# George Lucas ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2025-08-23_George_Lucas.jpg|400]] **George Walton Lucas Jr.** (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the *Star Wars* and *Indiana Jones* franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to the Walt Disney Company in 2012. ## Key Information - **Born**: May 14, 1944 in Modesto, California, U.S. - **Age**: 81 years old - **Education**: Modesto Junior College, University of Southern California (BFA) - **Known for**: *Star Wars* franchise, *Indiana Jones* franchise, *American Graffiti*, *THX 1138* - **Companies**: Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, THX, Skywalker Sound - **Spouses**: Marcia Griffin (1969–1983), Mellody Hobson (2013–present) ## Career and Contributions After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967, Lucas moved to San Francisco and co-founded American Zoetrope with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. He wrote and directed *THX 1138* (1971), which was a critical success but a financial failure. His next work was *American Graffiti* (1973), which was critically and commercially successful and received five Academy Award nominations. Lucas's next film, the epic space opera *Star Wars* (1977), had a troubled production but was a surprise hit, becoming the highest-grossing film at the time, winning six Academy Awards and sparking a cultural phenomenon. He produced and co-wrote the sequels *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980) and *Return of the Jedi* (1983). With director Steven Spielberg, he created the *Indiana Jones* franchise, producing *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), *The Temple of Doom* (1984), *The Last Crusade* (1989) and *The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull* (2008). In 1997, Lucas re-released the original *Star Wars* trilogy as a Special Edition, and returned to directing with a prequel trilogy comprising *The Phantom Menace* (1999), *Attack of the Clones* (2002) and *Revenge of the Sith* (2005). ## Legacy and Impact Nominated for four Academy Awards, Lucas is considered to be one of the most significant figures of the 20th-century New Hollywood movement, and a pioneer of the modern blockbuster. He is one of history's most financially successful filmmakers, having directed or written the story for ten of the 100 highest-grossing movies at the North American box office. In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Lucas has founded and supported multiple philanthropic organizations and campaigns dedicated to education and the arts, including the George Lucas Educational Foundation and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[George Lucas]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[George Lucas]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #books AND [[George Lucas]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[The Hero with a Thousand Faces (book)]] <!-- SerializedQuery END -->