Kobe Bryant considers him a muse. Harrison Ford says he elevates entertainment to art. Seth MacFarlane calls him "the single greatest talent working in Hollywood."
John Williams, creator of the iconic music from "Superman," ''Star Wars," ''Jaws," ''E.T." and "Jurassic Park," is also the first composer to receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. He accepted the honor Thursday at a black-tie dinner at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre that's set to air as a TV special Wednesday night on TNT. Bryant, Ford and MacFarlane were among the stars celebrating Williams' contributions to cinema.
Steven Spielberg presented his longtime friend and collaborator with the award.
"Without John Williams, bikes don't really fly," Spielberg said. "Nor do brooms in Quidditch matches; nor do men in red capes. There is no Force. Dinosaurs don't walk the Earth... You take our movies, many of them about our most impossible dreams, and through More