Made his acting debut in older brother Ridley Scott's first film, the 1965 short Boy and Bicycle.
After unsuccessfully attempting a career as a painter for several years, broke into the entertainment industry as a partner and director for Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), the UK-based commercial production company his brother founded in 1968.
First big box-office success came in 1986 with the Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun, which grossed more than $175 million in the U.S. and nearly $350 million worldwide.
Received nearly 20 Television/Cinema Clio Awards for directing commercials for British Airways (1985), Marlboro (1989), and United Airlines, Holiday Inn and the Oldsmobile Intrigue (all 1998), as well as for producing and directing a series of popular 2003 BMW short films-ads.