By Lee Landor

[Note: This biography was originally published on A&E Television Networks’ Biography.com site in August 2012.]

Quick Facts

• Name: Ridley Scott
• Occupation: Director, Producer
• Birth date: November 30, 1937 (Age: 76)
• Education: West Hartlepool College of Art, Royal College of Art in London
• Place of birth: South Shields, Durham [now Tyne and Wear], England
• Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

Best Known For

Ridley Scott is an English director and producer, whose notable hits include Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. He is also recognized as the older brother of director Tony Scott, who committed suicide in August 2012.

Synopsis

Film director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937, in South Shields, Durham, England. He began pursuing his interest in film while in college and went on to work for the BBC, before founding his own commercial production company, Ridley Scott Associates. He brought his younger brother, Tony Scott, also a director, on to work with him at RSA. Ridley Scott went on to direct many successful films, including Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, Alien and Blade Runner. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Thelma and Louise (1991), and was again nominated for both Gladiator (2000) and Black Hawk Down (2001). Other notable films include Matchstick Men (2003), American Gangster (2007) and Robin Hood (2010).

Early Life

English film director and producer Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, England, to Elizabeth and Col. Francis Percy Scott. He had two brothers, one of whom was Tony Scott, who later also became a film director and committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles on August 19, 2012.

Ridley loved watching films as a child, and by the time he reached college, he was actively pursuing a film career. He helped establish the film department at the Royal College of Art, and as his final project there, he made a short film called Boy and Bicycle. He cast his brother, Tony, in the film, which was his directorial debut. After college, Ridley Scott went on to work as a trainee set designer for the BBC, which led to work on a number of popular television series at that time.

Film Career

In the late 1960s, Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates, a film and commercial production company, and brought Tony on to work with him. The company garnered attention for the Scott brothers, along with other commercial directors, including Alan Parker and Hugh Hudson. Still, Scott continued to pursue a career in film directing. He finally landed a job directing the 1977 film The Duellists, which was nominated for the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and won an award for best film.

Scott then went on to direct the movies Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver, and Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. Blade Runner failed at the box office in 1982, but later became regarded as a classic. In 1986, Scott’s brother, Tony, released his first blockbuster, beating Scott to the punch. But Scott quickly caught up in 1991, with the film Thelma & Louise, starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. The film was one of Scott’s biggest critical successes, and it helped revive his reputation and receive his first Academy Award nomination for best director.

Along with brother Tony Scott, in 1995, Scott founded and operated Scott Free Productions and worked on numerous commercials and television shows, in addition to his feature films. The film Gladiator, released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe, became another huge commercial success for the director. Gladiator won five Academy Awards, including for best picture and best actor, and Scott received an Academy Award nomination (for best director) for his work on the film.

Scott would go on to work with Crowe on four other films.

Following Gladiator‘s success, Scott directed Black Hawk Down, which starred Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett, and Hannibal, starring Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore and Ray Liotta. Many films that followed became some of Scott’s more well-known successes, including American Gangster, which starred Denzel Washington, who worked with Tony Scott on five different films; Body of Lies, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio; and Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe.

In Recent Years

In 2010, Scott worked on what was initially going to be a two-part sequel to Alien, but it ended up being a single film called Prometheus, which was released in June 2012. He also directed a commercial for Lady Gaga’s new perfume.

Scott, who was twice married and has three children—all of whom are involved in the film business—continues to direct, and has several project in the works. He was knighted in the United Kingdom’s 2003 New Year Honours.

Scott’s brother, Tony Scott, died on August 19, 2012, after jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles, California. A suicide note was found at Tony Scott’s office shortly after his death.