Mother’s Milk

This chapter presents Ridley Scott’s early life. There is background on his mother, Elizabeth, his father, Francis Percy Scott, and his two brothers, Frank and Tony. The chapter examines the impact on Scott as a boy and young man of his father’s involvement in the military and the experience of England during World War II. The tough life Scott experienced in northeast England, living in South Shields, made him hardy and resilient. The chapter also covers Scott’s natural talent in art from a young age and his early filmgoing experiences. Ridley Scott did poorly during his early schooling but flourished while attending the West Hartlepool College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. His innate skills blossomed when he was exposed to new vistas in art and to teachers who were artists themselves.