Film composer John Williams' iconic soundtracks

Born in New England, John Williams (left, with Steven Spielberg) left for Los Angeles in the 1950s. The composer and conductor has written the soundtracks to some of the highest-grossing films of all times, from "Star Wars" and "Jaws" to "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Book Thief." Not only an award-winning composer, Williams served for several years as the conductor of the Boston Pops orchestra.

Don't go in the water! The two-note ostinato that crescendoes as the killer shark comes in for the attack in the 1975 hit "Jaws" has become an earworm for many. The suspenseful soundtrack still conjures up fear even now, decades after the release of the film.

Williams has collaborated with Steven Spielberg repeatedly, winning multiple awards for his work on the original "Star Wars" blockbuster and carrying the melodies into the series of feature films created over a more than 30-year span. William's compositions have heightened the drama on the science-fiction series and the soundtrack itself has been a bestseller since the 1970s.

The soundtrack for the initial Star Wars trilogy, including "The Return of the Jedi" in 1983 (pictured), won Williams several awards and brought his cinematic productions to the sound systems of households around the world. He is said to have been inspired by the operatic works of Richard Wagner and his use of leitmotif, as one can hear in pieces like "Luke's Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme."

Many of the sounds we affiliate today with outer space stem from the soundtracks Williams created for television series like "Lost in Space" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." He took using a five-note figure for extra-terrestrial communication even further when collaborating with Steven Spielberg on "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial."

Killer dinosaurs and classical music wouldn't appear to have much in common. John Williams, however, employed operatic structures as he composed music for thrillers, heightening suspense in even the most absurd scenarios.

The heartbreaking true story set during during the Holocaust was given added weight by the score Williams created for "Schindler's List." It was directed by Steven Spielberg, who has worked with Williams on many of his movies and considers him a friend.

Williams was given the difficult task of setting magic to music when he was brought on for the first three installments of the Harry Potter film adaptations, which were released from 2001-2004 and starred Daniel Radcliffe (pictured), Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.