
  32. 1996: ‘Moonlight’ from Sabrina

    Best Original Song – Nominated

  33. 1996: Sabrina

    Best Original Musical or Comedy Score – Nominated

  34. 1996: Nixon

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  35. 1997: Sleepers

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  36. 1998: Amistad

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  37. 1999: Saving Private Ryan

    Best Original Dramatic Score – Nominated

  38. 2000: Angela’s Ashes

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  39. 2001: The Patriot

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  40. 2002: A.I. Artificial Intelligence

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  41. 2002: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  42. 2003: Catch Me If You Can

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  43. 2005: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  44. 2006: Memoirs of a Geisha

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  45. 2006: Munich

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  46. 2012: The Adventures of Tintin

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  47. 2012: War Horse

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  48. 2013: Lincoln

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  49. 2014: The Book Thief

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  50. 2016: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  51. 2018: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  52. 2020: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  53. 2023: The Fabelmans

    Best Original Score – Nominated

  54. 2024: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

    Best Original Score – Nominated

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