7 Things You Didn't Know About George Lucas
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Film Maker George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944. Everyone knows him as the creator of Star Wars but this list sets out to look at 7 interesting facts that you may not know about George Lucas.
7. Lucas Founded The George Lucas Educational Foundation
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This organization was founded in 1991 by Lucas. The organization’s website states that it is “dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. The organization which was founded by Lucas believes three skills are fundamental in the 21st century
The ability to find fact-based information
The ability to assess the quality of information
The ability to creatively and effectively use information to accomplish
When you think about it, these three skills are not so different from than ones possessed by some of our favorite Star Wars Characters
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6. Being A Filmmaker Was Not The First Choice For His Career
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Lucas failed at several other careers before becoming the successful filmmaker that he is. According to the reports, Lucas dreamed of becoming a professional racecar driver. Those plans changed after he suffered a near-fatal car accident while in high school, but the amount of speeding tickets that he had stopped his attempt to join the Air Force.
5. In College Lucas Was Roommates With Another Famous Director
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When Lucas attended USC, the future creator of Star Wars roomed with another famous director. The person who shared the bottom half of Lucas’ home was no other than Randal Kleiser who went on to direct Grease. Kleiser would go on to reveal that he actually considered Carrie Fisher for the role of Sandy in Grease.
4. He Has Won Two Daytime Emmy Awards
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In 2013 and 2014, Lucas won two Emmy Awards. Both were in the Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Category for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
3. His Short Film in 1968 Won The Best Film Award At The National Student Film Festival
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The Film called Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB was chosen by the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. The USC program guide described it as a “nightmare impression of a world in which a man is trying to escape a computerized world which constantly tracks his movements.
2. He Went To The United States Congress To Argue Against The Alteration Of Classic Films
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In 1988 both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg went to Washington DC to speak before Congress to protect an artist's copyright and make it unlawful for someone else to alter it. He said, “People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians.”
1. George Lucas Plans To Give Away Half His Fortune
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It is currently estimated that Lucas is worth 5.5 billion dollars. This includes his sale of Lucasfilm to Disney for 4 billion dollars. In 2010, he signed the giving pledge, which is a promise to give away half his wealth during his lifetime. In a 2010 Editorial, he stated “ We have to plan for our collective future-and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt-as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility to continue to do so.
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Sources: EDUTOPIA, Mental Floss, CNN, Wikipedia