As a young man, George Lucas aspired to be a race car driver, but a near fatal automobile accident days before his high school graduation convinced him he should seek his fortune in some other field. So he decided to attend community college where he developed an obsession with cinematography. He was eventually accepted into the University of Southern California's filmmaking school and the rest is history. Lucas went on to make such classic films as American Graffiti, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and of course Star Wars.