Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott married Felicity Heywood in 1964 and got divorced in 1975. He then started dating Sandy Watson and got married to her in 1979. This marriage too ended in a divorce 10 years later. He is presently in a relationship with actor Giannina Facio, who has featured in most of Ridley’s films.

Ridley has two sons from his first marriage and a daughter from his second marriage. Both his sons, Luke and Jake, are directors.

Although his primary base is in Los Angeles, Ridley spends considerable time at his France and London mansions too.

Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937, in County Durham, England, UK, into a highly respected military family. His father worked for the British armed forces. As he was born immediately before the beginning of the Second World War, his father mostly remained absent from his life. As a result, his mother took care of him and both his brothers.

He had two siblings: his elder and younger brothers. His elder brother decided to serve the ‘British Merchant Navy’ and left home while Ridley was still a toddler. Thus, Ridley had a lonely childhood. Ridley also faced persistent stress regarding the well-being of his father.

Ridley studied at the ‘Grangefield Grammar School,’ where he started reading science-fiction short stories written by various authors. This seemed to be the best way to keep himself distracted from the loneliness and problems in his life. With time, he became addicted to dystopian stories with solid existential themes. This shaped his future career as a prolific storyteller in the same genre.

After receiving a diploma in design, Ridley enrolled at the ‘Royal College of Art,’ a highly prestigious institution in London. This was Ridley’s attempt to retain his artistic side, and this was the place where he had his first brush with filmmaking and immediately fell in love with the art of motion pictures.

While contributing to the college magazine, ‘ARK,’ he made a name for himself as a creative story writer. Around the same time, he started studying films seriously and established a film society within the college campus with the help of a few friends.

Ridley’s first attempt at direction was for his short film ‘Boy and Bicycle,’ which starred his younger brother, Tony, and his father. The film was proof of his unique way of looking at stories and the world in general. The film was appreciated locally. Ridley continued with his studies, eventually graduating in 1963.

Once out of college, he did a few short-term jobs in the film industry, to learn the tricks of the trade. He eventually bagged a job as the trainee set designer for ‘BBC.’ He worked on the popular science-fiction series ‘Out of the Unknown’ and the police-procedural series ‘Z-Cars.’

An ardent admirer of Stanley Kubrick, he started his own production company with his younger brother, Tony, who was also an aspiring filmmaker. ‘Ridley Scott Associates’ (RSA), their film and production company, was founded in 1968. They soon started producing TV commercials and gained considerable recognition. Their narrative style resonated well with the general public. Ridley was on his way to start the production of his debut feature film.

In 1977, Ridley Scott stirred the international film festival circuit with his debut feature film, ‘The Duellists.’ It was a historical war film. Ridley spent less than US$ 900,000 to make the film.

The film was showcased at the ‘Cannes Film Festival,’ where it won the ‘Best Debut Film’ award. This paved Ridley’s way to mainstream Hollywood.

Ridley accepted the job of directing ‘Aliens’ in 1979. It was a science-fiction horror film, which turned out to be a huge international success and brought Ridley immense respect and appreciation. The film has, over the years, become a cult classic and has won ‘Saturn Awards’ for the ‘Best Science Fiction Film’ and the ‘Best Director.’

Ridley’s third film was ‘Blade Runner,’ a 1982 science-fiction saga about a humanoid and his existential crisis. The film was appreciated by critics. Despite being a box-office failure, the film has attained cult status through the years.

Scott soon came to be known as an enigmatic Hollywood director and continued directing remarkable films such as the 1985 fantasy film ‘Legend,’ starring Tom Cruise in the lead role. Another film by the director was ‘Black Rain,’ which starred Michael Douglas as a cop on a mission to Japan. Both the films were critically and commercially appreciated.