Steven Spielberg and John Williams Will Mark 50 Years of Collaboration at American Cinematheque Tribute (Exclusive)

Two bona fide Hollywood legends, director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams, will mark their 50th year of collaboration by making a rare joint public appearance at a tribute hosted by the American Cinematheque, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

“Spielberg/Williams — 50 Years of Music and Movies,” which will feature clips of and conversation about their work and friendship, will take place on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 6 p.m., at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. (American Cinematheque members will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to the event, but anyone can become an AC member at any time.)

Spielberg and Williams first met and began working together in 1972 on Sugarland Express (1974), the first of 29 feature-length films on which they have teamed. (Spielberg has made only five films that weren’t scored by Williams.) Many of their collaborations — including Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Munich (2005) and Lincoln (2012) — immediately call to mind both visuals and music in a way that is true of only a select few, if any, other director/composer teams.

This year, the duo reunited for The Fabelmans, which Spielberg has described as the “most personal” film of his career. The film has already been nominated for best picture and best original score Golden Globe and Critics Choice awards, with major Oscar nominations almost certain to follow.

If the film is nominated for best picture, Spielberg will extend his record number of nominations for a producer from 10 to 11 (though he has won in that category just once, for Schindler’s List). And if it’s nominated for best original score, Williams will extend his record number of total noms for a living person from 52 to 53 (he has won five times); he already holds the all-time record for most decades with at least one nom (the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s).

Williams, who will turn 91 in February, has said that his final film score will be the one that he is currently composing for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, on which Spielberg, 75, is an executive producer. It will hit theaters on June 30, 2023.

Check out this new featurette about the dynamic duo, which offers a reminder of just how much great work they have done together.