Scott was born on 30 November 1937 in South Shields, County Durham, the son of Elizabeth (née Williams) and Colonel Francis Percy Scott.
His great-uncle Dixon Scott was a pioneer of the cinema chain, and opened many cinemas around Tyneside.
One of his cinemas, Tyneside Cinema, is still operating in Newcastle and is the last remaining newsreel cinema in the UK.
Born shortly before World War II began, Scott was brought up in a military family.
His father, an officer in the Royal Engineers, was absent for most of his early life.
His elder brother, Frank, joined the British Merchant Navy when he was still young, and the pair had little contact.
During this time, the family moved around; they lived in Cumberland, as well as other areas in England, in addition to Wales and Germany.
Scott's younger brother, Tony, also became a film director.
After World War II, the Scott family moved back to their native area and eventually settled on Greens Beck Road in Hartburn, County Durham, the industrial landscape of which would later inspire visuals in Scott's film Blade Runner.
His interest in science fiction began by reading the novels of H. G. Wells as a child.
He was also influenced by science-fiction films such as It!
The Terror from Beyond Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Them!
He said these films "kind of got [him] going a little" but his attention was not fully caught until he saw Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, about which he said, "Once I saw that, I knew what I could do."
He studied at Grangefield Grammar School and West Hartlepool College of Art from 1954 to 1958, obtaining a diploma in design.

Scott went on to study at the Royal College of Art in London, contributing to college magazine ARK and helping to establish the college film department.
For his final show, he made a black and white short film, Boy and Bicycle, starring both his younger brother and his father (the film was later released on the "Extras" section of The Duellists DVD).
In February 1963, Scott was named in the title credits as "Designer" for the BBC television programme Tonight.
After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series Z-Cars and science fiction series Out of the Unknown.
He was originally assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the serial's eponymous alien creatures.
However, shortly before he was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant he was replaced by Raymond Cusick.
In 1965, he began directing episodes of television series for the BBC, only one of which, an episode of Adam Adamant Lives!,
is available commercially.

In 1968, Ridley and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company.
Working alongside Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson and cinematographer Hugh Johnson, Ridley Scott made many commercials at RSA during the 1970s, including a 1973 Hovis bread advertisement, "Bike Round" (underscored by the slow movement of Dvořák's "New World" symphony rearranged for brass), filmed in Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset.
A nostalgia themed television advert that captured the public imagination, it was voted the UK's favourite commercial in a 2006 poll.
In the 1970s the Chanel No.
5 brand needed revitalisation having run the risk of being labelled as mass market and passé.
Directed by Scott in the 1970s and 1980s, Chanel television commercials were inventive mini-films with production values of surreal fantasy and seduction, which "played on the same visual imagery, with the same silhouette of the bottle."

Five members of the Scott family are directors, and all have worked for RSA.
His brother Tony was a successful film director whose career spanned more than two decades; his sons Jake and Luke are both acclaimed directors of commercials, as is his daughter, Jordan Scott.
Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles; Luke is based in London.
In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renov
Scott was born on 30 November 1937 in South Shields, County Durham, the son of Elizabeth (née Williams) and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. His great-uncle Dixon Scott was a pioneer of the cinema chain, and opened many cinemas around Tyneside. One of his cinemas, Tyneside Cinema, is still operating in Newcastle and is the last remaining newsreel cinema in the UK. Born shortly before World War II began, Scott was brought up in a military family. His father, an officer in the Royal Engineers, was absent for most of his early life. His elder brother, Frank, joined the British Merchant Navy when he was still young, and the pair had little contact. During this time, the family moved around; they lived in Cumberland, as well as other areas in England, in addition to Wales and Germany. Scott's younger brother, Tony, also became a film director. After World War II, the Scott family moved back to their native area and eventually settled on Greens Beck Road in Hartburn, County Durham, the industrial landscape of which would later inspire visuals in Scott's film Blade Runner. His interest in science fiction began by reading the novels of H. G. Wells as a child. He was also influenced by science-fiction films such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Them! He said these films "kind of got [him] going a little" but his attention was not fully caught until he saw Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, about which he said, "Once I saw that, I knew what I could do." He studied at Grangefield Grammar School and West Hartlepool College of Art from 1954 to 1958, obtaining a diploma in design.
Scott went on to study at the Royal College of Art in London, contributing to college magazine ARK and helping to establish the college film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film, Boy and Bicycle, starring both his younger brother and his father (the film was later released on the "Extras" section of The Duellists DVD). In February 1963, Scott was named in the title credits as "Designer" for the BBC television programme Tonight. After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series Z-Cars and science fiction series Out of the Unknown. He was originally assigned to design the second Doctor Who serial, The Daleks, which would have entailed realising the serial's eponymous alien creatures. However, shortly before he was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant he was replaced by Raymond Cusick. In 1965, he began directing episodes of television series for the BBC, only one of which, an episode of Adam Adamant Lives!, is available commercially.
In 1968, Ridley and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company. Working alongside Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson and cinematographer Hugh Johnson, Ridley Scott made many commercials at RSA during the 1970s, including a 1973 Hovis bread advertisement, "Bike Round" (underscored by the slow movement of Dvořák's "New World" symphony rearranged for brass), filmed in Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset. A nostalgia themed television advert that captured the public imagination, it was voted the UK's favourite commercial in a 2006 poll. In the 1970s the Chanel No. 5 brand needed revitalisation having run the risk of being labelled as mass market and passé. Directed by Scott in the 1970s and 1980s, Chanel television commercials were inventive mini-films with production values of surreal fantasy and seduction, which "played on the same visual imagery, with the same silhouette of the bottle."
Five members of the Scott family are directors, and all have worked for RSA. His brother Tony was a successful film director whose career spanned more than two decades; his sons Jake and Luke are both acclaimed directors of commercials, as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles; Luke is based in London. In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renov
Ridley Scott