George Lucas – The Man Behind The Lego Star Wars Franchise

Lego releases have long been celebrated on May 4, but this year was particularly special as an unofficial May the Fourth holiday saw several Star Wars sets released — one being particularly sought-after by collectors.

C-3PO was produced as part of a limited run from solid gold by a toy maker and given away. This was also the first time they used real metal to craft minifigures.

Early Life and Education

Lucas graduated from the University of Southern California film school and soon after made his feature debut with 1971’s THX 1138, an unlikely and controversial hit that baffled distributor Warner Bros and has since garnered him an enthusiastic following.

Lucas used the success of Star Wars to expand his moviemaking empire, opening an advanced special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic, as well as sound studio Skywalker Sound – while also beginning a trend toward producing blockbuster films.

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen became CEO of LEGO in 1979 and brought with him new ideas, such as emphasizing bricks as more than simply building toys; rather they should serve as tools for learning as well. Since then, LEGO Education has become part of its business operations.

Professional Career

Lucas used his mnemonic abilities to devise alphabetizing systems and memory games that dazzled teammates, drawing media attention by memorizing 50 pages from Manhattan White Pages phone book in one party performance.

Lucas excelled as an NBA center, both scoring and grabbing rebounds – ranking second only to Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain during 1967-68 in total rebounds collected.

After the season was completed, Lucas was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Bob Cousy, but his role diminished due to Cousy preferring small forwards who could drive to the basket.

Lucas retired after the 1973-74 season at age 34 with two years left on his contract. Lucas pursued several business opportunities, founding Lucas Learning Inc. to publish memory and learning materials and also revolutionizing movie theaters with his revolutionary THX system to ensure film viewing quality was kept to an extremely high level.

Achievement and Honors

George Lucas and Industrial Light & Magic received the National Medal of Technology – America’s highest award for technological achievement – in 2004. George also won a 1999 Milestone Award from Producers Guild of America.

He is best known for producing the Star Wars franchise but also produced diverse films like Ron Howard’s Willow and Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha. Furthermore, he collaborated on Tucker: The Man and His Dream with old mentor Francis Ford Coppola.

The game boasts some of the prettiest Lego graphics ever seen, featuring an advanced exploratory control system and detailed combat. There is also great voice acting and licensed music; camera issues and confusing vehicular controls do slow down playback though; overall this title has plenty of heart for fans of its franchise to enjoy spending time with it.

Personal Life

George Lucas has made numerous film and television appearances as a supporting player, such as Boston Legal, Veronica Mars and Smallville where he appeared as young Lex Luthor in 2006.

He is the recipient of seven Heartland Emmy awards for his comedy acting work, is an avid golfer, and loves playing video games with his children.

He founded the American Banjo Museum in Minco, Oklahoma, and collaborated on various projects alongside Kermit the Frog. Additionally, he owns Skywalker Ranch near Marin County in California where he creates his films in complete isolation without studio pressure or stress. Furthermore, he advocates for autism awareness as an active Republican Party member with strong anti-abortion sentiments.

Net Worth

George Lucas is responsible for some of Hollywood’s biggest film franchises and brands, not to mention being a billionaire philanthropist.

He proved his foresight and forward thinking by striking merchandising deals well ahead of their becoming industry standard. The profits generated from Star Wars films easily covered their production costs.

In 2012, Lucas made headlines when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney for an astonishing $4.05 billion – cementing his financial legacy and setting in motion the Star Wars franchises in new directions.

He owns 7% of both Lego and its parent company Kirkbi; their combined valuation increased by $2.7 billion on Nov 13 due to merger speculation boosting industry values.