George Lucas (May 14, 1944 - ) was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California.  His father owned a stationery store.  During his late teens George Lucas went to Downey High School and was interested in car racing.  He wanted to be a professional racecar driver but, an automobile accident  after graduation ended his dream. 

He attended Modesto Junior College and then went on to the University of Southern California film school.  As a student he made the film THX-1138 which won first prize at the National Student Film Festival.  In 1967 he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of Finian's Rainbow which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Lucas and Coppola formed American Zoetrope in 1969  and made Lucas' THX-1138 into full-length feature in 1971.

Lucas later formed his own company, Lucasfilm Ltd.  In 1973 he wrote and directed American Graffiti which won a Golden Globe and received five Academy Award nominations.  He began writing the screenplay for Star Wars.  In 1975 he established Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to produce the visual effects needed for the movie.  Star Wars broke box office records and earned seven Academy Awards.  It also redefined the term "blockbuster." 

George Lucas was honored with the Irving G Thalberg Award in 1992 by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for  lifetime achievement.