Profile Text
Williams in 2016, photo by kathclick /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: John Towner Williams
Place of Birth: Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: February 8, 1932
Ethnicity: * father – Irish * mother – Irish, English, one quarter French-Canadian, Welsh
John Williams is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and trombonist. He is known for his iconic scores for films, including Fiddler on the Roof , The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Jaws , Star Wars , Close Encounters of the Third Kind , Superman (1978), Raiders of the Lost Ark , E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , The Witches of Eastwick , Empire of the Sun , The Accidental Tourist , Born on the Fourth of July , Home Alone , JFK (1991), Schindler’s List , Sabrina , Nixon (1995), Sleepers , Amistad , Saving Private Ryan , The Patriot (2000), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone , Catch Me If You Can (2002), Memoirs of a Geisha , Munich , The Adventures of Tintin , War Horse , Lincoln (2012), The Book Thief , and The Fabelmans . His music is known for its romanticism, impressionism, complex orchestration, and atonal flow. He has won five Academy Awards for his music, and been nominated fifty four times, the second-most in Oscar history. He is also the oldest person nominated for an Oscar, having received a nomination at 91. He has also been billed as Johnny Williams.
John is the son of Esther (Towner), a dancer, and Johnny Williams (born John Francis Nagle), a jazz drummer and percussionist. His father took on the surname of his own stepfather, Henry D. Williams; Henry was prominent in politics in Bangor, Maine, and was chairman of the police examining board. John’s father played with the Raymond Scott Quintet. His paternal grandparents ran a department store in Bangor. His brothers, Jerry and Don, have played on his film scores. His family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1948.
John is married to photographer Samantha Winslow. He was previously married to actress and singer Barbara Ruick, until her death. Barbara was the daughter of actor Melville Ruick and actress and acting coach Lurene Tuttle. With Barbara, he has three children, including singer, songwriter, and film score composer Joseph Williams , who is the lead singer of rock band Toto. Among his grandchildren are Ethan Gruska and Bobby Gruska, who were vocal and instrumental duo The Belle Brigade.
John’s paternal grandfather was named Thomas Michael Nagle (the son of Richard Nagle and Hanora/Honora). Thomas was born in Bath, Maine, to Irish parents. He was a drummer, who owned a music store and organized an orchestra in Bath.
John’s paternal grandmother was Katharine/Katherine Carolina “Katie” Duffy (the daughter of Frank Duffy and Margaret Mullen). Katharine was born in Bath, Maine. Her parents were born in Maine, both of them to Irish parents.
John’s maternal grandfather was David John/Joseph Towner (the son of David Towner and Emillie Robitaille/Robitalle). John’s great-grandfather David was the son of David Crosby Towner and Philema Stevens. He had Colonial American roots. Emillie was of French-Canadian ancestry. She was born in L’Ancienne-Lorette, Lower Canada/Québec, the daughter of Louis Robitaille and Julie Malvine Côté.
John’s maternal grandmother was Ada Bridget Hennessy/Hennesey/Hennessey (the daughter of John Hennesey and Margaret Fardy). Ada was born on Cardigan, Prince Edward Island. John was the son of John Hennessey and Ann Sigsworth. Margaret was the daughter of Peter Fardy, who was Irish, and of Essee/Esther Moore.
Sources: Genealogy of John Williams (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Birth record of John’s father – https://images.findagrave.com
John’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Michael Nagle, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of John’s paternal step-grandfather, Henry D. Williams – https://images.findagrave.com
John’s paternal grandmother, Katharine/Katherine Carolina “Katie” Duffy, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
John’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org John’s mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org