Lucas, George (1944– )

US film director, producer, and screenwriter. During the late 20th century, he created some of the most popular films of all time in his Star Wars series. He also produced a trilogy of adventure films beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

He wrote and directed Star Wars (1977) and wrote and produced The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), and produced a trilogy of adventure films beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). A second Star Wars trilogy, a prequel to the first, followed more than 20 years after the release of the first film. He wrote and directed Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars Episode III (due for release in 2005).

His other films as director are THX 1138 (1971) and American Graffiti (1973); films as producer include Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Willow (1988), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He remains a major figure in the US film industry, and under the umbrella of Lucasfilms has established a number of companies (Skywalker Sound and the special-effects division Industrial Light and Magic, for example) which are the leaders of their respective fields.