Ridley Scott is one of the most influential filmmakers of his time. His career spans from his early success in commercial direction to the expansion of his vision into his ground breaking early films and on to the critical and commercial success of his latest projects.

He most recently produced and directed Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom for Twentieth Century Fox. His next project is A Good Year, for Fox 2000 Pictures.

In 2003 the director re-edited his cult classic Blade Runner for DVD release. The original release became a science fiction classic and the "youngest" film added to the National Film Archives maintained by the U.S. Library of Congress. Scott also re-cut his classic Alien which was released last year to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Scott directed last year's critically acclaimed Matchstick Men for Warner Bros. starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman. Also in 2003, Scott was knighted by the Queen of England.

In 2002, Scott was nominated for an Academy Award for his blockbuster Black Hawk Down which he directed and produced with Jerry Bruckheimer. The movie was praised for its accurate depiction of the 1993 American military effort in Somalia. He previously was nominated for an Academy Award for directing Gladiator, which won Best Picture at the 2000 Academy Awards. This epic and dramatic evocation of ancient Rome starred Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix and was nominated for twelve awards, winning five, including Best Actor (Russell Crowe) and Best Picture. Gladiator also won both the Golden Globe and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards for Best Picture and grossed over $450 million dollars worldwide. Also in 2000, Scott directed Hannibal, based on Thomas Harris' sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore. These films have only further solidified Scott's position as one of the most influential and versatile filmmakers of our time, earlier confirmed by such motion pictures as Alien, Blade Runner and Thelma and Louise. Some of Scott's other directorial credits include, Legend, starring Tom Cruise, Someone to Watch Over Me, starring Tom Berenger and Black Rain, starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia.

Scott has involved himself in diverse areas of the film industry. He created Scott Free Entertainment, RSA and Black Dog Films. He is co-chairman of The Mill, one of the largest commercial production and post production houses in London. This company boasts involvement in the visual effects of the following films: Shakespeare in Love, Babe: Pig in the City, Pitch Black, Cats & Dogs, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Black Hawk Down and dozens of other films. In 2001, The Mill received an Academy Award for their visual effects work in Scott's Gladiator.

In 1995, Scott, along with his brother Tony, formed Scott Free Entertainment, a film and television production company. Since its inception, Scott Free has produced such feature films as White Squall, starring Jeff Bridges and G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore, both of which were directed by Ridley Scott. He also produced Clay Pigeons, starring Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix, and Where the Money Is, starring Paul Newman.

For television, Scott Free produced The Hunger, a Cable Ace Award-winning anthology series for Showtime. Scott Free Entertainment is currently producing Numbers, a CBS/Paramount pilot. The company also executive produced The Gathering Storm for HBO. The movie portrayed the life of Winston Churchill and starred Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave. The film received three Emmy awards: one for Albert Finney as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, one for Hugh Whitemore for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special, and Scott took one home as Executive Producer for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. Scott also received a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture and Albert Finney took home Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. The film also won three BAFTA Awards.

Scott also executive produced the Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning HBO feature RKO 281, starring Liev Schreiber, James Cromwell and Melanie Griffith.

RSA was founded by Ridley Scott and his brother in 1968 and has become one of the most successful commercial production houses in the world. Over the years, Ridley Scott has directed over two thousand commercials, many of which have won awards at the Venice and Cannes Film Festivals, as well as being honored by the New York Art Directors' Club. In addition to his film work, Scott remains actively involved with RSA. With offices in London, New York, and Los Angeles, RSA represents some of the most acclaimed directors in the advertising industry.

Black Dog Films was created with his son Jake Scott in 1998 and has produced music videos for such diverse artists as REM, U2 and Puff Daddy. The company received the DEAD Pencil Award in 2000 for its accomplishments. Black Dog Films has offices in both Los Angeles and London.

Scott is also Co-Chairman of Pinewood Shepperton in London, one of the largest studio facilities in Europe with forty-two stages, back lots and locations as well as award winning post-production and full production support services.

He and his brother were part of a consortium that purchased Shepperton Studios in 1995 which merged with Pinewood Studios in 2001.

Scott was born in South Shields, Northumberland, England. Reared in London, Cumbria, Wales and Germany, he returned to Northeast England to live in Stockton-on-Tees. He studied at the West Hartlepool College of Art where he studied graphic design and painting. Scott also studied at the Royal Academy of Art, where his contemporaries include David Hockney. It was there that Scott made his first short film, Boy and a Bicycle which starred his brother Tony.

Graduating with honors, Scott was awarded a traveling scholarship to the United States for one year. During that time, he was employed by Time Life, Inc. where he worked with award-winning documentarians Richard Leacock and D.A. Pennebaker. Upon his return to the U.K., he joined the BBC as a production designer and, within a year, was promoted to their directing team.

Scott began his feature film directing career with The Duellists, which brought him the Grand Jury Prize at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival. His second film was the breakthrough hit Alien, which won an Academy Award for Special Effects. This was followed by Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford. The film is now considered one of the landmark science fiction films of all time.

In 1992, Scott received his first Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination for Best Director for Thelma and Louise. The film also was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy and BAFTA.