George Lucas

BIOGRAPHY

George Walton Lucas was born in Modesto, California to George Walton Lucas, Sr. and Dorothy Ellinore Bomberger Lucas. His father, who was mainly of British and Swiss heritage, ran a stationery store and owned a small walnut orchard. His mother was a member of a prominent Modesto family (one of her cousins is the mother of former U.S. Secretary Of Agriculture Ann Veneman ) and was mainly of German and Scots-Irish heritage.

Lucas attended Thomas Downey High School, where he was an indifferent student at best and dreamed of becoming a professional race car driver. That early dream ended June 12 , 1962 , when he crashed his Bianchina . The car was clipped from behind while he tried to make a left turn into his driveway. The car rolled; the racing harness that he had installed snapped, and he was thrown from the car. Had the harness not snapped—and Lucas has said it shouldn't have—he would most likely have been crushed to death by the steering column when the car smashed into a walnut tree. (The force of the impact uprooted the tree).

During his recovery, Lucas reevaluated his life and decided to go to college. He enrolled at Modesto Junior College , where he earned an AA degree, then transferred to the University Of Southern California 's School Of Cinema-Television . USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to film studies. There he made a number of short films, including an early version of '' THX 1138 '' (the complete title was "Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB"), which later became his first full-length feature film.

After graduating with a bachelor of fine arts in film in 1966, he drifted a little, trying to figure out what to do next. He tried joining the Air Force as an officer, but was turned down because of his numerous speeding tickets. He was later drafted by the Army, but tests showed he had Diabetes , which killed his paternal grandfather. Lucas was prescribed medication for the disease and does not seem to have required insulin. In 1967, Lucas re-enrolled as a USC graduate student in film production.

Eventually he co-founded the studio '' (1977), Lucas was able to set up his own studio, Lucasfilm , in Marin County in his native northern California. Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light And Magic , the sound and visual effects subdivisions of Lucasfilm, respectively, have become among the most respected firms in their fields. Lucasfilm Games, later renamed to LucasArts , was for many years highly regarded in the gaming industry.

''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' is considered by some to be the first " High Concept " Film , although others feel the first was Steven Spielberg 's '' Jaws '', released two years prior. Lucas and Spielberg had been good friends for some time and eventually worked together on several films, notably the first Indiana Jones vehicle, '' Raiders Of The Lost Ark '' in 1981.

On a return on investment basis, '' estimated Lucas' personal wealth at $3 billion. In 2005 Forbes.com estimated the lifetime revenue generated by the ''Star Wars'' franchise at nearly $20 billion.

Lucas was fined by the Directors Guild Of America for refusing to have a standard Title Sequence in his ''Star Wars'' films. After paying the fine, he quit the guild. This made it hard for him to find a director for some of his later projects. According to some, he wanted his friend Spielberg to direct some of the later ''Star Wars'' movies, but as a member of the guild, Spielberg may have been unable to do so. Spielberg has repeatedly stated that Lucas consciously did not let him direct any ''Star Wars'' films, despite the fact that Spielberg wanted to. Other directors Lucas pursued to aid him were David Lynch and David Cronenberg , both of whom declined.

On October 3 1994 , Lucas started to write the three ''Star Wars'' prequels, and on November 1 that year, he left the day-to-day operations of his filmmaking business and started a sabbatical to finish the prequels.

The American Film Institute awarded Lucas its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2005. He received the award on June 9 , 2005 . {Link without Title}

On June 5 2005 , Lucas was named 100th " Greatest American " by the Discovery Channel .

In , and Jett, born in 1993 . All three of his children have appeared in the prequels.

In 2005, Lucas gave $1 million to help build the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to commemorate American Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. .

INNOVATOR

Besides his directorial and production work on movies, Lucas is the most significant contemporary contributor to modern movie technology. In ''). Through ILM, Lucas spurred the further development of Computer Graphics , Film Laser Scanner s and the earliest use of 3D Computer Character Animation in a film, '' Young Sherlock Holmes ''. Lucas sold his early computer development unit to Steve Jobs in 1986 , which was renamed Pixar .

Lucas is also responsible for the modern Sound System s found in many movie theaters. Though Lucas didn't invent THX , he is responsible for its development. The acronym ostensibly stands for "Tomlinson Holman eXperiment" after its chief engineer, however, it is obviously a reference to Lucas' first film.

Now Lucas is spearheading '' almost completely digitally. He showed the result to a select audience of the Hollywood elite, before the movie's general release. For the presentation, Lucas used a special digital projection system. The attendees said the movie had the clearest and sharpest presentation they had ever seen.

Despite the successful demonstration of the technology, movie studios are slow to move to this new model, in part because of the high price of the digital equipment.

CONTROVERSY

See Also: Lucas Bashing

See Also: Fan criticism of George Lucas

Being the creator of an extremely popular work (''Star Wars''), Lucas has undergone severe Criticism From ''Star Wars'' Fans when he has gone back and altered ''Star Wars''. This first occurred with the Star Wars 1997 Special Editions , which primarily consisted of cosmetic changes, but had some controversial elements such as the anti-hero Han Solo Shooting In Self Defense instead of in aggression. It occurred again with the 2004 DVD Release of the original trilogy.

In addition, the mixed reviews and an increased level of vocalized disappointment by some fans relating to the ''Star Wars'' Prequel Trilogy films have greatly stoked the debate concerning Lucas' treatment of certain characters and concepts in comparison to the 1977-1983 Star Wars films.

Changes Lucas personally made to '' THX 1138 '' for its 2004 DVD release further re-enforced criticism from fans who felt that he was spoiling the integrity of his original films.

Lucas is also viewed by some to be anti-union. He dropped his membership in the directors guild when they fined him $250,000 for the fact that ''Star Wars'' had no opening credits. He subsequently filmed the remaining ''Star Wars'' films primarily outside of the United States, and primarily with non-union crew.

These anti-union allegations, however, have been contradicted by major national unions. The AFL-CIO awarded Lucas with the Top Labor Management Award in 2002.

FILMOGRAPHY

Most notable films

'' THX 1138 '' ( 1970 ) (director, writer)

'' American Graffiti '' ( 1973 ) (director, writer)

'''' ( 1977 ) (director, writer)

'''' ( 1980 ) (executive producer, co-writer, uncredited co-director)

'' Raiders Of The Lost Ark '' ( 1981 ) (co-writer, executive producer)

'''' ( 1983 ) (executive producer, co-writer, uncredited co-director)

'' Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom '' ( 1984 ) (co-writer, executive producer)

'' Labyrinth '' ( 1986 ) (executive producer)

'' Willow '' ( 1988 ) (writer, executive producer)

'''' ( 1988 ) (executive producer)

'' Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade '' ( 1989 ) (co-writer, executive producer)

'' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles '' ( 1992 - 1996 ) (story, executive producer)

'''' ( 1999 ) (director, writer, executive producer)

'''' ( 2002 ) (director, co-writer, executive producer)

'''' ( 2005 ) (director, writer, executive producer)

'' Indiana Jones 4 '' ( 2007 ) (story, executive producer)

'' Red Tails '' ( 2007 )

Student and short films

'' Look At Life '' ( 1965 )

'' Herbie '' ( 1966 )

'''' ( 1966 )

'' The Emperor, '' ( 1967 )

'''' ( 1967 )

'' Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town '' ( 1967 )

'' 6-18-67 '' ( 1967 )

'' Filmaker '' ( 1968 )

Other films

'' More American Graffiti '' ( 1979 ) (executive producer)

'' Kagemusha '' also known as '' The Shadow Warrior '' ( 1980 ) (Executive Producer of International Edition)

'' Body Heat '' ( 1981 ) (uncredited executive producer)

'' Twice Upon A Time '' ( 1982 ) (executive producer)

'''' ( 1984 ) (executive producer, story)

'''' ( 1985 ) (executive producer, story)

'' Mishima '' ( 1985 ) (executive producer)

'' Howard The Duck '' ( 1986 ) (executive producer)

'' Captain Eo '' ( 1986 ) (producer, screenplay)

'' The Land Before Time '' ( 1988 ) (executive producer)

'' Hook '' ( 1991 ) (cameo as "man kissing on bridge")

'' Beverly Hills Cop III '' ( 1994 ) (cameo as "Disappointed Man")

'' Radioland Murders '' ( 1994 ) (story)

TRIVIA

George was parodied as ''Randall Curtis'' on The Simpsons

Made a cameo appearance (in a film of his own direction) in the ''Star Wars'' series in ''''.

In 1976 , Lucas published a novelization of ''A New Hope'', which was initially (like the film) titled just ''Star Wars''. Although Lucas was credited as author of the book, it was later revealed that the book was actually Ghost Written by Alan Dean Foster , who would also write '' Splinter Of The Mind's Eye '', the first original ''Star Wars'' novel and, in many respects, the first ''Star Wars'' sequel.

As a tribute to his first film, '' THX-1138 '', it is said that each of his films (most notably the ''Star Wars'' saga) contains the number 1138 hidden as an Easter Egg , and each of his movies are also made with the sound company, THX . It is also rumored that while growing up in California, the last seven digits of his home telephone number were 849-1138, where the 849 corresponds with the letters THX on a standard telephone.

Was an executive producer of the Box Office bomb '' Howard The Duck ''. He disowned the film shortly after its release.

Lucas credits his friend John Milius with introducing him to the films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa , whose works (particularly '' Seven Samurai '' and '' The Hidden Fortress '') inspired the ''Star Wars'' films. For example, ''The Hidden Fortress'' includes two ubiquitous and sometimes humorous infantry soldiers who are said to have inspired R2-D2 and C-3PO; an aging master samurai on a quest to deliver a princess back to her people, said to be the inspiration for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia in Episode IV; and the hidden fortress itself, belonging to the princess's people, which the dominant clan is trying to find and destroy, said to inspire the rebel base on Yavin and the Empire's quest to find and destroy it in Episode IV. He would later repay the favor by signing on (along with '' Francis Ford Coppola '') as executive producer for Kurosawa's film '' Kagemusha ''.

Lucas also based his '' Star Wars '' films on the scholarship of Joseph Campbell , particularly Campbell's 1949 text, '' The Hero With A Thousand Faces '', which deals with the idea of common elements across hero mythologies in many or all human cultures. These include, for example, the hero being called on a quest, the hero initially being reluctant to go but then receiving new motivation by unfolding events, the hero being guided by a wise elder who cannot remain to help the hero, and the hero wielding a magic or shining sword; all elements incorporated into the story of Luke Skywalker in Episode IV. Campbell's publisher returned the favor by depicting Luke Skywalker alongside mythological heroes like Gilgamesh and Odysseus on the cover of a later edition of ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces''.

George Lucas was honored by the AFI, and was given a Life Achievement Award for his contribution to the movie entertainment industry. This was awarded shortly after the release of , which he jokingly made reference to in his acceptance speech, stating that, since he views the entire Star Wars as one movie, that he could be given the award now that he had finally "gone back and finished {Link without Title} movie."

Lucas is a member of the United Methodist Church , though conflicting reports describe him as either stating that he doesn't adhere to a specific religion or as a "Buddhist-Methodist"

In his spare time, Lucas enjoys playing ''Star Wars'' video games with his children. He has also been known to read some of the ''Star Wars'' comic books, including '''' multimedia project so well, that if he had had the story in the 80's, he might have produced a film based on the events in it.

Friend Steven Spielberg called Lucas a pure independent filmmaker, as Lucas is very ensconced in Northern California in Marin County and the San Francisco area, and actively rejects the institutions of Hollywood .

He based the character of Han Solo on his friend Francis Ford Coppola .

His nickname in high school was Luke. This later became the name of the hero of his original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, Luke Skywalker.

Sold Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Division to Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs , and it later became Pixar Animation Studios .

Appeared as himself in a cameo in an episode of The O.C. ("The O.Sea", aired May 12, 2005).

Made as an Action Figure in 2002 with the name "Jorg Sacul." In 2006, a toy based on his appearance in Revenge of the Sith was created, as well as a mail-away special figure of George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise.

Never attended his high school prom.

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	NAME	Lucas, George
	SHORT DESCRIPTION	American filmmaker
	DATE OF BIRTH	May 14 , 1944
	PLACE OF BIRTH	Modesto, California

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