George Lucas

Lucas originally intended Obi-Wan Kenobi to be asian becuase of his love for Kurosawa movies but the studios disagreed with him and he came to see their point of view.

Lucas's second choice for the role of Princess Leia was Jodie Foster.

If George Lucas had directed Apocalypse Now as had been originally intended then Harrison Ford would have worked on three films he had directed. American Graffiti and Star Wars would have been the other two.

Apocalypse Now which George Lucas nearly directed had Harrison Ford amongst its cast. Harrison would later go on to star in Lucas's Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies.

Lucas was originally going to direct Apocalypse Now before Coppola decided to direct it himself.

After his tragic car crash, examiners of Lucas's car concluded that if the seat belt that snapped throwing George from the car had worked he would have been killed instantly.

In 1962, when Lucas was involved in a serious car accident, he was driving a Fiat Biancina.

Lucas's birth sign is Taurus.

Lucas' biggest disappointment in his life is his failed marriage.

Lucas used to read the Landmark history books.

A lot of the books George liked when he was a kid are 18th and 19th century seafaring novels.

When george was at school he was much more interested in the social sciences than mathematics and the language arts.

Lucas is very interested in history and he is very interested in doing some historical pieces.

Lucas was drafted into the army but was released from duty because he was discovered to have diabetes.

Forbes has estimated Lucas's yearly salary to be 225 million US dollars.

Lucas recently announced the planned production of a 'Star Wars' television series based between episodes three and four. According to rumour the show will be entitled 'A Galaxy Far Away'.

George has been nominated for four academy awards. Two for directing (American Graffiti and Star Wars: A New Hope) and two for writing (American Graffiti and Star Wars: A New Hope).

When accepting his Life Time Achievement Award at the same time 'Star Wars Episode 3' was released, Lucas joked that since he viewed 'Star Wars' as one movie that he could finally be given this award for at least completing the film.

In 2004, Forbes estimated Lucas to be worth 3 billion US dollars. In 2005, Forbes estimated that the lifetime income that Star Wars would generate would be 20 billion US dollars.

One of George's student films 'THX 1138' won first prize at the 1967-68 National Student Film Festival and would later on become George's first feature film.

George made a series of short films at USC, the first being 'Freiheit' Most of his films involved elements of the science fiction genre and would go on to influence his later projects.

George shared his dorm at USC with Randal Kleiser who went on to direct the musical hit 'Grease'.

Lucas was an uncredited executive producer on the film 'Body Heat' which has received much critical acclaim.

George Lucas appeared on 'the Stephen Colbert Report' as George L. a contestant in the green screen challenge.

At the end of the 'Stephen Colbert Report' in which George Lucas appeared, George and Stephen fought each other with fake lightsabers.

On October the 11th 2006, George appeared on an episode of 'the Stephen Colbert Report' where they wraped up the green screen challenge. The green screen challenge involved Colbert fighting with a lightsaber, a Lucas creation, in front of a green screen and then competitors using the footage to make special effects sequences.

The character of Luke in Star Wars which Lucas admits was partially based on himself is desperate to join the rebel alliance. This mimics Lucas's desire while growing up to become a race car driver, a dream that was tragically shattered.

Lucas attributes the scene in Star Wars: A New Hope where Luke and Han fend off tie fighters from the Millenium Falcon's gunner stations to the war film 'Dam Busters". In fact nearly every shot and piece of dialogue in the Star Wars scene resembles the same scene in "Dam Busters".

For Star War's twentieth anniversery, in 1997, George Lucas re-released the films in cinemas with updated special effects and added scenes.

Lucas was so impressed with Frank Oz's Yoda in the film 'The Empire Strikes Back' that he campaigned for him to be nominated for an oscar for his role. However the academy decided against it stating that voice and puppet actors are ineligible for academy award nominations.

Lucas's Star Wars has spawned many parody films most notably Mel Brook's 'Spaceballs' and the more recent 'Thumb Wars'.

George Lucas based the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope on the bar in the classic Bogart film 'Casablanca'.

George Lucas uses green and blue screens as opposed to sets in the Star Wars prequels for most scenes. However in the original trilogy, before the development of this technology, locations were used such as studios in the UK and outdoor locations in Tunisia.

Lucas displays the themes of destiny versus freewill, emotions versus reasoning and morality in all six of the Star Wars films.

George Lucas stated following the release of 'Revenge of the Sith' that it was the only installment of the prequel trilogy that he was satisfied with.

George Lucas is currently working on a 3D animated version of the successful cartoon series 'Clone Wars'. However he hasn't sold the production to a network yet. He is also working on a film entitled 'Red Tails' ,which he will direct, about the first black pilots in the US air force.

During a speech at USC in 2006, following his donation of US$175 million, George Lucas outlined his belief that the film industry was dying out and that Lucasfilm would be shifting their attentions from the big screen to the small screen (T.V).

In 2006, George Lucas donated US$175 million to the film school at the University of Southern California to rejuvenate the institution from which he graduated in 1962 and to promote the pursuit of a career in film amongst university students.

In late 2000, George Lucas set up the first Star Wars Fan Film Awards in an attempt to provide a creative outlet for fans to show their admiration for the films through films of their own. Lucas, unlike many other franchise owners, allowed his fans a lot of freedom with their films with very few restrictions. Those being, no use of copyrighted material and no expansion of the existing Star Wars universe.

In 2005, when George Lucas was awarded the life time achievement award he was asked what musical performance he would like at the ceremony. He asked for a band his daughter would like and so Maroon 5 were chosen to perform.

George Lucas created and owns THX, a sound company named after his first film 'THX 1138'.

Lucas's character Han Solo redefined the anti-hero on screen. His most recent incarnation would be the loveable but troubled Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly.

Lucas's Star Wars changed the face of cinema and the entertainment industry forever. It has influenced other films and t.v shows, most recently Joss Whedon's Firefly and has been parodied in many films and shows most recently in a several animated comedies (South Park, Family Guy, The Simpsons).

The engineer's onboard the death star get their appearance's from Lucas's first film 'THX 1138'.

George Lucas's infamous villain Darth Vader was created from Lucas's fascination with Japanese Samurai's. Similarities between Vader and the villain in Kurosawa's 'Hidden Fortress' can be easily seen.

Lucas had originally based the character of C3P0 on a used car salesman he knew growing up. However he grew found of Anthony Daniel's british butler version of the android and decided to stick with it.

George Lucas refused to allow Harrison Ford to audition for Star Wars as he had previously worked with him on American Graffiti and Lucas wanted a fresh, new cast. However he allowed Ford to read lines for auditioning actors. After looking at hundreds of actors, including Kurt Russell, Lucas could see no other option than to allow Ford to play the role after he had impressed with his charismatic line reading.

George Lucas drew many of the elements from which Star Wars was created from films and books that had influenced him. Most notably, the Flash Gordon t.v serials, the films of Akira Kurosawa such as 'Hidden Fortress' and 'Yojimbo', and writer Joseph Campbell's work on the origins of myth. Lucas blended these elements with his own ideas to create the Space Opera that is Star Wars.

In one version of George Lucas's Star Wars: A new hope, Han Solo was a reptillian alien and Luke Skywalker was a 60 year old general.

George Lucas used a portion of his earnings from the orignal Star Wars trilogy build Skywalker Ranch. It has become a sanctuary for George away from the problems in hollywood and is where he and his employees at lucasarts and THX work continue their work.

George Lucas didn't direct Star Wars episodes five and six. Episode five was directed by Irvin Kershner and Episode six by Richard Marquand although originally Lucas had hoped that Spielberg would direct it.

George Lucas joined the long list of celebrities lampooned by South Park. It happened in South Park episode 88 entitled "Free Hat".

George Lucas wrote the Star Wars Prequels as well as Episode 4: A New Hope. However for episode 5: Empire strikes back and episode 6: Return of the Jedi, he came up with the story and co-wrote the screenplay.

In 2005 ILM and Lucas Arts moved their headquarters to a new complex called the Letterman Digital Arts Centre in San Fransisco.

George Lucas announced the creation of a new division of Lucasfilm, called Lucas Animation that will work on the 3-D animation required for the proposed clone wars animated series.

George: The script is what you`ve dreamed up-this is what it should be. The film is what you end up with.

Writer for Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones.

George: The sound and music are 50%of the entertainment in a movie.

George was once credited as Lucas.

Rather ironically, Lucas comments: "A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."

He originally wanted to do a film adaptation of Flash Gordon, but he could not obtain the rights, so he created Star Wars instead!

His favorite stage of film making is editing the film together.

According to Lucas, one of the themes in all of his films is man's relationship to machines and technology - either controlling them, or being controlled by them.

During the filming of Star Wars Lucas was sent to the hospital suffering from hyper-tension.

He originally wanted his friend Steven Spielberg to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), but a dispute with the Director's Guild of America barred him from doing so. He instead settled for director Richard Marquand.

His name backwards is Egroeg Sacul. This name is also used in the Disney theme park ride Star Tours!

Lucas is a diabetic.

Lucas provided all the funding for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).

He graduated from USC's school of cinema (1962).

George Lucas has been 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.

For Star Wars Lucas agreed to forgo his directing salary in exchange for 40% of the film's box-office take and all merchandising rights. The movie went on to break all box office records and earned seven Academy Awards. It redefined the term "blockbuster". Lucas has so earned almost a $1 billion off of the franchise.

He wrote the screenplay for Star Wars between 1973 and 1974. His movie was turned down by several studios until Twentieth Century Fox gave him a chance.

In 1967 he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of Finian's Rainbow (a 1968 film) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Coppola became such good friends that they formed a production company called American Zoetrope in 1969.

During his late teens he went to Downey High School and was very much interested in drag car racing. He planned to become a professional racecar driver. However a terrible car accident just after his high school graduation ended that dream permanently.

His father was a stationery store owner.

George Lucas was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California.

He is Chairman of the Board of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, set up to help children that would not otherwise receive the help they need.

In 2005, the year the final Star Wars film was released, George made an astonishing $44 Million of of the franchise.

Lucas recently made a cameo appearence on the O.C. - but only because his teenage daughter is a huge fan of the show.

George is great friends with Steven Spieberg, so much so that they produced the Indiana Jones films together, and also set a film company up with one another.

In 1992, George Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 1973, Lucas co-wrote and directed his second movie "American Graffiti". The film won a Golden Globe, a New York Film Critics' and a National Society of Film Critics' awards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

George Lucas said he was a terrible student in high school.

Lucas sold Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Division to Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs, becoming later Pixar Animation Studio.

Lucas named his "Star Wars" character "Luke Skywalker" because Luke was his nickname in high school.

Lucas based his "Star Wars" character "Han Solo" on his friend Francis Ford Coppola.

Lucas is a member of the United Methodist Church, but he says that he doesn't adhere to a specific religion.

In 2005, Lucas donated $1 million to help build a memorial in Washington D.C. for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..

On October 3, 1994, Lucas started to write the three Star Wars prequels.

In his early years, George co-founded the studio American Zoetrope with Francis Ford Coppola.

George Lucas tried joining the Air Force as an officer, but was turned down because of his numerous speeding tickets.

Lucas directed his first movie, "THX 1138", in 1970.

George Lucas is the president of Lucasfilm Ltd, LucasArts Entertainment Company, Lucas Digital Ltd, Lucas Licensing, LucasBooks and Lucas Learning Ltd.

The Directors Guild of America fined Lucas for refusing to have a standard title sequence in his "Star Wars" films; he quit the guild after paying the fine.

Lucas originally wanted to do a "Flash Gordon" movie but he couldn't get the rights so he decided to create his own epic story, that's how he came up with the idea of "Star Wars".

In 1987, Lucas created and supervised the construction of a Disneyland ride based on "Star Wars" called "Star Tours".

George Lucas was honored with The American Film Institute's (AFI) annual lifetime achievement award on June, 2005.

George made a cameo appearance in his last Star Wars movie: "Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith", he played Baron Papanoidea.

George Lucas has three adopted children: Amanda Lucas born in 1981, Katie Lucas born in 1988, and Jett Lucas born on 1993.

George was married to Marcia Lucas from 1969 to 1983 when he got divorced.

His birth name is George Walton Lucas Jr.

His first movie was called THX 1138.

He is the creative mind behind all 6 movies of the star wars saga and the indiana jones series of movies.