Composer John Williams was one of the last people to be knighted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. According to The Daily Mail, the artist was on a Queen-approved list of those KBE honoraries for their services to UK-US relations.
Williams, 90, is behind the music of countless classic movies, particularly from directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Williams has composed music for Star Wars, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schlinder’s List, Saving Private Ryan, the Indiana Jones films, the first two Home Alone films, and the first three Harry Potter films, just to name a few. He has 25 Grammys and five Oscats to his name, his Star Wars soundtrack is part of the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, and in 2014 was the was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.
Former Disney chief executive Robert Iger is reportedly also on the list of the Queen’s final knights. Despite the honor, both men, as U.S. natives, won’t enjoy the privilege of being called “Sir,” as that recognition is exclusive to British nationals.
Earlier this year, Williams joined Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in returning to the Star Wars world by composing the music for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series. In February, we celebrated his 90th birthday by rounding up his 10 Most Iconic Film Scores.