Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne & Wear) is an Academy Award-nominated British film director and producer. His films include Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, and American Gangster.

Education, West Hartlepool College of Art; Royal College of Art, London (art, film).

Brother of director Tony Scott (I).

Father of music video director Jake Scott (I).

Whilst working as a set designer at the BBC, Scott was assigned to design the Daleks for the popular BBC TV serial "Doctor Who" (1963). Scott passed the work on to his friend Raymond Cusick, as he was unable to attend the filming at Ealing.

Owns the visual effects company Mill Film, based in London. They did the majority of the effects work on Gladiator (2000).

2001: Ranked #31 in Entertainment Weekly's Power List.

1986: Enya (I)'s recording "Aldebaran" is dedicated to him.

2002: Ranked #30 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List.

1990s: He was developing a film adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel, "I Am Legend". This project was never finished.

Is the father of "director's cut".

Owns Shepperton Studios in the UK with his brother Tony Scott (I).

Has made over 2000 commercials.

Son of Elizabeth Jean Scott.

2003: Knighted in the New Year's Honours List.

2003: Ranked #25 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #30 in 2002.

Father of actress Jordan Scott (I)

Black Hawk Down (2001) is dedicated to his mother, who died in 2001.

Directed a Maxwell House coffee commercial that starred Shakira Caine. Michael Caine (I) saw the commercial and was so taken by her beauty, he desperately searched for her. They have been married 30 years.

He cast his partner in life, Giannina Facio, in all of his films since Gladiator (2000).

Usually casts / works with actors who have a strong theatre background and are graduates of drama school.

Of all the professional actors he has hired / worked with for his films, over 50% come from elite drama schools and the theatre, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon, The Globe Theatre, The Old Vic and the National Theatre in London, which he feels brings as large a presence to the screen as the actors do to the stage.

Graduated from the prestigious Royal College of Art in London, England, with a B.A. from the Film Arts school.

Graduated from the London International Film School's one year master's program where two of his short films won awards.

Is the only director, other than George Lucas, who has directed both Harrison Ford (I) and Ewan McGregor in a movie.

He and Michael Mann (I) have both directed a Hannibal Lecter film. They have also both worked frequently with an actor who has played Jack Crawford. Mann directed Dennis Farina's first film, Thief (1981), and he also used him on "Miami Vice" (1984). Scott cast Harvey Keitel in Duellists, The (1977) and Thelma & Louise (1991). Keitel went on to play Jack Crawford in Red Dragon (2002).

Is left-handed and personally sketches most of his own storyboards with great artistic style

Likes to be personally involved with the casting of his movies

April 2005: The most successful British director in Hollywood in terms of box office to date.

Has worked with three Aragorns. His first theatrical film, Duellists, The (1977), featured Sir Robert Stephens (I), who played Aragorn in the BBC radio adaptation. His breakthrough film, Alien (1979), featured John Hurt, who voiced the character in the Ralph Bakshi animated film Lord of the Rings, The (1978). G.I. Jane (1997) featured Viggo Mortensen, who played the part in Peter Jackson (I)'s live-action adaptation.

He and his brother Tony Scott (I) have worked with several of the same actors. Ridley cast Tom Skerritt as Capt. Dallas in Alien (1979), while Tony cast him as Mike Metcalf, mentor to Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun (1986). Cruise appeared in "Top Gun" for Tony, and Legend (1985) for Ridley. Giancarlo Giannini played a police officer in Hannibal (2001), and again in Man on Fire (2004). Gary Oldman appeared in True Romance (1993) for Tony and "Hannibal" for Ridley. Brad Pitt appeared in "True Romance" for Tony and Thelma & Louise (1991) for Ridley. Viggo Mortensen appeared in Crimson Tide (1995) for Tony, and G.I. Jane (1997) for Ridley. Denzel Washington appeared in "Crimson Tide", "Man on Fire" and Deja Vu (2006) for Tony, and American Gangster (2007) for Ridley. In addition, Tim Robbins (I), who appeared in "Top Gun", has been involved in a long-term relationship with Susan Sarandon, who appeared in "Thelma and Louise", since 1988.

His first feature film, Duellists, The (1977) is based on a Joseph Conrad (I) story. In his next film, Alien (1979), the spaceship was known as the Nostromo and its escape ship as the Narcissus. Both are names taken from Conrad stories.

2005: Ranked #5 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest directors ever!".

2005: Ranked #28 on Premiere's Power 50 List. Had ranked #32 in 2004.

While in college at the Royal College of Art, he was a contributor to the college magazine ARK. He also helped establish a film studies department at the school.

1984: Directed the Famous Apple Macintosh commercial that was shown during the 1984 Superbowl.

In 1994, he was slated to direct "Hot Zone" from a screenplay by James V. Hart based on the 1992 New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone" by Richard Preston (IV). The film was to star Robert Redford (I) and Jodie Foster and was based on the true story of the discovery of the deadly Ebola virus. Various factors, including the development of the similarly-plotted Outbreak (1995), led to the project being cancelled.

Has done four films with Russell Crowe: Gladiator (2000), Good Year, A (2006), American Gangster (2007), and Body of Lies (2008).

Suffers from claustrophobia, a condition he actively sought to instill in his Alien (1979) cast by making their Nostromo living quarters as cramped as possible.

Coming from an army and fine arts background, he is an inveterate stickler for detail who tackles each movie project with the vehemence of a general with a battle plan. His persistent scrutiny of minutiae on the Alien (1979) shoot prompted Sigourney Weaver to complain that he cared more about his props and sets than he did about his cast.

Divides his time among his homes in Hampstead (UK), France and Los Angeles.

Like his brother Tony Scott (I), he is an avid smoker of Montecristo Cuban cigars.

In late 2005, he was preparing to direct "The Invisible World" from a screenplay by Dana Stevens based on a treatment by Washington Post correspondent David Ignatius. The film was to star Angelina Jolie, and was based on the abduction of a female journalist in Iraq. However, Jolie's pregnancy at the time halted production, putting off the project altogether. This sudden opening in Ridley Scott's schedule allowed him to direct American Gangster (2007) the following year.