Ridley Scott Biography

Ridley Scott has had his highs and lows as a filmmaker, but there’s no question that he has directed some of cinema’s sci-fi classics, including Alien (1979, starring Sigourney Weaver and Blade Runner (1982, the granddaddy of movies based on the work of Philip K. Dick).

Ridley Scott began as a set designer and then director for BBC television in the mid-1960s. He formed his own production company to make TV commercials and quickly became known for his lush visual style and technical virtuosity.

Scott’s first feature film, The Duellists (1977, with Keith Carradine), was impressive enough that he got the job to direct Alien, which went on to become a box office smash.

Although Blade Runner (starring Harrison Ford) was not a hit at the time, it has since become a classic of the sci-fi genre, and Scott’s re-edited release (1993) received better critical reviews than the original.

His movies during the ’80s are generally considered misfires (1985’s Legend, 1987’s Someone To Watch Over Me and 1989’s Black Rain), but Scott bounced back with the 1991 “feminist buddy movie” Thelma and Louise (starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis), for which he earned his first Oscar nomination.

Scott received two more Oscar nominations for directing Gladiator (2000, starring Russell Crowe) and Black Hawk Down (2001, with Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor). As a producer, he was nominated for 2015’s The Martian (starring Matt Damon).

Ridley Scott the producer has also been a success on television, and has won Emmys for the movies RKO 281 (1999) and The Gathering Storm (2002) and Gettysburg (2011).

His other feature films include White Squall (1996, with ); G.I. Jane (1997, with Demi Moore and Jim Caviezel); Matchstick Men (2003, with Nicolas Cage); Kingdom of Heaven (2005, with Orlando Bloom and Eva Green); American Gangster (2007, starring Denzel Washington); Prometheus (2012, with Noomi Rapace); Alien: Covenant (2017); and House of Gucci (2021, starring Lady Gaga).