He directed a Maxwell House coffee commercial starring Shakira Caine. Sir Michael Caine saw the commercial and was so struck by her beauty that he desperately sought her out. They have been married since 1973.
He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007.
In an interview, it was estimated that he appeared in around 2,700 commercials.
Since Gladiator (2000), he has given a role to his life partner Giannina Facio in nearly all of his films. They finally married in June 2015.
He has directed seven actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Ruby Dee, Matt Damon and Christopher Plummer. Crowe won for his performance in Gladiator (2000).
In 2012, Scott was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover — to celebrate his 80th birthday by honoring the British cultural figures he most admired in his life.
He dedicated several of his films to the memory of his family: Blade Runner (1982) to his brother Frank, Black Hawk Down (2001) to his mother, and The Counselor (2013) and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) to his brother Tony. Ridley also paid tribute to his late brother Tony after The Martian (2015) won Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the 2016 Golden Globes.
Coming from an army and fine arts background, he is a man with a great eye for detail who approaches every film project with the fervor of a general with a battle plan. His insistence on scrutinizing details during the shooting of Alien (1979) led Sigourney Weaver to complain that he cared more about the sets and production design than about the cast.
He suffers from claustrophobia, a condition he actively tried to instill in the cast of Alien (1979) by making the living quarters aboard the Nostromo as cramped as possible.
It is said that Canadian director James Cameron, who made the first sequel to Scott's Alien (1979), has also had a major influence on iconic films such as The Terminator (1984), Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009). Cameron admitted that he goes to see new Ridley Scott films because "… he is such an artist, he's such a filmmaker. I always learn from him."
In an interview with Wired magazine, Ridley Scott stated that the best science fiction films ever made are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner & On the Beach.
Together with his brother Tony Scott, he bought Shepperton Studios in 1995 for £12 million.
On May 17, 2017, he received a handprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre. His hands and feet were set in cement in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. He first set foot on the famous sidewalk in 1960, when he had no intention of going into the film business. He was 22, freshly graduated from university, and after working nine months in New York he had saved up enough money to travel to Los Angeles by Greyhound bus. "One of the big deals for me was to come to Hollywood," Scott recalled. "I stayed in a nearby boarding house and walked to Hollywood Boulevard. I remember standing outside looking at the footprints. I never, ever thought this would happen." [Variety 2017].
The famous Superbowl television commercial "1984," directed for the launch of Apple's Macintosh, was shot on Stage H at Shepperton Studios, where Scott had previously shot the exterior scenes for Alien (1979). Apple paid about $1 million for the single airing of the commercial during Superbowl XVIII, in which the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9. Scott estimated a budget of about $350,000 for the commercial.
He was initially set to direct Dune (1984), but left the production after his older brother died suddenly. Scott wanted to start working as soon as possible, but Dune would take too long to reach production. Scott decided to leave the project in favor of Blade Runner (1982), which was ready to go into production immediately.
He was the first choice to direct Point Break (1991), but he chose Thelma & Louise (1991) instead.
The 2009 Sunday Times List estimated his net worth at $172 million.
In 2011, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He rejected the theatrical cut of Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and called his definitive version the Director's Cut. At the TIFF press conference for The Martian (2015), he said that the only regret of his career was the re-editing of that film.
He was reported to be preparing to direct The Hunger (1983), but decided to accept after learning that David Bowie was involved in the deal. It became his brother Tony Scott's directorial debut.
He was 39 years old when he directed his first feature film, The Duellists (1977).
More than 50% of all the professional actors he has hired or worked with for his films come from prestigious drama schools and theaters such as the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon, The Globe Theatre, The Old Vic and the National Theatre in London, and he believes that actors bring a great presence to the screen as much as to the stage.
He has directed three films selected by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982) and Thelma & Louise (1991).
In late 2005, he was preparing to direct "The Invisible World" from a screenplay by Dana Stevens, based on a review by Washington Post reporter David Ignatius. The film, which was to star Angelina Jolie, dealt with the kidnapping of a female journalist in Iraq. However, Jolie's pregnancy halted production at that time and the project was postponed entirely. This sudden opening in Scott's schedule gave him the opportunity to direct American Gangster (2007) the following year.
One of his favorite films is Muriel's Wedding (1994): "I've seen it 6 times, it's really fantastic." [Hollywood Reporter, Roundtable 2015].
1986: Enya's recording of "Aldebaran" was dedicated to him.
He was approached to replace Bryan Singer as director of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).
His first feature film, The Duellists (1977), is based on a story by Joseph Conrad. In his next film, Alien (1979), the spaceship was known as the Nostromo and the escape shuttle as the Narcissus. Both are names taken from Conrad stories.
He considers The Counselor (2013) one of his best films.
2005: Ranked 5th in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest directors ever!" list.
He owns Mill Film, a visual effects company based in London. They did most of the effects work for Gladiator (2000).
Education: West Hartlepool College of Art (1954-1958: Diploma in Design 1958, with honors); Royal College of Art (1958-autumn 1961: Master's in Graphic Design 1961). This was followed by two postgraduate courses at the RCA. He then received a travel scholarship and went to New York, where he gained experience in editing at Leacock/Pennebaker. A year later he returned to England and worked as an art director at the BBC. His skill at designing sets for television eventually led to designing sets for commercials. After attending the BBC's director training course, he left television. He decided to focus almost entirely on his commercials and in 1965 founded his own commercial production company, Ridley Scott Associates.
Father of Jake Scott and Luke Scott with Felicity Heywood.
Like his brother Tony Scott, he is a passionate smoker of Montecristo Cuban cigars.
In 1994, he was set to direct "Hot Zone" from a screenplay by James V. Hart, based on Richard Preston's 1992 New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone." The film, which was to star Robert Redford and Jodie Foster, was based on the true story of the discovery of the deadly Ebola virus. Some of Scott's regular collaborators who were also set to work on the film included cinematographer Hugh Johnson and production designer Ken Davis. Various factors, including the development of the similarly plotted Outbreak (1995), led to the project being cancelled. On the day this happened, Scott was given a copy of the script for White Squall (1996) and decided to direct it. "Crisis in the Hot Zone" was eventually adapted as the National Geographic TV miniseries The Hot Zone (2019), on which Scott served as executive producer.
He was Joel Silver's first choice to direct Lethal Weapon (1987). Because of Scott's recent tensions with Warner Brothers during the production of Blade Runner (1982), the studio refused to offer him the job.
He frequently works as a producer and director on historically focused projects: The Duellists (1977), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), Gladiator (2000), The Pillars of the Earth (2010).
In 2011, it was said that he would direct Blade Runner 2049 (2017) himself, but his work on Prometheus (2012), The Counselor (2013), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), The Martian (2015) and Alien: Covenant (2017) resulted in him stepping back to serve only as executive producer.
For his services to the film industry, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2003 Queen's New Year Honours List.
He has worked with three Aragorns. His first theatrical film, The Duellists (1977), starred Sir Robert Stephens, who played Aragorn in the BBC radio adaptation. His breakthrough film, Alien (1979), featured John Hurt, who voiced the character in Ralph Bakshi's animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978). G. I. Jane (1997) starred Viggo Mortensen, who played the role in Peter Jackson's live-action adaptation.
Every one of his feature films has at least one Oscar-nominated actor in its cast, and 15 of his feature films even have an Oscar-winning actor or actress in the cast [2015].
He has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard since November 5, 2015.
He divides his time between homes in Hampstead (England), France and Los Angeles.
While at the Royal College of Art, he contributed to the college magazine ARK. He also helped establish the school's film studies department.
His hand-drawn storyboards and personal notes for Alien (1979) were published in "Drawing Board: Alien Creature," pp. 58-59, in the Winter 2014 issue of Director Guild Quarterly magazine.
Honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art. [July 3, 2015].
He was attached to direct Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) years before production finally began.
He was unable to direct Alien³ (1992) because he was busy working on 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992).
He said Peter Watkins' The War Game (1966), about London being subjected to a nuclear bomb, had an influence on Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel "The Road" (2016).
While the project was at Warner Bros., he was offered the chance to direct The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Starring Brad Pitt.
On July 3, 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Royal College of Art at a ceremony held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. At the ceremony, he recounted how he still keeps on his office wall the school report that placed him 31st out of 31 in his class, and how his teacher encouraged him to pursue what became his passion at art school.
He was asked to direct Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), but he was busy working on Black Hawk Down (2001).
He eventually left the BBC and, starting in 1967, directed hundreds of commercials over 10 years, among them many award winners.
In January 2016, he was in early talks to direct a film version of The Prisoner (1967).
He watches a new film every night before going to sleep and refers to this habit as a "bedtime story."
Family: brother of director Tony Scott; father of music video director Jake Scott; son of Elizabeth Jean Scott; father of actor Jordan Scott with Sandy Watson.
He and Michael Mann each directed a Hannibal Lecter film. Both also frequently worked with an actor who played Jack Crawford. Mann directed Dennis Farina's first film, Thief (1981), and also used him in Miami Vice (1984). Scott cast Harvey Keitel in The Duellists (1977) and Thelma & Louise (1991). Keitel went on to play Jack Crawford in Red Dragon (2002).
Scott shot his first short film in 1961 while studying at the Royal College of Art. The film was called Boy and Bicycle (1965). It was financed by the RCA with £65 (film and processing) and a Bolex 16mm camera (for free use for one month). The film would finally be completed (with music, score and titles) and copyrighted in 1965 with a £250 grant from the British Film Institute.
While working as a set designer at the BBC, Scott was tasked with designing the Daleks for the new BBC TV science fiction series Doctor Who (1963). Because Scott could not attend the shoot at Ealing, he handed the work over to his colleague Raymond Cusick.
He was presented with a BAFTA Fellowship at the 2018 Awards.
He was considered to direct Jacob's Ladder (1990), Air Force One (1997) and the science fiction TV film Doctor Who: The Movie (1996).
After his family moved from Tyneside to Hartburn in Stockton, his father became a pilot on the River Tees. Ridley spent 3 years at Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton, Teesside. A mediocre student but an excellent artist. After leaving school, he went to Hartlepool College of Art in 1954.
It took him 5 years to set up 'The Duellists', which won the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival despite mixed reviews.
His development and production company was named Percy Main Productions, after the place his father came from.
1990s: He was developing a film adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend". The project was shot in 2008 by Francis Lawrence.
He was asked to direct Conan the Barbarian (1982), but declined.
He attended Tynemouth Grammar School before his family moved to Stockton.
Ridley and his brother Tony control the film production company Shepperton Studios, Scott Free, and RSA (Ridley Scott Associates), a highly successful commercial company in both the UK and America.
His sons Jake and Luke and his daughter Jordan work as directors; making films, music videos, commercials and promos.
His first directing job was a ready-made porridge commercial.
In 2008 he was ranked 35th on the Telegraph's "the 100 most powerful people in British culture" list.
He has his own production company, Scott Free, in London.
He was planned to direct I Am Legend, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the film was cancelled after Warner Brothers objected to the £75 million budget.
He was awarded the KGC (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2024 King's New Year Honours for his services to the UK film industry. He is a director and producer.
2001: Ranked 31st on Entertainment Weekly's Power List.
2003: Ranked 25th on Premiere magazine's annual Power 100 List. He was 30th in 2002.
2005: Ranked 28th on Premiere magazine's Power 50 List. He was 32nd in 2004.
He has shot more than 2,000 commercials.
Ridley and his brother control the film production company Shepperton Studios, Scott Free, and RSA (Ridley Scott Associates), a highly successful commercial company both here and in America.
He and his brother Tony were born at 192 Harton House Road, South Shields.
He directed two films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Gladiator (2000) and The Martian (2015). The first won in the category.
His son Jake made his directorial debut with Plunkett & Macleane.
Despite being known as one of the best film directors, he began as a commercials director and is estimated to have directed more than 2,000 commercials.
He is a divorced father of three.
He has homes in London's Beverley Hills and in France.
He studied at West Hartlepool College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London.
He owns the visual effects company Mill Films, which did most of the effects work on Gladiator (2000).
He was awarded a knighthood in the 2003 New Year Honours.
He studied at West Hartlepool College of Art and the Royal College If Art in London.
He studied at West Hartlepool Cillege of Art and the Royal College If Art in London.