Ridley Scott

Director & actor · born 30 November 1937 · South Shields, County Durham, England, UK

Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker. His work includes science fiction, crime, and historical epics, with an atmospheric, highly concentrated visual style. Scott is the eighth-highest-grossing director of all time, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has received numerous accolades including two Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, eight BAFTA Awards, and a Grammy Award. He has also been honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 and the Academy Honorary Award in 2026. Scott 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 commercial director. 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 Romein 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).

Where to start: Gladiator (2000).