George Lucas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Lucas
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Lucas in 2024
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George Walton Lucas Jr.
May 14, 1944 Modesto, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1965–present |
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| Children | 4, including Amanda and Katie |
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and generous giver. He is famous for creating the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movie series. He also started big companies like Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and THX.
Lucas was the head of Lucasfilm before he sold it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards. He is one of the most successful filmmakers ever, with many of his movies earning huge amounts of money. He is seen as a very important person in the "New Hollywood" era of the 20th century. He also helped create the modern blockbuster film. Even with all this success, he mostly worked as an independent filmmaker, away from the main Hollywood system.
After finishing college at the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas moved to San Francisco. There, he started a film studio called American Zoetrope with director Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas wrote and directed THX 1138 (1971), which was based on a short film he made in college. This movie was liked by critics but did not make much money.
His next film as a writer and director was American Graffiti (1973). This movie was inspired by his own teenage years in Modesto, California in the early 1960s. It was made through his new company, Lucasfilm. American Graffiti was a big hit with both critics and audiences. It received five Academy Award nominations, including for Best Director and Best Picture.
Lucas's next movie was the huge space opera Star Wars (1977). This film, later called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, had a difficult time being made. But it became a surprise success, earning more money than any film before it. It won six Academy Awards and started a huge cultural craze. Lucas produced and helped write the next Star Wars movies: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).
With director Steven Spielberg, Lucas also created and helped write the Indiana Jones films. These include Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). He was also an executive producer for The Dial of Destiny (2023). Lucas often worked with composer John Williams, who wrote the music for all these famous movies. Lucas also produced and wrote many other films and TV shows through Lucasfilm from the 1970s to the 2010s.
In 1997, Lucas re-released the first three Star Wars movies, known as the original trilogy. These "Special Editions" had new changes using digital technology. More updated versions were released in 2004 and 2011. Lucas also returned to directing with a new set of Star Wars movies, called the prequel trilogy. These were The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005).
His last major projects included the animated movie and TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014, 2020). He also worked on the war film Red Tails (2012) and the animated movie Strange Magic (2015).
Besides making movies, Lucas has started and supported many groups that help with education and the arts. These include the George Lucas Educational Foundation. This foundation helped create the E-Rate program, which provides internet funding for schools and libraries. He also started the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles with his wife, Mellody Hobson.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lucas grew up in Modesto, California. His parents were Dorothy Ellinore Lucas and George Walton Lucas Sr. His family went to Disneyland when it first opened in 1955, and he always loved the park. He enjoyed comics and science fiction, especially TV shows like the Flash Gordon series.
Before he made films, Lucas wanted to be a racecar driver. He spent his high school years racing cars and hanging out at garages. In 1962, just before he graduated, Lucas was in a bad car accident. His car flipped several times and crashed into a tree. His seatbelt broke, throwing him out of the car, which saved his life. This accident made him lose interest in racing. Instead, it inspired him to follow his other passions.
Lucas's father owned a stationery store and wanted George to work for him. But Lucas wanted to go to art school. His father would not pay for it. Lucas then decided he would become a millionaire by age 30. He went to Modesto Junior College. There, he studied subjects like anthropology, sociology, and literature. He also started filming car races with an 8 mm camera.
During this time, Lucas became interested in Canyon Cinema. These were screenings of underground and avant-garde films. He and his friend John Plummer also watched classic European movies. Plummer said, "That's when George really started exploring." Lucas also met famous cinematographer Haskell Wexler through racing. Wexler was impressed by Lucas's talent. He said, "George had a very good eye, and he thought visually."
Lucas then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. USC was one of the first universities to have a film school. At USC, Lucas became friends with other future filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. He was greatly influenced by courses that focused on the visual parts of film, like color, light, and movement.
After graduating in 1967, Lucas tried to join the United States Air Force. But he was turned down because of too many speeding tickets. He was later called to serve in the Vietnam War. However, he was excused because medical tests showed he had diabetes.
Film Career Highlights
Early Filmmaking and First Successes
Lucas saw many inspiring films in college, especially visual films from the National Film Board of Canada. He loved making short, visual films that created feelings without telling a clear story. He was very interested in camerawork and editing. He saw himself as a filmmaker who focused on visuals, not just a director.
In 1967, Lucas went back to USC as a film student. He worked with movie designer Saul Bass and film editor Verna Fields. He also met his future wife, Marcia Griffin, during this time. Lucas directed a short film called Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB. It won first prize at a student film festival.
Lucas then received a scholarship from Warner Bros.. This allowed him to watch and work on a film of his choice. He chose Finian's Rainbow (1968), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was a hero to film students because he had made it in Hollywood. In 1969, Lucas was one of the camera operators for the famous Rolling Stones concert film Gimme Shelter.
In 1969, Lucas moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area. He and Coppola started American Zoetrope. They hoped to create a place where filmmakers could work freely, away from Hollywood's strict rules. Coppola thought Lucas's short film Electronic Labyrinth could become a full movie. This became THX 1138, but it was not a success. Lucas then started his own company, Lucasfilm, Ltd.. He directed the very successful American Graffiti (1973).
Lucas then wanted to make a movie based on Flash Gordon, an adventure series he loved as a child. When he could not get the rights, he decided to write his own space adventure. This became Star Wars. Even after his success with American Graffiti, almost every studio turned Star Wars down. Only Alan Ladd Jr. at 20th Century Fox liked American Graffiti enough to push for the film to be made. Star Wars ended up saving Fox from financial trouble. Star Wars was greatly influenced by samurai films, Spaghetti Westerns, and classic fantasy stories.
Star Wars quickly became the highest-grossing film of all time. Five years later, Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial took its place. After American Graffiti was a hit, Lucas could have asked for more money to write and direct Star Wars. But he chose to get the rights to things like toys, clothing, and future movies instead. Lucasfilm has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from these licensed products.
Making the first Star Wars film was very hard. During editing, Lucas had chest pains from stress and exhaustion. The hard work on Star Wars and its sequels also put a strain on his marriage. This was part of why he and his wife, Marcia Lucas, divorced. The success of Star Wars also brought Lucas a lot of attention, both good and bad.
Taking a Break from Directing
After the first Star Wars movie, Lucas mostly worked as a writer and producer. He worked on many Star Wars spin-offs for film, TV, and other media. He was the executive producer for the next two Star Wars films. He hired Irvin Kershner to direct The Empire Strikes Back and Richard Marquand to direct Return of the Jedi. Lucas also helped write the story for these films.
Lucas also wrote the stories and was an executive producer for the first four Indiana Jones films. His friend Steven Spielberg directed these movies. Lucas had wanted to make a film about Alexander the Great, but it was never made.
During this time, Lucas was an executive producer for many other films. These included Kurosawa's Kagemusha (1980), Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986), and Ron Howard's Willow (1988). He also worked on the Indiana Jones TV show, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–93). Not all projects were successful, like Howard the Duck (1986), which was Lucas's biggest flop.
The animation studio Pixar started in 1979 as part of Lucasfilm's computer division. Pixar's early computer graphics work led to amazing effects in films like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In 1986, Steve Jobs bought Pixar from Lucas. Lucas sold it because he wanted to stop losing money on his research into new entertainment technology. He also wanted his company to focus on making entertainment, not just tools.
In 1983, Lucas and Tomlinson Holman started the audio company THX. This company makes sound equipment for films and music. Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light & Magic are the sound and visual effects parts of Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm Games, later called LucasArts, makes video games.
Returning to Directing Star Wars and Indiana Jones
After some personal changes, Lucas was unsure about making more Star Wars movies. But the ideas for the prequel trilogy kept him interested. New CGI technology made him think about directing again. By 1993, it was announced that Lucas would make the prequels. He started writing the story, which would show how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. Lucas also decided that the prequels would be the beginning of one long story, starting with Anakin's childhood. In 1994, Lucas began writing the first prequel, called Episode I: The Beginning.
In 1997, for the 20th anniversary of Star Wars, Lucas updated the original trilogy. He added many changes using new digital technology to match his original ideas. These "Special Edition" films were re-released in theaters. They were updated again for DVD in 2004, Blu-ray in 2011, and 4K in 2019. Lucas also released a new version of THX 1138 in 2004 with CGI additions.
The first Star Wars prequel, Episode I – The Phantom Menace, was released in 1999. This was the first film Lucas had directed in over 20 years. After its release, Lucas said he would direct the next two prequels. Attack of the Clones was released in 2002. The final prequel, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, was released in 2005. Many older fans and critics thought the prequels were not as good as the original movies. However, they were very popular and made a lot of money, especially with younger fans.
Lucas worked with Jeff Nathanson to write the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Steven Spielberg directed it. Like the Star Wars prequels, this film received mixed reviews from fans and critics. From 2008 to 2014, Lucas also created and was an executive producer for a second Star Wars animated series. This was Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. It started with a feature film before the TV show aired. This series showed events between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. These were the last major Star Wars stories Lucas was involved in.
In 2012, Lucas helped fund and was an executive producer for Red Tails. This war film was about the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He also directed some re-shoots for the film.
Semi-Retirement and Later Projects
In January 2012, Lucas announced he would stop making big blockbuster films. He wanted to focus on smaller, independent movies.
In June 2012, Kathleen Kennedy became co-chair of Lucasfilm Ltd. She had worked with Steven Spielberg for a long time and produced the Indiana Jones films. It was planned that Kennedy would work with Lucas, who would stay as chief executive for at least a year. After that, she would take over as the company's only leader.
When Lucasfilm was sold to Disney, Lucas became Disney's second-largest shareholder. Lucas worked as a creative consultant for the first film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens. He attended early story meetings. Lucas's son, Jett, said his father was "very torn" about selling the rights. He wanted to guide the new films but also let them become something new. In January 2015, Lucas said that Disney did not use his story ideas for the new films.
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The Force Awakens, directed by J. J. Abrams, was released on December 18, 2015. Kathleen Kennedy produced this film and its sequels. The new sequel trilogy was made by Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company, which bought Lucasfilm in 2012. In an interview in December 2015, Lucas compared selling Lucasfilm to a divorce. He talked about creative differences with the producers of The Force Awakens. Lucas said he needed to support the company and its employees. He called the first six Star Wars films his "children" and defended his vision for them. He criticized The Force Awakens for having a "retro feel." He said, "I worked very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships – you know, to make it new."
In 2015, Lucas wrote the animated film Strange Magic, which was his first musical. The film was made at Skywalker Ranch. Around the same time, a fifth Indiana Jones movie was planned. Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg were set to return. Lucas decided not to be involved in the story of the film but remained an executive producer.
In 2016, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released. This was the first film in a Star Wars anthology series. It told the story of how the rebels stole the plans for the Death Star. It was reported that Lucas liked this film more than The Force Awakens. The Last Jedi, the second film in the sequel trilogy, came out in 2017. Lucas called the film "beautifully made."
Lucas had some involvement with Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and the Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian. He also met with J. J. Abrams before Abrams wrote the script for the final sequel trilogy film, The Rise of Skywalker, released in 2019.
Other Projects
Lucasfilm
Lucas started his film production company, Lucasfilm, in 1971. It officially became Lucasfilm Ltd. on September 12, 1977. In the mid-1970s, the company's offices were at Universal Studios Lot. Lucas also created the Star Wars Corporation, Inc. This was a part of Lucasfilm to handle legal and financial things for Star Wars (1977), like copyright and rights for sequels and merchandise. This company also produced the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.
Lucas wanted his company to focus on making independent films. But the company grew from five employees to almost 100. In 1980, Lucas made some changes to the company. By that same year, the Star Wars Corporation part was stopped, and its business was moved into other parts of Lucasfilm.
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in 1975. He wanted his 1977 film Star Wars to have visual effects that had never been seen before. The effects department at 20th Century Fox was not working. So, Lucas asked Douglas Trumbull, who was known for effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Trumbull was busy, but he suggested his assistant, John Dykstra.
Dykstra gathered a small team of students, artists, and engineers. They set up in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California. Lucas named the group Industrial Light and Magic because the area was zoned for light industrial work. This group became the Special Visual Effects department for Star Wars.
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
By June 2013, Lucas was thinking about building a museum called the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum. It would be in San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge. It would show his collection of illustrations and pop art, worth over $1 billion. Lucas offered to pay the estimated $300 million to build the museum. He would also give $400 million to help it run when it opened, and later another $400 million.
After not being able to agree on a location in San Francisco, Lucas looked at Chicago. A spot near the lake in Chicago was suggested in May 2014. By June 2014, Chicago was chosen, and the plan was approved. The museum project was renamed the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
However, on June 24, 2016, Lucas announced he would not build the museum in Chicago. This was because of a lawsuit from a local group. He decided to build the museum in California instead. On January 17, 2017, Lucas announced that the museum would be built in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California. It will be a five-story building with green space. It is expected to be finished in 2025.
Collaborations
John Williams
Lucas was very involved in the music for the original Star Wars film. The music was composed by John Williams. Steven Spielberg, Lucas's friend, recommended Williams. Lucas first wanted to use existing music, like in 2001: A Space Odyssey. But Williams suggested using repeating musical themes, called leitmotifs. These themes would help tell the story, like in classical music. Lucas had used classical pieces as temporary music for Williams to get ideas from.
The Star Wars music was highly praised. It won Williams his third Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 2005, the American Film Institute called it the greatest film score of all time. Lucas and Williams continued to work together on all of Lucas's big movie series. Williams scored the remaining two films of the original Star Wars trilogy. He also scored all three films of the prequel trilogy years later. And he scored all five Indiana Jones films, working again with Spielberg.
Williams received six of his many Academy Award nominations for his work with Lucas. After Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, Williams continued to score the last three films of the "Skywalker Saga" Star Wars movies. He then announced he would retire from the series.
Lucas often talks about how important Williams is to the Star Wars saga. He lovingly calls Williams the "secret sauce" of his movies.
Giving Back
Lucas is one of the wealthiest film celebrities in the world. His personal wealth is estimated to be between $7.5 and $9.4 billion. Lucas has promised to give half of his money to charity. This is part of an effort called The Giving Pledge, started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. It encourages rich people to donate their money to good causes.
George Lucas Educational Foundation
In 1991, The George Lucas Educational Foundation was started. It is a non-profit group that supports new ideas in schools. The foundation's information is available through Edutopia, a website, social media, and documentary films. Lucas, through his foundation, was a big supporter of the E-rate program. This program helps provide internet funding to schools and libraries. In 2008, Lucas spoke to the United States House of Representatives to support a free wireless internet network for education.
Proceeds from Lucasfilm Sale
In 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company for about $4.05 billion. It was widely reported that Lucas planned to give most of this money to charity. A spokesperson for Lucasfilm said Lucas intended to donate most of the money to his charity work. Lucas himself said, "For 41 years, most of my time and money has been put into the company. As I start a new chapter in my life, it is great that I have the chance to give more time and money to charity."
Other Initiatives
In 2005, Lucas gave $1 million to help build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. This memorial honors American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr..
On September 19, 2006, the University of Southern California announced that Lucas had donated $175–180 million to his old university. This was to expand the film school. It is the largest single donation to USC and the largest gift ever to a film school. Previous donations led to the George Lucas Instructional Building and Marcia Lucas Post-Production building.
In 2013, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson donated $25 million to After School Matters. This is a non-profit group in Chicago that Hobson leads.
In 2021, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson donated to NYU. This donation helped create the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts.
Personal Life
In 1969, Lucas married film editor Marcia Lou Griffin. She later won an Academy Award for editing the original Star Wars film. They adopted a daughter, Amanda Lucas, in 1981. They divorced in 1983. Lucas then adopted two more children as a single parent: daughter Katie Lucas, born in 1988, and son Jett Lucas, born in 1993. His three oldest children appeared in the three Star Wars prequels, as did Lucas himself. After his divorce, Lucas was in a relationship with singer Linda Ronstadt in the 1980s.
Lucas started dating Mellody Hobson in 2006. She is the president of Ariel Investments and chairwoman of Starbucks. They met in 2005 at a business conference. Lucas and Hobson announced their engagement in January 2013. They married on June 22, 2013, at Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California. They have one daughter together, born in August 2013.
Lucas grew up in a Methodist family. The religious and mythical ideas in Star Wars were inspired by Lucas's interest in the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell. Lucas later came to strongly identify with the Eastern religious philosophies he studied. These were a major inspiration for "the Force" in Star Wars. Lucas has said his religion is "Buddhist Methodist." He lives in Marin County.
Lucas collects paintings and drawings by the American illustrator Norman Rockwell. A collection of 57 Rockwell works owned by Lucas and Steven Spielberg was shown at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from 2010 to 2011.
Lucas has said he is a fan of Seth MacFarlane's TV show Family Guy. MacFarlane said that Lucasfilm was very helpful when the Family Guy team wanted to make fun of their works.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Distribution |
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| 1971 | THX 1138 | Warner Bros. |
| 1973 | American Graffiti | Universal Pictures |
| 1977 | Star Wars | 20th Century Fox |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | |
| 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith |
Awards and Honors
In 1977, Lucas received the Inkpot Award.
The American Film Institute gave Lucas its Life Achievement Award on June 9, 2005. This was soon after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was released. He joked that since he sees the whole Star Wars series as one film, he could finally get the award now that he had "finished the movie."
Lucas was nominated for four Academy Awards: for Best Directing and Writing for American Graffiti and Star Wars. He received the academy's Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1991. He appeared at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007 with Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. They presented the Best Director award to their friend Martin Scorsese. During their speech, Spielberg and Coppola joked about Lucas not having won a competitive Oscar.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame welcomed Lucas in 2006. The Discovery Channel named him one of the 100 "Greatest Americans" in September 2008. Lucas was the Grand Marshal for the Tournament of Roses Parade and made the coin toss at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 2007. In 2009, he was one of 13 people added to the California Hall of Fame.
In July 2013, President Barack Obama gave Lucas the National Medal of Arts. This was for his important contributions to American cinema. In October 2014, Lucas became an Honorary Member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
In August 2015, Lucas was named a Disney Legend. On December 6, 2015, he was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, for Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary, an action figure of Lucas dressed as a stormtrooper was released.
In May 2024, Lucas received the Honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This is one of the highest honors in the film industry.
See also
In Spanish: George Lucas para niños
- The Making of Star Wars
