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Sir Ridley Leighton Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker. He directs films in theΒ science fiction,Β crime, andΒ historical epicΒ genres with an atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style.Β He ranks among theΒ highest-grossing directors, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has receivedΒ many accolades, including theΒ BAFTA FellowshipΒ for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, twoΒ Primetime Emmy Awards, and aΒ Golden Globe Award.Β He wasΒ knightedΒ byΒ Queen Elizabeth IIΒ in 2003 and appointed aΒ Knight Grand CrossΒ byΒ King Charles IIIΒ in 2024.
An alumnus of theΒ Royal College of ArtΒ 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 withΒ The DuellistsΒ (1977) and gained wider recognition with his next film,Β AlienΒ (1979). Though his films range widely in setting and period, they showcase memorable imagery of urban environments, spanning 2nd-centuryΒ RomeΒ inΒ GladiatorΒ (2000) and itsΒ 2024 sequel, 12th-centuryΒ JerusalemΒ in Kingdom of HeavenΒ (2005),Β medieval EnglandΒ inΒ Robin HoodΒ (2010),Β ancient Memphis inΒ Exodus: Gods and KingsΒ (2014), contemporaryΒ MogadishuΒ inΒ Black Hawk Down (2001), futuristic cityscapes of Los Angeles inΒ Blade RunnerΒ (1982) and extraterrestrial worlds inΒ Alien,Β PrometheusΒ (2012),Β The MartianΒ (2015) andΒ Alien: CovenantΒ (2017).
Scott has been nominated for threeΒ Academy Awards: DirectingΒ forΒ Thelma & Louise,Β Gladiator, andΒ Black Hawk Down. GladiatorΒ won theΒ Academy Award for Best Picture and received a nomination in the same category forΒ The Martian. In 1995, Scott and his brotherΒ TonyΒ received aΒ British Academy Film AwardΒ forΒ Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema.Β Scott's filmsΒ Alien,Β Blade RunnerΒ andΒ Thelma & LouiseΒ were each selected for preservation in the United StatesΒ National Film Registry by theΒ Library of CongressΒ for being considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In a 2004Β BBCΒ poll, Scott was ranked 10 on the list of most influential people in British culture. Scott also works in television and has earned 10Β Primetime Emmy AwardΒ nominations. He won twice, forΒ Outstanding Television FilmΒ for theΒ HBO filmΒ The Gathering StormΒ (2002) and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction SpecialΒ for theΒ History Channel'sΒ GettysburgΒ (2011).Β He was Emmy-nominated forΒ RKO 281Β (1999),Β The Andromeda StrainΒ (2008), andΒ The Pillars of the EarthΒ (2010).