Ridley Scott
Biography
Sir Ridley Leighton Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English filmmaker. He directs films in the science fiction, crime, and historical epic genres with an atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. He ranks among the highest-grossing directors, with his films grossing a cumulative $5 billion worldwide. He has received many accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He 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 director of commercials. 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 Rome in 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).
Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards: Directing for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. Gladiator won the Academy Award for Best Picture and received a nomination in the same category for The Martian. In 1995, Scott and his brother Tony received a British Academy Film Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Scott's films Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise were each selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In a 2004 BBC poll, Scott was ranked 10 on the list of most influential people in British culture. Scott also works in television and has earned 10 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He won twice, for Outstanding Television Film for the HBO film The Gathering Storm (2002) and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for the History Channel's Gettysburg (2011). He was Emmy-nominated for RKO 281 (1999), The Andromeda Strain (2008), and The Pillars of the Earth (2010).
Most directed genres
Recurring actors
- Michael Fassbender 6
- Russell Crowe 5
- Sigourney Weaver 4
- Noomi Rapace 3
- Adam Driver 2
- Albert Finney 2
- Amy Seimetz 2
- Armand Assante 2
Awards and nominations
- 2016 Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated
- 2007 Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
- 2001 European Film Award - People's Choice Award for Best Director Nominated
- 2000 European Film Award for Best Non-European Film Nominated
- 1992 Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
- 1980 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
- — Knight Bachelor
- — The George Pal Memorial Award
- — David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director
- — Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
- — star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- — Commander of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite
The career in numbers
- US$ 2.7 bi Total budget from 31 film(s) with data
- US$ 5.0 bi Total box office from 29 film(s) with data
- US$ 86 mi Average budget from 31 film(s) with data
- US$ 173 mi Average box office from 29 film(s) with data
- 6.8 Average rating from 31 film(s) with data
- 2.0× Return on investment from 29 film(s) with data
Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.
Films directed
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Treasure Island
|
2028 | US$ 200 mi | — | — |
The Dog Stars
|
2026 | US$ 110 mi | US$ 33 mi | 6.7 |
Gladiator II
|
2024 | US$ 310 mi | US$ 462 mi | 6.6 |
Napoleon
|
2023 | US$ 165 mi | US$ 222 mi | 6.3 |
The Last Duel
|
2021 | US$ 100 mi | US$ 31 mi | 7.4 |
House of Gucci
|
2021 | US$ 75 mi | US$ 153 mi | 6.6 |
Alien: Covenant
|
2017 | US$ 97 mi | US$ 241 mi | 6.2 |
All the Money in the World
|
2017 | US$ 50 mi | US$ 57 mi | 6.5 |
Paradise by Job Willins
|
2017 | — | — | — |
The Martian
|
2015 | US$ 108 mi | US$ 631 mi | 7.7 |
Derelict by Job Willins
|
2015 | — | — | — |
Exodus: Gods and Kings
|
2014 | US$ 140 mi | US$ 268 mi | 5.9 |
The Counselor
|
2013 | US$ 25 mi | US$ 71 mi | 5.3 |
Prometheus
|
2012 | US$ 130 mi | US$ 403 mi | 6.6 |
Robin Hood
|
2010 | US$ 200 mi | US$ 322 mi | 6.4 |
Body of Lies
|
2008 | US$ 70 mi | US$ 113 mi | 6.6 |
American Gangster
|
2007 | US$ 100 mi | US$ 270 mi | 7.6 |
A Good Year
|
2006 | US$ 35 mi | US$ 42 mi | 6.7 |
All the Invisible Children
|
2006 | — | — | 7.0 |
Kingdom of Heaven
|
2005 | US$ 130 mi | US$ 218 mi | 7.1 |
Matchstick Men
|
2003 | US$ 62 mi | US$ 66 mi | 7.0 |
Black Hawk Down
|
2001 | US$ 92 mi | US$ 173 mi | 7.4 |
Hannibal
|
2001 | US$ 87 mi | US$ 352 mi | 6.8 |
Gladiator
|
2000 | US$ 103 mi | US$ 466 mi | 8.2 |
G.I. Jane
|
1997 | US$ 50 mi | US$ 48 mi | 6.5 |
White Squall
|
1996 | US$ 38 mi | US$ 10 mi | 6.3 |
1492: Conquest of Paradise
|
1992 | US$ 47 mi | US$ 7 mi | 6.3 |
Thelma & Louise
|
1991 | US$ 16 mi | US$ 45 mi | 7.6 |
The King of Ads
|
1991 | — | — | 4.3 |
Black Rain
|
1989 | US$ 30 mi | US$ 134 mi | 6.6 |
Someone to Watch Over Me
|
1987 | US$ 17 mi | US$ 10 mi | 5.8 |
Legend
|
1985 | US$ 25 mi | US$ 16 mi | 6.3 |
Blade Runner
|
1982 | US$ 28 mi | US$ 42 mi | 7.9 |
Alien
|
1979 | US$ 11 mi | US$ 105 mi | 8.2 |
The Duellists
|
1977 | US$ 900,000 | — | 7.2 |
Boy and Bicycle
|
1965 | — | — | 5.6 |
Untitled Alien Covenant Sequel
|
— | — | — | — |
