SIR RIDLEY SCOTT (Director / Producer) recently earned his third Academy Award nomination and second Directors Guild nod as Best Director for his stunning recreation of the Mogadishu Battle in Somalia in "Black Hawk Down", one of 2001's biggest hits. The year previous, he received his second Academy nomination for "Gladiator", which won five Oscars out of a total 12 nominations, including Best Picture, and earned Scott additional nominations from BAFTA and the Directors Guild. "Gladiator" also won Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture, further solidifying Scott's reputation as one of the industry's most innovative, influential and versatile stylists.

Born in South Shields, Northumberland, England, Scott grew up in London, Cumbria, Wales and Germany before returning to Northeast England to live in Stockton-on-Tees. He excelled in graphic design and painting at West Hartlepool College of Art, strengths that would later serve as his screen signature, and studied at London's Royal