George Lucas Bio (Biography)
Real name:
George Walton Lucas Jr.
Date of birth:
May 14. 1944
Place of birth:
Modesto, California, USA
Astrology Sign:
Taurus
Height:
5' 6
Tags:
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Biography
Dreams can change with time.
George Lucas knows this only too well having envisioned himself as a totally different person when growing up.
The Modesto, Californian walnut ranch man loved drag car racing and was actively involved in it when attending Downey High School in his hometown.
But his dreams of becoming a professional race car driver were shattered after a serious car accident that occurred just at the time of his high school grad.
Race car driving was put on the back burner and film school became his new goal. At the University of Southern California, Lucas worked tirelessly on films and managed to produce several shorts even back then including one called THX-1138 4EB which won first prize at the national 1967-1968 Student Film Festival.
IN 1967, he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of the 1968 classic Finian's Rainbow, a film directed by award-winner Franics Ford Coppola.
Lucas and Coppola, at that time, became a powerhouse team and formed a company called American Zoetrope in 1969. The company's first project was easy to pick as Lucas decidedly knew it had to be a full-length version of his THX film.
The seventies were a busy time for Lucas who started the decade with producing The Godfather. At the time of its launch, Lucas was able to form his own company Lucasfilm Ltd. And in 1973 he wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical American Graffiti which won a Golden Globe and five Academy Award nominations.
Perhaps inspired by its success Lucas was ready for another challenge and started what is now spoken of his most daring project, writing the Star Wars trilogy that hit movie theatres by storm in 1977.
The trilogy was such a big undertaking Lucas had many challenges in producing it. A company called Sprocket Systems, later known as Skywalker Sound, had to be established to edit and mix Star Wars. He did not have many willing studios to work with so had to make an agreement with Twentieth Century Fox when they said they would take it on. Lucas was willing to forgo his directing salary in exchange for 40 per cent of the film's box office take and all merchandising rights.
His entrepreneurial instincts were right and the movie went on to break all box office records.
And just like Midas and the golden touch, Lucas went on to make one successful film after another from this point forward which included his partnership projects with Steven Spielberg.
Recognizing visionary talent, in 1992 Lucas Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his lifetime achievement.
George Lucas knows this only too well having envisioned himself as a totally different person when growing up.
The Modesto, Californian walnut ranch man loved drag car racing and was actively involved in it when attending Downey High School in his hometown.
But his dreams of becoming a professional race car driver were shattered after a serious car accident that occurred just at the time of his high school grad.
Race car driving was put on the back burner and film school became his new goal. At the University of Southern California, Lucas worked tirelessly on films and managed to produce several shorts even back then including one called THX-1138 4EB which won first prize at the national 1967-1968 Student Film Festival.
IN 1967, he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of the 1968 classic Finian's Rainbow, a film directed by award-winner Franics Ford Coppola.
Lucas and Coppola, at that time, became a powerhouse team and formed a company called American Zoetrope in 1969. The company's first project was easy to pick as Lucas decidedly knew it had to be a full-length version of his THX film.
The seventies were a busy time for Lucas who started the decade with producing The Godfather. At the time of its launch, Lucas was able to form his own company Lucasfilm Ltd. And in 1973 he wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical American Graffiti which won a Golden Globe and five Academy Award nominations.
Perhaps inspired by its success Lucas was ready for another challenge and started what is now spoken of his most daring project, writing the Star Wars trilogy that hit movie theatres by storm in 1977.
The trilogy was such a big undertaking Lucas had many challenges in producing it. A company called Sprocket Systems, later known as Skywalker Sound, had to be established to edit and mix Star Wars. He did not have many willing studios to work with so had to make an agreement with Twentieth Century Fox when they said they would take it on. Lucas was willing to forgo his directing salary in exchange for 40 per cent of the film's box office take and all merchandising rights.
His entrepreneurial instincts were right and the movie went on to break all box office records.
And just like Midas and the golden touch, Lucas went on to make one successful film after another from this point forward which included his partnership projects with Steven Spielberg.
Recognizing visionary talent, in 1992 Lucas Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his lifetime achievement.