George Lucas Biography

George Lucas was born George Walton Lucas Jr. on May 14, 1944, in Modesto, California, USA, to Dorothy Ellinore Lucas and George Walton Lucas. His father was the owner of a stationery store.

He was raised in the Central Valley town neighborhood of Modesto. Since his younger days, he was passionate about cars and motor racing. This is reflected in his future films as well.

He spent most of his school days taking part in racing competitions and underground circuits. He initially dreamt of making a career in car racing but changed his mind after he met with a near-fatal car accident on June 12, 1962.

He attended ‘Modesto Junior College’ where he studied anthropology, sociology, and literature among many other subjects. It was during his college days that he became interested in filmmaking.

He later attended the ‘University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts’ and obtained a degree in fine arts in film studies in 1967. He tried joining the ‘United States Air Force’ but was rejected because of his speeding tickets.

While he was a student at the ‘Southern California School of Cinematic Arts,’ he made a number of short films like 'Look at Life,' 'Herbie,' 'Freiheit,' '1:42.08,' and 'The Emperor.'

In 1967, he wrote and directed a short science fiction film titled ‘Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB.' The film won the first prize at the ‘National Student Film Festival.’

In 1973, he co-wrote and directed a film titled 'American Graffiti,' which was a coming-of-age film. The film was critically acclaimed and earned an ‘Academy Award’ nomination.

In 1977, he wrote and directed the American epic space opera film ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.' The following year, he was one of the creators and executive producers of the TV show ‘Star Wars Holiday Special.’

In 1979, he produced and co-wrote the comedy-drama film 'More American Graffiti.' The next year, he served as the executive producer of 'Kagemusha' and 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.'

In 1981, he co-wrote and produced the fantasy adventure film ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ also known as ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ The same year, he was also the executive producer of the film ‘Body Heat,’ but his work was uncredited.

In 1983, he co-wrote the screenplay for the third film in the ‘Star Wars’ series, ‘Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.’ The same year, he was the executive producer of the animated film ‘Twice Upon a Time.’

In 1984, he wrote the story for Steven Spielberg’s fantasy-adventure film 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.' The same year, he wrote the story for the TV film ‘The Ewok Adventure.’

In 1985, he served as the executive producer for films, such as ‘Latino’ and 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.' That year, he also produced the TV shows, ‘Star Wars Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO,’ ‘Ewoks,’ and ‘Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.’

In 1986, he was the executive producer for 'Howard the Duck' and 'Labyrinth.' After two years, he was the executive producer for films, such as ‘Willow,’ 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream,' 'Powaqqatsi,' and 'The Land Before Time.'

In 1989, he co-wrote and produced Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.’ This was the third film in the ‘Indiana Jones’ film series.

In 1992, he created and developed the American TV series ‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,’ which was aired on the ABC network. After two years, he co-wrote and produced the film ‘Radioland Murders.’

In 1999, he wrote and directed the American epic space opera film 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.' This was the fourth film of the ‘Star Wars’ franchise.

In 2002, he wrote and directed ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones,’ the fifth film in the ‘Star Wars’ film series. The film was a commercial success and received mixed to positive reviews from the critics.

In 2003, he co-created the ‘Emmy’ award-winning animated micro-series ‘Star Wars: Clone Wars,' which was inspired by the 'Star Wars' universe.

In 2005, he wrote and directed the sixth film in the ‘Star Wars’ film series, 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.' The film was a massive success at the box office.

In 2008, he co-wrote the story for 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,' the fourth film in the 'Indiana Jones' film series. That year, he also co-produced the film ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars.’

In 2012, he was the executive producer of the American war film ‘Red Tails.’ The same year, he announced his semi-retirement from large-scale films and chose to focus on smaller, independent films.

His next project after his semi-retirement was the 2015 computer-animated musical fantasy film ‘Strange Magic’ for which he wrote the story and also served as the executive producer.

He served as the creative consultant for the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy: ‘The Force Awakens’ (2015), ‘The Last Jedi’ (2017), and ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019).

The year 2023 saw the release of the American action-adventure film ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ directed by James Mangold. It was the fifth and final installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and the only film in the series that was not based on a story by George Lucas. Nevertheless, he still served as the executive producer of the film.

He created the ‘Star Wars’ film series, which became immensely successful at the box office. The success of the film series resulted in the creation of video games, comic books, and television series.

He also created the famous movie character ‘Indiana Jones,’ which is one of cinema’s most revered characters.

In 1978, he received the 'Evening Standard British Film Award' under the 'Best Film' category for 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.'

In 1980, he won the ‘Hugo Award’ under the ‘Best Dramatic Presentation’ category for the film ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’

In 1983, he won the ‘Hugo Award’ under the ‘Best Dramatic Presentation’ category for the film ‘Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.’

In 1969, he married Marcia Lou Griffin, a film editor, and together they adopted a girl named Amanda Lucas. George and Marcia divorced in 1983.

As a single father, he adopted two children, Katie Lucas and Jett Lucas.

He was romantically involved with singer Linda Ronstadt. He also dated Mellody Hobson, president of ‘Ariel Investments’ and chair of ‘DreamWorks Animation.’ He got married to Mellody Hobson in 2013. They have a daughter, born through a gestational carrier.

This famous Hollywood director collects the artworks of American illustrator and painter Norman Rockwell.

He suffers from diabetes.

He is the founder of the non-profit organization ‘The George Lucas Educational Foundation,' which aims to foster innovation in schools.

George Lucas originally wanted to be a racecar driver before pursuing a career in filmmaking.

He is an avid collector of vintage movie posters and memorabilia, with a particular interest in classic Hollywood films.

Lucas created the character of Yoda based on his own personality traits, including his wisdom and calm demeanor.

He is a strong advocate for education and has donated millions of dollars to support educational initiatives, including the George Lucas Educational Foundation.