George Lucas Named Fourth Greatest American Innovator by Forbes

Feb 22, 2026

George Lucas was named the fourth greatest American innovator on Forbes' list of the top 250 living innovators in honor of America's 250th anniversary, behind only Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

One of the founding fathers of the modern blockbuster, Lucas also revolutionized movie merchandising with an endless tsunami of Star Wars action figures and Indiana Jones lunch boxes. Through his special effects company Industrial Light & Magic and his sound company THX, he sold his tools to other filmmakers.

See the full list here.