Steven SpielbergImage via Hulu
By
Chris Williams
Published Feb 3, 2026, 10:08 PM EST
Chris Williams is a writer with more than 20 years of experience writing about film.
He began his career working as a reporter for the Advisor and Source Newspapers in Shelby Township, Michigan, where he also served as the resident film critic. He has also written for Patheos and CinemaNerdz. Since 2020, Chris has written the Chrisicisms newsletter, which features reviews of recent film releases and thoughts on a variety of subjects.
Chris holds a B.A. in communications and an emphasis in journalism and an M.A. in communications with an emphasis on media arts and studies, both from Wayne State University in Detroit.
He lives in the Detroit area with his wife and his son and daughter.
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At the Grammys on February 1st, Steven Spielberg quietly crossed one of the last remaining thresholds in American entertainment: the EGOT. The designation is given to artists who have received each of the highest honors in entertainment: Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys. Fellow EGOT recipients include Mel Brooks, John Legend, Whoopi Goldberg, and Elton John.
Spielberg received the Best Music Film Grammy for producing the documentary Music by John Williams, which streamed on Disney+. The film provides a fitting capstone to Spielberg’s journey to EGOT status, in part because it also serves as a look back at the most enduring partnership of his long filmmaking career.
Steven Spielberg and John Williams Make Beautiful Music Together
John Williams and Steven Spielberg having a conversation with each otherImage via Walt Disney Studios
Directed by Laurent Bouzereau, Music by John Williams charts the composer’s towering career. Composer John Williams discusses his early days as a session musician for several movies and then his transition into scoring, beginning with Westerns before he went on to become one of the most respected and awarded composers in film history. The film touches on his iconic work for Star Wars and Superman — themes so tied to their films’ identity that they continue to be franchise touchstones — and includes such famous faces as George Lucas, Ron Howard, and Chris Columbus, for whom Williams created scores for Home Alone and the Harry Potter franchise.
But Williams’s most famous and enduring partnership has always been with Spielberg, dating back to when the director tapped him to provide the score for his theatrical debut, The Sugarland Express. In the documentary, Spielberg notes how he picked Williams based on his rousing orchestral score for The Reivers, but the composer instead realized a more intimate, wistful soundtrack would be a better fit for the film. It wouldn’t be the last time the musician surprised the director with his choices. Williams also recalls how Spielberg initially expected an all-encompassing horror score for Jaws; instead, he delivered one of the most iconic movie themes ever with just two notes he originally played on a piano for the director.
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Posts 8 By Diego Pineda PachecoMusic by John Williams is consistently engaging, but it’s never more compelling than when it details his long partnership with Spielberg. Throughout his career, Williams has earned 54 Oscar nominations — 19 of which were for his work on Spielberg’s films. He won Oscars for creating the scores for Jaws, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, and Schindler’s List, which Spielberg says is his favorite score Williams has composed for him. His themes are crucial to the success of Spielberg’s films; it’s impossible to imagine Close Encounters of the Third Kind without Williams’s “five tones,” or Indiana Jones traipsing into the unknown without “Raiders March” playing underneath. In the documentary, Spielberg says his favorite part of any directorial project is when Williams first reveals his score, because he knows it’s always going to surprise and delight him.
An EGOT for Cinema’s GOAT
Earning the Grammy and attaining EGOT status further cements Spielberg’s standing as one of the most important and accomplished storytellers in American art. He is, of course, one of the most nominated Oscar directors of all time, with his nine nominations placing him behind only Martin Scorsese, with 10, and William Wyler, with 12. He’s won twice, for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. He's been nominated for Best Director in six different decades, and he has produced 14 films that received Best Picture nominations, more than any other director in history.
But Spielberg’s award reach extends well beyond the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition to his Oscars, he has several Emmy Awards, ranging from stirring and vital miniseries like Band of Brothers and The Pacific to his work producing the animated special A Pinky and the Brain Christmas. He earned a Tony for producing Michael R. Jackson’s Broadway Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Strange Loop, and was later nominated for his work producing the stage adaptations of Water for Elephants and Death Becomes Her. His Grammy for Music by John Williams only reinforces that Spielberg’s influence stretches beyond film, touching nearly every American art form.
There Are Spielberg and Williams Collaborations to Come
It might seem as though the awards for Music by John Williams would mark a capstone for an enduring partnership. But there’s more ahead. Spielberg’s science fiction event film Disclosure Day is set to release this summer, once again featuring a score by his longtime collaborator. Even after decades of working together, the two seem to know better than to stop a good team.
Music by John Williams stands as a celebration of a partnership that changed the sound of cinema, and earning a Grammy is a fitting honor for that musical collaboration. At the same time, it reinforces that Steven Spielberg remains one of the greatest American storytellers — and that his talent reaches far beyond the screen.
Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Spielberg & score insights
Discover more by subscribing to our newsletter: get in-depth analysis of creative partnerships, scoring choices, and filmmaking craft — how composers like John Williams shape movies and why those choices matter to cinema's storytelling. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Music by John Williams is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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Like Follow Followed Documentary Music Release Date October 25, 2024 Director Laurent BouzereauCast
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