My mum brought three boys up: my dad was in the army and so he was frequently away. Duringthe war and post-war, we tended to travel following him around so my mum was the boss. She laid down the law and the law was God. We just said, "Yup, okay" – we didn't argue. I think that's where the respect has come from, because she was tough.
— A supporter of strong female characters in his work, Scott credits his mother Elizabeth as his first female role model[11]
Scott was born on 30 November 1937 inSouth Shields, to Francis ("Frank") Percy Scott, a partner in a commercial shipping business based in Newcastle who would serve as aColonel in theRoyal Engineers during theSecond World War, and Elizabeth, née Williams, a miner's daughter.[12][13] His grand-uncle Dixon Scott was a pioneer of the cinema chain and opened many cinemas aroundTyneside. One of his cinemas,Tyneside Cinema, is still operating inNewcastle and is the last remainingnewsreel cinema in the UK.[14]
Born two years before theSecond World War began, Scott was brought up in a military family. His father, as a senior officer in the Royal Engineers, was absent for most of his early life. His elder brother, Frank, joined theMerchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact.[15] During this time the family moved around; they lived inCumberland as well as other areas in England, in addition toWales and Germany, where Colonel Scott was part of the post-warAllied Control Council.[12] After the war, the Scott family moved back toCounty Durham and eventually settled onTeesside.[citation needed]
His interest in science fiction began by reading the novels ofH. G. Wells as a child.[16] He was also influenced by science-fiction films such asIt! The Terror from Beyond Space,The Day the Earth Stood Still, andThem! He said these films "kind of got [him] going a little" but his attention was not fully caught until he sawStanley Kubrick's2001: A Space Odyssey, about which he said, "Once I saw that, I knew what I could do."[16] He went toGrangefield Grammar School inStockton on Tees and obtained a diploma in design atWest Hartlepool College of Art.[17] The industrial landscape in West Hartlepool would later inspire visuals inBlade Runner, with Scott stating, "There were steelworks adjacent to West Hartlepool, so every day I'd be going through them, and thinking they're kind of magnificent, beautiful, winter or summer, and the darker and more ominous it got, the more interesting it got."[18]
I use everything I learned every day at art school. It's all about white sheets of paper, pens and drawing.
— Scott speaking about the influence theRoyal College of Art has had in designing the visuals for his films[19]
Scott went on to study at theRoyal College of Art in London, contributing to the college magazineARK and helping to establish the college film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film,Boy and Bicycle, starring both his younger brother and his father (the film was later released on the "Extras" section ofThe Duellists DVD). In February 1963, Scott was named in the title credits as "Designer" for the BBC television programmeTonight.
After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police seriesZ-Cars and science fiction seriesOut of the Unknown. He was originally assigned to design the secondDoctor Who serial,The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the serial'seponymous alien creatures. Shortly before he was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant he was replaced byRaymond Cusick.[20] In 1965, he began directing episodes of television series for the BBC, only one of which, an episode ofAdam Adamant Lives!, is available commercially.[21]
In 1968, Ridley and his younger brotherTony Scott – who would also go on to become a film director[22] – founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company.[23] Working alongsideAlan Parker,Hugh Hudson and cinematographerHugh Johnson, Ridley Scott made many commercials at RSA during the 1970s, including a 1973Hovis bread advertisement, "Bike Round" (underscored by the slow movement ofDvořák's "New World" symphony rearranged for brass), filmed inGold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset.[1][24] A nostalgia themed television advert that captured the public imagination, it was voted the UK's favourite commercial in a 2006 poll.[25][26] In the 1970s theChanel No. 5 brand needed revitalisation having run the risk of being labelled as mass market and passé.[27] Directed by Scott in the 1970s and 1980s, Chanel television commercials were inventive mini-films with production values of surreal fantasy and seduction, which "played on the same visual imagery, with the same silhouette of the bottle."[27]
Five members of the Scott family are directors, and all have worked for RSA.[28] His brother Tony was a successful film director whose career spanned more than two decades; his sonsJake andLuke are both acclaimed directors of commercials, as is his daughter,Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles; Luke is based in London. In 1995,Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renovated the studios while also expanding and improving its grounds.[29]
The Duellists (1977) marked Ridley Scott's first feature film as director. Shot in continental Europe, it was nominated for the main prize at theCannes Film Festival, and won an award for Best Debut Film.The Duellists had limited commercial impact internationally. Based onJoseph Conrad's short story "The Duel" and set during theNapoleonic Wars, it follows two FrenchHussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud (Keith Carradine andHarvey Keitel) whose quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter extended feud spanning fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film has been acclaimed for providing a historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct.[30][31] The 2013 release of the film on Blu-ray coincided with the publication of an essay on the film in a collection of scholarly essays on Scott.[32]
Scott had originally planned next to adapt a version ofTristan and Iseult, but after seeingStar Wars, he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He accepted the job of directingAlien, the 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would win him international success. Scott made the decision to switchEllen Ripley from the standard male action hero to aheroine.[33] Ripley (played bySigourney Weaver), who appeared in the first fourAlien films, would become a cinematic icon.[33] The final scene ofJohn Hurt's character has been named by a number of publications as one of the most memorable in cinematic history.[34] Filmed atShepperton Studios in England,Alien was thesixth highest-grossing film of 1979, earning over $104 million worldwide.[35] Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the original film. In promotional interviews at the time, Scott indicated he had been in discussions to make a fifth film in theAlien franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, Scott remarked that he had been unhappy aboutAlien: The Director's Cut, feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.[36] Scott later returned toAlien-related projects when he directedPrometheus andAlien: Covenant three decades after the original film's release.[37]
OutsideStar Wars, no sci-fi universe has been etched into cinematic consciousness more thoroughly thanBlade Runner. Ridley Scott's definitive 1982 neo-noir offered an immersive dystopia of rain-soaked windows and shadowy buildings adorned with animated neon billboards, where flying cars hum through the endless night.
After a year working on the film adaptation ofDune, and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version ofPhilip K. Dick's novelDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Re-titledBlade Runner and starringHarrison Ford, the film was a commercial disappointment in cinemas in 1982, and was criticised by Pauline Kael in theNew Yorker who wrote "...Scott doesn't seem to have a grasp of how to use words as part of the way a movie moves. "Blade Runner" is a suspenseless thriller; it appears to be a victim of its own imaginative use of hardware and miniatures and mattes. At some point, Scott and the others must have decided that the story was unimportant; maybe the booming, lewd and sultry score by Chariots-for-Hire Vangelis that seems to come out of the smoke convinced them that the audience would be moved even if vital parts of the story were trimmed."[39]
In response to the review, Scott said: "...It was four pages of destruction. I never met her. I was so offended. I framed those pages and they've been in my office for 30 years to remind me there's only one critic that counts and that's you. I haven't read critiques ever since. Because if it's a good one, you can get a swollen head and forget yourself. And if it's a bad one, you're so depressed that it's debilitating."[40] The movie is now widely regarded as a classic.[41][42] In 1991, Scott's notes were used byWarner Bros. to create a rusheddirector's cut which removed the main character's voiceover and made a number of other small changes, including to the ending. Later Scott personally supervised a digital restoration ofBlade Runner and approved what was calledThe Final Cut. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York City andToronto cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release in December 2007.[43]
Today,Blade Runner is ranked by many critics as one of the most important and influential science fiction films ever made,[44] partly thanks to its much imitated portraits of a future cityscape.[45] It is often discussed along withWilliam Gibson's novelNeuromancer as initiating thecyberpunk genre. Stephen Minger, stem cell biologist at King's College London, states, "It was so far ahead of its time and the whole premise of the story – what is it to be human and who are we, where we come from? It's the age-old questions."[46] Scott has describedBlade Runner as his "most complete and personal film".[47]
In 1985, Scott directedLegend, a fantasy film produced byArnon Milchan. Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" tale set in a world of princesses, unicorns and goblins, filming almost entirely inside the studio. Scott castTom Cruise as the film's hero, Jack;Mia Sara as Princess Lili; andTim Curry as theSatan-horned Lord of Darkness.[48] Scott had a forest set built on the007 Stage atPinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, with trees 60 feet high and trunks 30 feet in diameter.[49] In the final stages of filming, the forest set was destroyed by fire;Jerry Goldsmith's original score was used for European release, but replaced in North America with a score byTangerine Dream. Rob Bottin provided the film's Academy Award-nominated make-up effects, most notably Curry's red-coloured Satan figure. Despite a major commercial failure on release, the film has gone on to become acult classic. The 2002 Director's Cut restored Goldsmith's original score.[50]
In 1984, Scott directed a big-budget ($900,000) television commercial, "1984", to launchApple Computer'sMacintosh computer.[53] Scott filmed the advertisement in England for about $370,000;[54] which was given a showcase airing in the US on 22 January 1984, duringSuper Bowl XVIII, alongside screenings in cinemas.[55] Some consider this advertisement a "watershed event" in advertising[56] and a "masterpiece".[57]Advertising Age placed it top of its list of the 50 greatest commercials.[58]
Set in a dystopian future modelled afterGeorge Orwell'sNineteen Eighty-Four, Scott's advertisement used its hero (portrayed by English athleteAnya Major) to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her whitetank top adorned with a picture of the Apple Macintosh computer) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother), an allusion toIBM, at that time the dominant force in computing.[59]
Scott's historical dramaGladiator (2000) proved to be one of his biggest critical and commercial successes. It won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for the film's starRussell Crowe, and saw Scott nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Director.[2] Scott worked with British visual effects companyThe Mill for the film's computer-generated imagery, and the film was dedicated toOliver Reed who died during filming – The Mill created a digital body double for Reed's remaining scenes.[63][64] Some have creditedGladiator with reviving the nearly defunct "sword and sandal" historical genre. The film was named the fifth best action film of all time in theABC specialBest in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time.[65]
Portrait of Scott in Berlin in 2005 by German photographerOliver Mark
Scott directedHannibal (2001) starringAnthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. The film was commercially successful despite receiving mixed reviews. Scott's next film,Black Hawk Down (2001), featuringTom Hardy in his film debut, was based on a group of stranded US soldiers fighting for their lives inSomalia; Scott was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.[2] In 2003, Scott directed a smaller scale project,Matchstick Men, adapted from the novel byEric Garcia and starringNicolas Cage,Sam Rockwell andAlison Lohman. It received mostly positive reviews but performed moderately at the box office.
In 2005, he made the modestly successfulKingdom of Heaven, a film about theCrusades. The film starredOrlando Bloom, and marked Scott's first collaboration with the composerHarry Gregson-Williams.[66] The Moroccan government sent the Moroccan cavalry as extras for some battle scenes.[67] Unhappy with the theatrical version ofKingdom of Heaven (which he blamed on paying too much attention to the opinions of preview audiences in addition to relenting when Fox wanted 45 minutes shaved off), Scott supervised a director's cut of the film, the true version of what he wanted, which was released on DVD in 2006.[68] The director's cut ofKingdom of Heaven has been met with critical acclaim, withEmpire magazine calling the film an "epic", adding: "The added 45 minutes in the director's cut are like pieces missing from a beautiful but incomplete puzzle."[69] "This is the one that should have gone out" reflected Scott.[69] Asked if he was against previewing in general in 2006, Scott stated: "It depends who's in the driving seat. If you've got a lunatic doing my job, then you need to preview. But a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema."[70]
Scott teamed up again withGladiator starRussell Crowe forA Good Year, based on the best-selling book byPeter Mayle about an investment banker who finds a new life inProvence. The film was released on 10 November 2006. A few days laterRupert Murdoch, chairman of studio20th Century Fox (who backed the film) dismissedA Good Year as "a flop" at a shareholders' meeting.[71]
Scott's next film wasAmerican Gangster, based on the story of real-life drug kingpinFrank Lucas. Scott took over the project in early 2006 and had screenwriterSteven Zaillian rewrite his script to focus on the dynamic between Frank Lucas andRichie Roberts.Denzel Washington signed on to the project as Lucas, with Russell Crowe co-starring as Roberts. The film premiered in November 2007 to positive reviews and box office success, and Scott was nominated for aGolden Globe for Best Director.[2]
In late 2008, Scott's espionage thrillerBody of Lies, starringLeonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, opened to lukewarm ticket-sales and mixed reviews. Scott directed a revisionist adaptation ofRobin Hood, which starred Russell Crowe asRobin Hood andCate Blanchett asMaid Marian. It was released in May 2010 to mixed reviews, but a respectable box-office.
On 31 July 2009, news surfaced of a two-part prequel toAlien with Scott attached to direct.[37][72] The project, ultimately reduced to a single film calledPrometheus, which Scott described as sharing "strands ofAlien's DNA" while not being a direct prequel, was released in June 2012. The film starredCharlize Theron andMichael Fassbender, withNoomi Rapace playing the leading role of the scientist named Elizabeth Shaw. The film received mostly positive reviews and grossed $403 million at the box office.[73][74]
On 6 July 2010, YouTube announced the launch ofLife in a Day, an experimental documentary executive produced by Scott. Released at theSundance Film Festival on 27 January 2011, it incorporates footage shot on 24 July 2010 submitted by YouTube users from around the world.[76] As part of the buildup to the2012 London Olympics, Scott producedBritain in a Day, a documentary film consisting of footage shot by the British public on 12 November 2011.[77]
In 2012, Scott produced the commercial forLady Gaga's fragrance, "Fame". It was touted as the first ever black Eau de Parfum, in the informal credits attached to the trailer for this advertisement. On 24 June 2013, Scott's seriesCrimes of the Century debuted onCNN.[78] In November 2012 it was announced that Scott would produce the documentary,Springsteen & I directed byBaillie Walsh and inspired byLife in a Day, which Scott also produced. The film featured fan footage from throughout the world on what musicianBruce Springsteen meant to them and how he impacted their lives.[79] The film was released for one day only in 50 countries and on over 2000 film screens on 22 July 2013.[79]
Scott directedThe Counselor (2013), with a screenplay by authorCormac McCarthy.[80][81] On 25 October 2013,Indiewire reported that "Before McCarthy sold his first spec script for Scott's (The Counselor) film, the director was heavily involved in developing an adaptation of the author's 1985 novelBlood Meridian with screenwriterBill Monahan (The Departed). But as Scott said in aTime Out interview, '[Studios] didn't want to make it. The book is so uncompromising, which is what's great about it.' Described as an 'anti-western'..."[82] Scott directed thebiblically inspiredepic filmExodus: Gods and Kings, released in December 2014 which received negative reviews from critics (particularly for the casting of white actors asMiddle Eastern characters) and grossed $268 million worldwide on a $140 million budget, making it afinancial disappointment. Filmed atPinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the film starredChristian Bale in the lead role.[83]
Scott participates in a question and answer session about NASA's journey to Mars and his filmThe Martian, 18 August 2015.
In May 2014, Scott began negotiations to directThe Martian, starringMatt Damon as Mark Watney.[84] Like many of Scott's previous works,The Martian features a heroine in the form ofJessica Chastain's character who is the mission commander.[85] The film was originally scheduled for release on 25 November 2015, but Fox later switched its release date with that ofVictor Frankenstein, and thusThe Martian was released on 2 October 2015.[86][87]The Martian was a critical and commercial success, grossed over $630 million worldwide, becoming Scott's highest-grossing film to date.[88][89][90]
A sequel toPrometheus,Alien: Covenant, started filming in 2016, premiered in London on 4 May 2017, and received general release on 19 May 2017.[91] The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praisingMichael Fassbender's dual performance and calling the film a return to form for both director Ridley Scott and the franchise.[92][93]
In August 2011, information leaked about production of asequel toBlade Runner byAlcon Entertainment, with Alcon partnersBroderick Johnson andAndrew Kosove.[94] Scott informed theVariety publication in November 2014 that he was no longer the director for the film and would only fulfill a producer's role. Scott also revealed that filming would begin sometime within 2015, and thatHarrison Ford has signed on to reprise his role from the original film but his character should only appear in "the third act" of the sequel.[95] On 26 February 2015, the sequel was officially confirmed, withDenis Villeneuve hired to direct the film, and Scott being an executive producer.[96] The sequel,Blade Runner 2049, was released on 6 October 2017 to universal acclaim.[97]
From May to August 2017, Scott filmedAll the Money in the World, a drama about thekidnapping of John Paul Getty III, starringMark Wahlberg andMichelle Williams.[98][99]Kevin Spacey originally portrayed Getty Sr. However, after multiple sexual assault allegations against the actor, Scott decided to replace him withChristopher Plummer, saying "You can't condone that kind of behaviour in any shape or form. We cannot let one person's action affect the good work of all these other people. It's that simple."[100] Scott began re-shooting Spacey's scenes with Plummer on 20 November, which included filming atElveden Hall in west Suffolk, England.[100] With a release date of 25 December 2017, the film studio had its doubts that Scott would manage it, saying: "They were like, 'You'll never do it. God be with you.'"[100][101]
While promotingGladiator II, in a September 2024 interview for French networkLa Premiere, Scott revealed that he was planning aGladiator III, comparing the ending ofII toThe Godfather, "withMichael Corleone ending up with a job he didn't want [...] So the next [film] will be about a man who doesn't want to be where he is."[116]
In 2002, Ridley Scott and his brother Tony were among the executive producers ofThe Gathering Storm, a television biographical film ofWinston Churchill in the years just prior toWorld War II. ABBC–HBO co-production, it received acclaim, withMark Lawson ofThe Guardian ranking it as the most memorable television portrayal of Churchill.[120] The brothers produced theCBS seriesNumb3rs (2005–10), a crime drama about a genius mathematician who helps theFBI solve crimes; andThe Good Wife (2009–2016), a legal drama about an attorney balancing her job with her husband, a former state attorney trying to rebuild his political career after a major scandal. The two Scotts also produced a 2010film adaptation of 1980s television showThe A-Team, directed byJoe Carnahan.[121][122]
Scott's first television directing role in 50 years,Raised by Wolves, was released onHBO Max in 2020.[130][131] Scott said his "tendency was to think, 'I don't want to go down that road of androids again'", but decided to take on the project after he read the script and liked it.[131] The show revolves around androids Mother and Father, who attempt to save humankind on planet Kepler-22b after earth is demolished by war between the Mithraic, who follow a god called Sol, and militant atheists.[132]
Scott was married to Felicity Heywood from 1964 to 1975. The couple had two sons,Jake andLuke,[134] both of whom work as directors in Scott's production company, Ridley Scott Associates. Scott later married advertising executive Sandy Watson in 1979, with whom he had a daughter,Jordan Scott, also a director, and divorced in 1989.[135] In 2015 he married actressGiannina Facio,[136] whom he has cast in all his films sinceWhite Squall exceptAmerican Gangster andThe Martian.[137] He divides his time between homes in London, France, and Los Angeles.[83]
His eldest brother Frank died, aged 45, of skin cancer in 1980.[138] His younger brotherTony, who was also his business partner in their companyScott Free, died on 19 August 2012 at the age of 68 after jumping from theVincent Thomas Bridge which spans Los Angeles Harbor, after an originally disputed long struggle with cancer.[139] Before Tony's death, he and Ridley collaborated on aminiseries based onRobin Cook's novelComa forA&E. The two-part miniseries premiered on A&E on 3 September 2012, to mixed reviews.[140]
In 2013, Scott stated that he is anatheist.[143] Although when asked by theBBC in a September 2014 interview if he believes in God, Scott replied:
I'm not sure. I think there's all kinds of questions raised... that's such an exotic question. If we looked at the whole thing practically speaking, the Big Bang occurred and then we go through this evolution of millions, billions of years where, by coincidence, all the right biological accidents came out the right way. To an extent, that doesn't make sense unless there was a controlling decider or mediator in all of that. So who was that? Or what was that? Are we one big grand experiment in the basic overall blink of the universe, or the galaxy? In which case, who is behind it?[144]
Scott's frequent collaboratorRussell Crowe commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers."[145] Paul M. Sammon, in his bookFuture Noir: The Making ofBlade Runner, commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.[146] More recently during the filming of Scott's 2012 film,Prometheus,Charlize Theron praised the director's willingness to listen to suggestions from the cast for improvements in the way their characters are portrayed on screen. Theron worked alongside the writers and Scott to give more depth to her character during filming.[147] When working on epics, Scott states, "there's always the danger that the characters can get swamped" on a large canvas, before adding, "My model isDavid Lean, whose characters never got lost in the proscenium."[148]
Scott's work is identified for its striking visuals, withheroines also a common theme.[2][11][149][150]Los Angeles Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf wrote "Scott may be the movies' most consistent stealth feminist".[109] His visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers.[2][3]James Cameron commented, "I love Ridley's films and I love his filmmaking, I love the beauty of the photography, I love the visceral sense that you're there, that you're present."[151] Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences. Examples includeAlien andBlade Runner; theLos Angeles Times critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Scott claims to have aneidetic memory, which he says aids him in visualising and storyboarding the scenes in his films.[152]
Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible: "I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and – whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up – then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."[145]
Artificial intelligence is a theme that appears in several of Scott's films, includingBlade Runner,Alien, andPrometheus.[153] The 2013 bookThe Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott identifies pioneering computer scientistAlan Turing and the philosopherJohn Searle as presenting relevant models of testing artificial intelligence known as theTuring test and theChinese Room Thought Experiment, respectively, in the chapter titled "What's Wrong with Building Replicants", which has been a recurring theme for many of Scott's films.[154] The chapter titled "Artificial Intelligence inBlade Runner,Alien, andPrometheus," concludes by citing the writings ofJohn Stuart Mill in the context of Scott's Nexus-6 Replicants inBlade Runner (Rutger Hauer), the androidAsh (Ian Holm) inAlien, and the androidDavid 8 (Michael Fassbender) inPrometheus, where Mill is applied to assert that measures and tests of intelligence must also assess actions and moral behaviour in androids to effectively address the themes which Scott explores in these films.[155]
Scott providesaudio commentaries and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue ofTotal Film magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it."[70]
The positive reaction to theBlade RunnerDirector's Cut encouraged Scott to re-cut several movies that were a disappointment at the time of their release (includingLegend andKingdom of Heaven), which have been met with acclaim.[69] Today the practice of alternative cuts is more commonplace, though often as a way to make a film stand out in the DVD marketplace by adding new material.
Sir Ridley Scott was made an Honorary Doctor at theRoyal College of Art during a ceremony in July 2015.
Scott wasknighted in the2003 New Year Honours for services to the British film industry.[156] He received his accolade fromQueen Elizabeth II at an investiture ceremony atBuckingham Palace on 8 July 2003.[5] Scott admitted feeling "stunned and truly humbled" after the ceremony, saying, "As a boy growing up inSouth Shields, I could never have imagined that I would receive such a special recognition. I am truly humbled to receive this treasured award and believe it also further recognises the excellence of the British film industry."[157] He was appointed aKnight Grand Cross byKing Charles III in 2024.[158]
Scott has received threeHugo Awards in the category ofBest Dramatic Presentation forAlien,Blade Runner andThe Martian.[162][163] In 2012, Scott was among the British cultural icons selected by artist SirPeter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork, theBeatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life that he most admires to mark his 80th birthday.[164] On 3 July 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by theRoyal College of Art in a ceremony at theRoyal Albert Hall in London at which he described how he still keeps on his office wall his school report placing him 31st out of 31 in his class, and how his teacher encouraged him to pursue what became his passion at art school.[165][166]
Directed Academy Award performances Under Scott's direction, these actors have receivedAcademy Award nominations (and wins) for their performances in their respective roles.
^Iain Sinclair (20 January 2011)."The Raging Peloton".London Review of Books. Vol. 33, no. 2. pp. 3–8.Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved11 April 2016.As proudly as the freshly baked loaves in Ridley Scott's celebrated [Hovis] commercial, shot in 1973, on the picturesque slopes of Shaftesbury.
^Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, Nancy Kang (2013). "The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott". Chapter 10. Celebrating Historical Accuracy in The Duellists. p.171-178. Lexington Books
^Russell Smith (19 October 1993). "Brad Pitt Only Does Interesting Movie Roles".Deseret News. p. EV6.It was in 1991, when he hitched his ride withGeena Davis andSusan Sarandon inThelma & Louise, that Pitt's star began to twinkle in earnest.
^abRothkopf, Joshua (21 November 2023)."Vanessa Kirby commands the heart of 'Napoleon.' Her director knows about strong women".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved28 November 2023.Kirby's Joséphine joins the sisterhood of director Ridley Scott's women, characters marked by strength and savvy, overtly in "Thelma & Louise" and "G.I. Jane," but just as palpably in scene-stealing turns from Lorraine Bracco in 1987's "Someone to Watch Over Me," Jodie Comer in "The Last Duel" and Lady Gaga in the deep-dish-of-crazy "House of Gucci." Scott may be the movies' most consistent stealth feminist
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