With the sober but poignant soundtrack of "The Fabelmans", composed for his friend Steven Spielberg, the American born in New York in 1932 is the oldest artist to compete for a statuette in Los Angeles.

If he were to win, he would enter the record books as the oldest recipient of an award in all categories, ahead of screenwriter James Ivory (89).

From 'Encounters of the Third Kind' to 'Superman', from 'Indiana Jones' to 'Mama I Missed the Plane', via 'Amistad', 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Harry Potter' , John Williams is already the most nominated living artist for the Oscars (53 times), and he is only surpassed in history by Walt Disney (59 nominations).

Sometimes his creations even competed in the same category.

Wagner

"It seems unreal to be so old and to work for so long. It's really exciting, even after 53 years," the composer and bandleader recently told NBC News, recognizable by his white beard collar and to his glasses.

Known for his great neo-romantic compositions, inspired by Richard Wagner, John Williams also allowed himself to be steeped in influences such as jazz and popular American classics.

Composer and conductor John Williams, during a concert celebrating the music of "Star Wars" in Orlando, Florida, April 13, 2017 © Gustavo Caballero / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives

Son of a percussionist, eldest of four children, he grew up between New York and Los Angeles, where he studied music.

He aspired to become a piano concert performer, but composition turned out to be his real forte.

First Oscar in 1972

After his debut in film studios - he notably played the piano for the big screen adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's musical "West Side Story" - his first Oscar nomination came in 1967 for "The Valley of the dolls".

And "A violin on the roof" earned him his first statuette in 1972.

But it is his work with Steven Spielberg that will be the most fruitful.

The director calls him on his first film for the cinema, "Sugarland Express", then for "Jaws".

Its two-note ostinato, coupled with the prowling shark, will become a kind of musical metaphor for fear.

"The teeth of + Jaws + is John Williams", praised Steven Spielberg last year during a concert for the 90th birthday of John Williams.

"Thanks to the cinema, John has popularized film music more than any other composer in history", also paid tribute to the filmmaker, whose films earned John Williams three Oscars for his music ("Jaws ", "ET the Alien", "Schindler's List").

"Landmarks"

Thanks to Spielberg, John Williams also worked with another film giant, George Lucas, for whom he composed the unforgettable music for the "Star Wars" saga.

"He wrote the soundtrack to our lives," celebrated conductor Gustavo Dudamel praised in The New York Times last year.

"When we listen to a melody by John, we come back to an era, a taste, a smell."

If he wrote more than 100 film scores, we also owe him "Olympic Fanfare and Theme", composed for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 and broadcast since then on all editions on American television.

John Williams recently indicated that he could take a step back from film music and devote himself more to conducting and composing concertos.

But he also seemed to push back on the idea, promising to work until about 100 years old.

“I still have 10 years ahead of me,” he said during a conference with Spielberg.

"You can't withdraw from music. It's like breathing".

© 2023 AFP