John Williams Turns 80: A Look Back At His Greatest Hits (VIDEO)

Happy birthday, John Williams! The iconic film composer, best known for his work on "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," "Harry Potter," and has been in the movie music game for over 50 years.

Williams' influences by Romantic greats including Mahler, Wagner, Holst, Elgar have helped produce the epic, sentimental style that characterizes his work, which includes indelible tunes like the "Imperial March." Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and 21 Grammys. His scores for "Tintin" and "War Horse" have earned him another two nominations this year.

It's hard to imagine any of these films without their soundtracks. His music gives you insight into the characters and the universes depicted on screen in a visceral way -- evil feels like evil, good feels like good, victory feels like victory, and fear feels like fear. Take a spin through his greatest hits below:

Here, in a rare documentary from 1980, we see Williams at work during "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1979 and 1980, as well as discussing his work on other films, including "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Watch the first installment of the documentary:

[Via Shaun Usher/Behind the Scenes]

Comments

[DickClark]

10:15 AM on 02/10/2012

.......................the Deans of American Music........................

.......AARON COPLAND and JOHN WILLIAMS........

......................how proud we are....................

[MunyaBuddya]

12:27 AM on 02/13/2012

can't tell if troll

[DickClark]

09:53 AM on 02/10/2012

..................................where is his Live Achievement Academy Award?...............................

[JonnyTruant]

12:23 PM on 02/09/2012

The must see supermash of John Williams. He's inspired countless artists in music, theater, and even visual arts with his work. Happy birthday Williams. Without his works, some of my favorite movies just wouldn't be nearly as good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4

[gvmtCheese]

02:02 AM on 02/09/2012

I made him a birthday card, I think you'll like the style http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mePGuWHiEPE

[MunyaBuddya]

12:37 AM on 02/09/2012

I don't care for his music, but I have to give him credit for being kind of a gateway drug to classical music for some people.

[sherlockhemlock]

05:46 AM on 02/09/2012

You might have a point, but I think if you don't outgrow most of his stuff you wind up habituated to clichés mostly. The soundtrack composers who really got me interested in serious classical music when I was young were John Barry and Bernard Hermann. Barry's soundtrack for The Lion in Winter is still wonderful to hear, and Hermann's work for science fiction and fantasy films from the 1950s also. And Kubrick's 2001 put raw Johann Strauss in space long before William's stylistic pilferages from Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky helped to spice up the Star Wars films.

[MunyaBuddya]

12:24 AM on 02/13/2012

I think you're right, and well said. I like to imagine, though, that most people who start off listening to him at a young age eventually do outgrow him. I loved his soundtracks when I was 4. Can't stand the stuff now.

[ChicagoBob]

12:33 AM on 02/09/2012

Dear John,

Happy Birthday!

I have enjoyed your music for decades and hope to hear new compositions for decades to come. May we both live to be 100.

Best regards,
Bob

[molly2shoes]

12:13 AM on 02/09/2012

Happy Birthday Mr. Williams. And THANK YOU for endowing the world with such WONDERFUL MUSIC. History wil put you into the bracket with Mozart and other classical composers. Your music is CLASSICAL and I never tire of listening to it time and time again. Again... HAPPY BIRTHDAY. :)

[R8RBOB]

11:26 PM on 02/08/2012

Star Wars Main Theme, The Duel of the Fates, Across the Stars, Battle of the Heroes, The Imperial March, Superman Theme and Love Theme. Indiana Jones, Harry Potter. I have say without these incredible soundtracks, the movies would not been the same. Time to listen to Yoda's Theme.

[jake eufarly]

11:11 PM on 02/08/2012

I always hear other composers music when I listen to John Williams.

[MunyaBuddya]

12:38 AM on 02/09/2012

I always wish I did.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[jake eufarly]

09:52 PM on 02/09/2012

lol

[sherlockhemlock]

05:34 AM on 02/09/2012

Because he plagiarizes frequently, for better or worse. He really has never been terribly original.

[kellygirl2]

10:54 PM on 02/08/2012

Happy Birthday, Genius!

[Pennsylvanianne]

10:42 PM on 02/08/2012

Happy Birthday, Maestro Williams. Thank you for all the musical joy you have given. You will go down in musical history as one of the greats of our time.

[Tom Servo]

10:01 PM on 02/08/2012

Happy Birthday Mr Williams! I wish you many many more.

[blindjester]

09:57 PM on 02/08/2012

ASU marching band did a tribute to John Williams once. It was a lot of fun to play, and was well-received.

That was 30 years ago now. Whew!

[rp2009]

09:55 PM on 02/08/2012

His music has brought a lot of fun times at the movies. Happy Birthday John and thank you!

[Derpwood]

09:40 PM on 02/08/2012

He's in the League of any of the Romantic Masters.

They wrote popular music for their times, and him for his.

I've studied very serious classical organ for 35 years, and have studied many of his works as transcriptions for organ, and he has an astounding sense of color and emotion that makes it perfect for transcription.

I don't mind if a John Williams theme gets blowing through my head for a few days . . .

Here's Cameron Carpenter playing the Raiders of the Lost Ark Theme at Trinity Church Wall Street . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKgOZX3DcU

If I may be so bold, on behalf of Organists, thank you John!!

[ChicagoBob]

12:38 AM on 02/09/2012

Great link. Big organs. Hands and feet all doing something different at the same time, with a bit of a sound delay.

Can't imagine how a brain can manage it.