Thursday, May 12, 2005
THE LUCAS FILE
Name: George Walton Lucas Jr.
Birthdate: May 14, 1944, in Modesto, Calif.
Height: 5 feet, 6 inches.
Background: Father was a stationery store owner. Lucas wanted to become a professional race car driver before he was injured in a crash. He went to Modesto Junior College before enrolling in the University of Southern California film school.
Did you know? Lucas agreed to forgo his directing salary for "Star Wars" in exchange for 40 percent 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.
DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER
Besides being the creative mind behind the "Star Wars" saga, George Lucas has been attached to a lot of other films. Here's a sampling:
AS DIRECTOR:
"THX 1138" (1971).
"American Graffiti" (1973).
"Star Wars" (1977).
"Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" (1999).
"Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" (2002).
"Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" (2005).
AS PRODUCER:
"More American Graffiti" (1979 -- directed by Bill L. Norton).
"Kagemusha" (1980 -- directed by Akira Kurosawa).
"Star Wars: Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back" (1980 -- directed by Irvin Kershner).
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981 -- directed by Steven Spielberg).
"Body Heat" (1981 -- directed by Lawrence Kasdan).
"Star Wars: Episode VI -- Return of the Jedi" (1983 -- directed by Richard Marquand).
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984 -- directed by Steven Spielberg).
"Howard the Duck" (1986 -- directed by Willard Huyck).
"Tucker: The Man and His Dream" (1988 -- directed by Francis Ford Coppola).
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989 -- directed by Steven Spielberg).
Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers