George Lucas

George Lucas’s devotion to timeless storytelling and cutting-edge innovation has resulted in some of the most successful and beloved films of all time. The creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Lucas brought to life characters who have become bedrocks of worldwide popular culture, entertaining generations of filmgoers and inspiring young people to look to the stars and follow their imaginations and dreams.

Lucas pioneered new standards for visual and aural sophistication, revolutionizing the film industry by forming Industrial Light & Magic to create the visual effects for Star Wars and furthering innovation in film and television sound via the founding of Skywalker Sound. His ongoing research and development led to the first digital editing system (later becoming AVID) and the Pixar Image Computer, which eventually led to Pixar Animation Studios.

Lucas received the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his body of cinematic work, and two Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his work in animation.

He has been honored with the nation’s highest award for technological achievement, the National Medal of Technology, presented by the President of the United States for over three decades of innovation at Industrial Light & Magic. In 2013, Lucas was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest award presented to artists and patrons of the arts by the United States Government, bestowed upon him by the President in recognition of lifetime achievement in the creation and production of the arts in the United States.

He received the prestigious NAACP Vanguard Award, given to persons whose groundbreaking work increases understanding and awareness of racial and social issues. Lucas was also presented with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal for distinguished contributions to the advancement of areas of interest to the Smithsonian Institution.

Taking a philanthropic leadership role in applying his technical and storytelling expertise to the classroom, Lucas founded the George Lucas Educational Foundation in 1991 to highlight proven strategies, tools and resources for creating lifelong learners.

Lucas serves on the Board of Directors of the Film Foundation, the USC School of Cinematic Arts Board of Councilors and is currently building the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, emphasizing American illustrative, digital, comic, cinematic and animation art as an avenue for the exploration of the great storytelling history, populist works and artistic innovation of the past 150 years.