Claim: Ridley Scott is the director of the 1979 film Alien.

Sir Ridley Scott -LRB- born 30 November 1937 -RRB- is an English film director and producer . Following his commercial breakthrough with the science-fiction horror film Alien -LRB- 1979 -RRB- , his best known works are the neo-noir dystopian science fiction film Blade Runner -LRB- 1982 -RRB- , crime drama Thelma & Louise -LRB- 1991 -RRB- , historical drama and Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , war film Black Hawk Down -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , crime thriller Hannibal -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , biographical film American Gangster -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , and science fiction films Prometheus -LRB- 2012 -RRB- and The Martian -LRB- 2015 -RRB- .   Scott is known for his atmospheric , highly concentrated visual style . Though his films range widely in setting and period , they frequently showcase memorable imagery of urban environments , whether 2nd century Rome -LRB- Gladiator -RRB- , 12th century Jerusalem -LRB- Kingdom of Heaven -RRB- , Medieval England -LRB- Robin Hood -RRB- , contemporary Mogadishu -LRB- Black Hawk Down -RRB- , or the future cityscapes of Blade Runner . His films are also known for their strong female characters . Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing -LRB- for Thelma & Louise , Gladiator and Black Hawk Down -RRB- . In 1995 , both Ridley and his brother Tony received a BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema . In 2003 , Scott was knighted for his `` services to the British film industry '' . In a 2004 BBC poll Scott was named the tenth most influential person in British culture . In 2015 he received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London .