An illumination optical system includes a first compression system configured to compress a light flux on each of first and second sections, a second compression system configured to compress the light flux on the first section, a polarization converter arranged so that a section that contains a normal of the second polarization splitting surface and the optical axis becomes the second section, and configured to convert non-polarized light into linearly polarized light, a first lens array arranged in front of the polarization converter along an optical path, and a second lens array arranged between the first lens array and the polarization converter along the optical path. Both of the first lens array and the second lens array have no optical power on the second section.