Most Oscar nominations (living)

John Williams (USA, b. 8 February 1932) secured the 54th Oscar nomination of his career on 23 January 2024, ahead of the 96th edition of the Academy Awards. The legendary composer/conductor/pianist – the oldest-ever Oscar nominee at the age of 91 years 349 days – was shortlisted for Best Original Score for soundtracking Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (USA, 2023). It was Williams’ 49th Best Original Score nomination since 1968, with five additional nods for Best Original Song (1974–96).

Williams is just five nominations shy of Walt Disney’s (1901–66) all-time record haul of 59 Oscar nominations.

The native New Yorker’s most recent of his five wins at the Academy Awards was for Schindler’s List in 1994 (Best Original Score). In the same category, he took the award for Fiddler on the Roof (1972), Jaws (1976), Star Wars (1978) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1983). His first-ever nomination arrived ahead of the 40th Academy Awards in 1968, for scoring Valley of the Dolls.

In 2020, with his 52nd nomination (The Rise of Skywalker), Williams achieved an unrivalled seventh decade of Oscar nominations (1960s–2020s).

In 2022, he was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II “for services to film music”.

Williams announced then rescinded plans to retire following the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.