A projector includes a lighting optical system for emitting a lighting beam, a color separation/light guiding optical system for separating the lighting beam from the lighting optical system into optical paths for three colored light beams, a light modulation device provided for each of the colored light beams and for modulating the light beam, which is separated and guided to the optical path for each of the colored light beams by the color separation/light guiding optical system, in accordance with image information, a light beam combining optical system for combining the colored light beams each modulated by the light modulation device for each of the colored light beams, and a projection optical system for projecting the light beams output via the light beam combining optical system.