Ridley Scott

Biography

Sir Ridley Leighton Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker. He directs films in the science fiction, crime, and historical epic genres with an atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. He ranks among the highest-grossing directors, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has received many accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 and appointed a Knight Grand Cross by King Charles III in 2024. An alumnus of the Royal College of Art in London, Scott began his career in television as a designer and director before moving into advertising as a director of commercials. He made his film directorial debut with The Duellists (1977) and gained wider recognition with his next film, Alien (1979). Though his films range widely in setting and period, they showcase memorable imagery of urban environments, spanning 2nd-century Rome in Gladiator (2000) and its 2024 sequel, 12th-century Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), medieval England in Robin Hood (2010), ancient Memphis in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), contemporary Mogadishu in Black Hawk Down (2001), futuristic cityscapes of Los Angeles in Blade Runner (1982) and extraterrestrial worlds in Alien, Prometheus (2012), The Martian (2015) and Alien: Covenant (2017). Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards: Directing for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. Gladiator won the Academy Award for Best Picture and received a nomination in the same category for The Martian. In 1995, Scott and his brother Tony received a British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Scott's films Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise were each selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In a 2004 BBC poll, Scott was ranked 10 on the list of most influential people in British culture. Scott also works in television and has earned 10 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He won twice, for Outstanding Television Film for the HBO film The Gathering Storm (2002) and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for the History Channel's Gettysburg (2011). He was Emmy-nominated for RKO 281 (1999), The Andromeda Strain (2008), and The Pillars of the Earth (2010).

Known For

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

Kulturzeit

Faut Voir - L'Hebdo cinéma

Directors on Directors

James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

The Directors

The Hollywood Greats

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

All Movies (55)

• Thelma & Louise: Born to Live2025 · as Self
• The Making of Gladiator II2024 · as Self
• L'Âge d'or de la pub2023 · as Self (archive footage)
• Harrison Ford: Hollywood Hero2023 · as Self
• Film: The Living Record of Our Memory2022 · as Self
• The Making of the Last Duel2021 · as Self
• The Blade Runner Phenomenon2021 · as Self - Director (1982)
• Kreka: Dreamcatcher2021 · as Self
• Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic2019 · as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
• Trumbull Land2018 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Dream Palace: A People's History of Tyneside Cinema2018
• Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies2017 · as Self
• Robin Hood - En vert et contre tous2017 · as himself
• The Long Way Home: Making 'The Martian'2016 · as Self
• Keepers of the Covenant: Making 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'2015 · as Self
• Truth of the Situation: Making 'The Counselor'2014 · as Self
• Trespassing Bergman2013 · as Self
• The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus2012 · as Self
• Rise and Rise Again: Making Ridley Scott's Robin Hood2010 · as Self
• The Real Robin Hood2010 · as Self
• Actionable Intelligence: Deconstructing 'Body of Lies'2009 · as Self
• Fallen Empire: Making 'American Gangster'2008 · as Self
• Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner2007 · as Self
• Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard2007 · as Self
• Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. the Film2007 · as Self
• Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling2007 · as Self
• The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth2007 · as Self
• Black Rain: Making The Film2006 · as Self
• 50 Films to See Before You Die2006 · as Self
• The Path to Redemption2006 · as Self
• Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema2005 · as Self
• Strength and Honor: Production Pods2005 · as Self
• Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us2005 · as Self
• Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator'2005 · as Self
• Nos Bastidores de Hollywood2005 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing2004 · as Self
• The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars'2004 · as Self
• Murder by Numbers2004 · as Self
• The Beast Within: Making Alien2003 · as Self
• Thelma & Louise: The Last Journey2003 · as Self
• Duelling Directors: Ridley Scott & Kevin Reynolds2002 · as Self
• The Alien Saga2002 · as Self (archive footage)
• The Essence of Combat: Making 'Black Hawk Down'2002
• Creating a Myth... the Memories of 'Legend'2002 · as Himself
• Breaking the Silence: The Making of Hannibal2001 · as Self
• Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul2001 · as Self
• Gladiator Games: The Roman Bloodsport2000 · as Self
• On the Edge of 'Blade Runner'2000 · as Self
• The Alien Legacy1999 · as Self
• Hollywood Halloween1997 · as Self
• The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money1996 · as Self
• A Turnip Head's Guide To The British Cinema1986 · as Self
• Giger's Alien1979 · as Self
• One of the Missing1968 · as Unionist officer (uncredited)
• American Gangster Special— · as Self

All TV Shows (8)

• Faut Voir - L'Hebdo cinéma2023 · as Self - Guest
• Directors on Directors2021 · as Self
• James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction2018 · as Self
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• Prophets of Science Fiction2011 · as Himself - Presenter
• The Directors1999 · as Self
• Kulturzeit1995 · as self
• The Hollywood Greats1977