Photo: nicolas genin, CC BY-SA 2.0

George Lucas

1944 – present · age 82^[1][2]

Film & Entertainment

Fun Facts About George Lucas

• George Lucas wanted to be a racecar driver until a crash days before his high school graduation, when his seatbelt snapped and threw him from the car, saving his life.^[1]
• Instead of asking for more than his US$150,000 fee for Star Wars, Lucas negotiated for ownership of its licensing and merchandising rights and for sequel arrangements.^[1]
• Pixar began as the Graphics Group inside Lucasfilm's computer division; Steve Jobs bought it in 1986, paying Lucas $5 million.^[1][3][4]
• Star Wars was significantly influenced by Akira Kurosawa's samurai films, and Lucas later served as an executive producer of Kurosawa's Kagemusha.^[1][5][6]
• Lucas has never won a competitive Oscar, and Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola teased him about it on stage at the 2007 Academy Awards.^{[1][7][8][9][10]}
• Lucas named his effects company Industrial Light & Magic after seeing that its location was zoned as light industrial.^[1]
• George Lucas was alive at the same time as H.G. Wells — their lives overlapped for 2 years (1944–1946).^{[1][2][11][12]}
• George Lucas shares a birthday with Mark Zuckerberg: both were born on May 14.^{[1][2][13][14]}

George Walton Lucas Jr. is an American filmmaker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He created the Star Wars franchise and its fictional universe, the Indiana Jones franchise, and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and THX. Lucas also served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. The recipient of two Emmy Awards and nominations for four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, he is considered to be one of the most significant figures of the 20th-century New Hollywood movement, and a pioneer of the modern blockbuster. Despite this, he has remained an independent filmmaker for most of his career.^[1]

Contemporaries

Noam Chomsky

82 yr overlap

Wole Soyinka

82 yr overlap

Dalai Lama

82 yr overlap

Woody Allen

82 yr overlap

Francis Ford Coppola

82 yr overlap

Bob Dylan

82 yr overlap

Billie Jean King

82 yr overlap

Tu Youyou

82 yr overlap

Yoko Ono

82 yr overlap

Paul McCartney

82 yr overlap

Jack Nicholson

82 yr overlap

Lech Wałęsa

82 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About George Lucas

When was George Lucas born?

George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944, and is alive today.

How old is George Lucas?

George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944, and turned 82 on May 14, 2026.

What is George Lucas known for?

George Lucas is known for: Creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. George Walton Lucas Jr. is an American filmmaker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He created the Star Wars franchise and its fictional universe, the Indiana Jones franchise, and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and THX. Lucas also served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012. The recipient of two Emmy Awards and nominations for four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, he is considered to be one of the most significant figures of the 20th-century New Hollywood movement, and a pioneer of the modern blockbuster. Despite this, he has remained an independent filmmaker for most of his career.

Who was alive at the same time as George Lucas?

George Lucas's closest contemporary was Noam Chomsky. Their lives overlapped for 82 years.