2. George Lucas
Nomination and Year: Best Director: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1978) Best Original Screenplay: Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (1978) Best Director: American Graffiti (1974) Best Screenplay Based on Factual Material: American Graffiti (1974) Another eminent director who made the list is George Lucas. Lucas is the founder of Lucasfilm and the mastermind behind
Star Wars, the saga which turned him into a cinematic icon almost overnight. With the exception of
Episode IV - A New Hope (which was heavily influenced by Kurosawas
TheHidden Fortress)
, all the Star Wars films were independently produced by Lucas himself. Due to
A New Hope becoming the highest grossing film ever released at that time, he no longer required funding from the studios. This meant Lucas could channel his profits into developing Lucasfilm projects such as THX, and the now beloved Pixar. At the 1992 Oscars Lucas received the Irving G. Thalberg Award, for his outstanding contribution to cinema. Recently he has made the headlines by controversially selling Lucasfilm to Walt Disney in a multi-billion dollar move. With JJ Abrams confirmed to direct
Stars Wars: Episode VII, maybe there is new hope for the Lucas franchise to bag an academy award.