George Lucas Net Worth, Wife, Children and Other Interesting Facts

George Lucas is one of the richest men in America and he acquired his wealth from film productions and other entrepreneurial pursuits. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he started out in the film industry as a cinematographer, before moving into directing and producing with his first film THX 1138. He is also known as the leader of Lucasfilm and Industry Light and Magic (ILM).

At the beginning of his life, he did not start out as a serious person especially with his academics as he preferred to drive cars instead. However, after being rejected by his parents who decided not to pay his academic bills for an art school, he turned to the social sciences and became interested in film and photography.

Who is George Lucas?

George Lucas was born in California, in a city called Modesto, USA. He was born to George and Dorothy on May 14, 1944. He is the only son in the family of four daughters. His father was a nut farmer and salesman who sold office equipment. He had a weary attitude towards his upbringing and was more interested in motor racing as he owned a Fiat in high school. He was then involved in a horrific accident that almost cost him his life and after his release from the hospital he wanted to enroll in an art school, but his parents refused to pay for it. He then enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where he studied social sciences.

He drew attention to film and photography while at university. He started filming and one of his first films was a motor racing event where he met Haskell Wexler, a famous cameraman who helped him get into the film institution at the University of Southern California. . While in college, he produced a few films including THX 1138:4EB.

George Lucas also produced others immediately after graduation, and in 1969 he won a grant from WarnerBrothers which enabled him to work on Finian’s film Rainbow. He edited this film while working with director Francis Ford Coppola and he also participated in Coppola’s next film.

He recreated his previous film in a short titled THX-1138 and became popular for Universal sponsored film American Griffiti. The film cost around $750,000 to produce and became one of the highest-grossing films of the 1970s despite doubts even from its studio managers. He has also been nominated for the Oscars five times.

Lucas’ next big directing job was Star Wars The Trilogy released in May 1977. It had huge sales worldwide to the tune of $400 million. It also made $500 million from sales of Star Wars merchandise such as books, kits, and similar items during the 1977-1980 period. Star Wars had sequels to which George retained the rights. After Star Wars, he quit directing for the next twenty years and focused on producing.

The creative director was also behind the production of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where he served as executive producer. George was more active in the final Star Wars trilogy film offering, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, serving as both writer and executive producer. The three films earned $1 billion in sales and $3 billion in other merchandise.

Since then, he went on to produce several films such as Indiana Jones, The Man and His Dream, Radioland Murders, among others which were also very successful. Indiana Jones was a trilogy George is also popular for. He produced the first part of the series, Raiders of the Lost Ark but was less involved in the productions of the next two sequels. He also produced a television series of the Indiana Jones movie which only lasted one season.

Net value

As an entrepreneur, George Lucas was able to acquire a lot of wealth from movies as well as other businesses. It is famous for producing many iconic films that have generated billions of dollars. A 2019 appraisal reveals that the American filmmaker is worth $5.5 billion.

Family life: wife, children

George Lucas first married in 1969 to MarciaGriffon. With Marcia, he adopted two children (Katie and Jett) and gave birth to a daughter Amanda Lucas. Marcia Lucas is an Academy Award-winning American-born film editor. However, the union ended in 1983.

In 2013, he married Mellody Hobson, a businesswoman, former president of DreamWorks Animations and president of Ariel Investments. The duo have a daughter named Everest Hobson Lucas, who was born in 2013.

Other interesting facts about George Lucas

George Lucas is the founder of LucasFilm and Light and Magic Industry (ILM). He created it for the purpose of managing his movie empire. He is also the founder of a production house called Skywalker Ranch located in California.

With all his hard work and contribution to the film industry, it is no surprise that he received a few awards such as Life Achievement Awards, National Medal of Arts Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Saturn Awards among a long list of other rewards. He has also received various honors, including Honorary Fellowship of the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers.

Like most billionaires, he is a philanthropist. He has pledged to give half of his fortune to charity as a way to encourage wealthy Americans to donate their wealth to charity. He is also the founder of the George Lucas Educational Foundation among other charitable projects.