Ridley Scott, the celebrated filmmaker chosen to receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 17th annual Governors Awards on Sunday night, will not be on hand in Hollywood to accept the honor in person, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
Scott, who lives in London and turns 89 on Nov. 30, underwent a minor medical procedure last week and has been advised not to fly while he is still healing, sources told THR. His entire family, including his wife, children and grandchildren, will still make the trip to Los Angeles for the celebration.
The director pre-taped his acceptance speech last week, and the recording will be played during the ceremony. Actress Glenn Close and animator Floyd Norman are also set to receive honorary Oscars at the event, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will be presented with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Scott's career has followed an unusual path. He was nearly 40 when he made his directorial debut with 1977's The Duellists, having spent his early professional years making high-end commercials in partnership with his brother Tony.
He has more than made up for that late start, consistently turning out action-packed blockbusters that have collectively grossed some $5 billion, many of them landmarks of cinematic achievement. His credits include two of the most significant science fiction films of all time, 1979's Alien and 1982's Blade Runner, as well as 1991's Thelma & Louise, which earned him a best director Oscar nomination.
His 2000 epic Gladiator won the best picture Oscar, though Scott lost the best director prize, and 2001's Black Hawk Down brought his most recent best director nomination. His later work includes 2007's American Gangster, 2015's The Martian and 2024's Gladiator 2.
Scott has also produced many of his own films, among them Thelma & Louise, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, The Martian, for which he personally received a best picture Oscar nomination, and Gladiator 2. His extensive television producing credits include The Good Wife, The Man in the High Castle, The Good Fight and Dope Thief.
Although Scott projects the image of the most masculine of males and has featured tough-guy characters in films like Blade Runner and Gladiator, he is also behind truly feminist films such as Alien and Thelma & Louise. His works have collectively been nominated for 45 Oscars, including seven for performances, and have won nine, including one for a performance, yet he has never taken home a statuette himself.
BAFTA has twice honored him with high awards for career achievement: its Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 1994, shared with Tony, who died in 2012, and its Fellowship in 2018.
