Used the 1927 U.F.A. film "Metropolis" as guidelines for some of his Star Wars characters. The "robotic man" for "C3PO" and the "robots creator" as "Anakin Skywalker". Both the creator and Anakin lost a hand due to a circumstance. The "robotic man's creator" loses his hand while building the robot.

Rewrote the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) to tighten it up due to the fact that the scene would have been too busy. It originally ended with the mine-car chase that was later added to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

When he began his apprenticeship at Warner Brothers, what he wanted to see most was the Animation Department. He claims that the day he arrived on the lot was the very day the Animation Department was closed down.

He was so impressed with relatively unknown stage actor James Wheaton that he cast him over studio objections in the voiceover role of "OMM" in THX 1138 (1971). The studio wanted Orson Welles to play the role.

Frequently uses the famous "Wilhelm Scream" sound effect in his films. This sound effect has been used in dozens of movies.

Had a dog named 'Indiana' which not only inspired the Indiana Jones character, but Chewbacca from Star Wars was also modelled around the way the dog looked.

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) is ranked #39 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.

He received a medal from US president George Bush for outstanding achievement in improvements in technology in movies made by his special effects company ILM

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 605-610. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

Ranked #11 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #16 in 2004.

His name backwards is Egroeg Sacul. This name is also used in the Disney theme park ride Star Tours (1987).

Plans to reissue all of the Star Wars movies in 3-D versions using the Dimensionalization process by ILM. The process was first used in Chicken Little (2005).

For 2nd consecutive year, ranked No. 4 on Entertainment Weekly's annual list of "101 Most Powerful People in Entertainment." Ranked just ahead of Steven Spielberg and just behind the power couple that runs Time Warner Turner media empire.

He has created the image of always being on the cutting edge of technology. However, when he writes, he does it in longhand in a loose leaf binder rather than on a word processor.

Sold Lucasfilm's Computer Graphics Division to Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs, and it later became Pixar Animation Studio.

With THX 1138 (1971) and Star Wars (1977), Lucas re-invented the way sound was used in films. Using it in both a linear and abstract way, to tell the story, he pushed sound design to the forefront of the filmmaking process.

Grand marshal, Tournament of Roses parade [2007]

He made what was at the time an unusual deal for the film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Paramount financed the film's entire $20 million budget. In exchange, Lucas would own over 40% of the film and collect almost half of the profits after the studio a grossed a certain amount. It turned out to be a very lucrative deal for Lucas. Paramount executive Michael Eisner said that he felt the script for the film was the best he had ever read.

Conceived Indiana Jones while on vacation with his friend Steven Spielberg in Hawaii. Lucas decided to produce while Spielberg would direct.

His script for Star Wars (1977) was turned down by every major Hollywood studio, the reason being that no one would want to see it. In a last ditch attempt, Lucas approached 20th Century Fox who decided to go ahead with the script even though they were convinced it would flop. Star Wars ended up becoming the highest grossing movie ever released at that time. It still ranks as one of the highest grossing movies ever made to this day.

According to Lucas, one of the themes in all of his films is man's relationship to machines and technology - either controlling them, or being controlled by them.

Ranked #16 in Premiere's 2004 annual Power 100 list. Had ranked #10 in 2003.

Ranked #10 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #14 in 2002.

His favorite stage of film making is editing the film together.

In the 2005 edition of Forbes' "400 Richest People in America" list, his net worth is estimated at $3.5 billion. He and good friend Steven Spielberg are the only filmmakers on the list.

Despite a reputation as Hollywood blockbusters, all of the Star Wars films are actually independent films, with the exception of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The only way he could get the required funding to make the film was to apply for studio funding. With the success of the film and its merchandising, Lucas no longer needed to go to the studios. For Episodes V and VI, he took out bank loans, which he paid off on each films' earnings. For the Prequel Trilogy, he no longer needed bank loans, having made enough money to fund each film out of his own personal savings.

Skywalker Ranch, Lucas` film production facility, covers an area of some 3,000 acres in Northern California`s Marin County hills. The precise address is: 5858 Lucas Valley Road, Nicasio, CA, 94946. The facility employs around 200 personnel, is home to a baseball field, a vineyard, 3 restaurants and a fire station, not to mention the array of hi-tech amenities. The fact that Skywalker Ranch is located off Lucas Valley Road is pure coincidence.

Graduated from Modesto`s Roosevelt Junior High school in 1958.

He, his mentor Francis Ford Coppola, and friend Steven Spielberg presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever Oscar for Best Director for The Departed (2006).

Is a fan of "Doctor Who" (1963).

Became rich almost overnight due to him keeping the rights to Star Wars and not selling them outright to Twentieth Century Fox.

He originally wanted to do a film adaptation of Flash Gordon, but he could not obtain the rights, so he created Star Wars instead, which was in a similar vein to Flash Gordon.

His nickname in high school was Luke. This later became the name of the hero of his original Star Wars trilogy, Luke Skywalker.

Won the American Film Institute`s Life Time Achievement Award.

Disowned Howard the Duck (1986) after the film`s release.

Said that Alec Guinness was very helpful to him during the filming of the original Star Wars (1977) even to the point of getting the other actors to work more seriously.

Became so stressed during the filming of the original Star Wars (1977) that he checked himself into a hospital, where he was diagnosed with hyper-tension.

He originally wanted his friend Steven Spielberg to direct Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), but his dispute with the Director`s Guild barred him from doing so. He settled for director Richard Marquand instead.

He based the character of Han Solo on his friend Francis Ford Coppola.

Refuses to put "critics quotes" on his movie posters. Something that infuriates many critic societies.

Had a long romantic involvement with Linda Ronstadt.

In the 2001 edition of the Forbes` "400 Richest People In America", it is reported that Lucas` fortune is $3 billion.

He is a diabetic.

Sits on USC School of Cinema-Television`s Board of Councilors.

Lucas provided all the funding for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).

Shortly before graduating high school, he was involved in a high speed car accident that left him hospitalized and near death

Graduated from USC`s school of cinema (1962)

Three adopted children: Amanda Lucas (aka Amanda Lucas, b. 1981), Katie Lucas (b. 1988), and Jett Lucas(b. 1993).

Spouse: Marcia Lucas (22 February 1969 - 1983) (divorced)