The sad news that Hollywood director Tony Scott, famous for his action flicks such as Top Gun, has died after jumping from a bridge in LA has left the film world in shock. British-born Tony, who was 68, secured his legacy in the action genre with high octane classics such as the Tom Cruise vehicle about US military pilots.
As well as being at the helm of the film which propelled Tom to stardom, he also captured the fledgling relationship between the actor and Nicole Kidman on the set of racing flick Days of Thunder, pictured above. Tony was the younger brother of producer and director Ridley Scott, with whom he ran Scott Free Productions, which produced Hollywood blockbusters like this year's Prometheus, as well as TV series such as The Good Wife.
The duo are originally from North Shields, Tyneside, but went on to achieve great things in Tinseltown. Ridley first paved the way to stardom, and his younger sibling followed suit, enticed by his big brother's success and the professional support of his production company, Ridley Scott Associates. Tony cut his teeth directing TV adverts before breaking into the film industry with the top job in 1983’s The Hunger. Although the elder Scott brother was the more widely known name, Tony rivalled his success, going on to direct more than 24 titles and producing nearly double that amount.
Now, the filmmaker has sadly ended his career in the most tragic of circumstances, leaving behind actress wife Donna Scott and their two sons. While Los Angeles authorities confirm they are investigating his death as suicide, tributes have flooded in on Twitter. Sin City director Robert Rodriguez wrote: "Damn. Great knowing you, buddy. Thanks for the inspiration, advice, encouragement, and the decades of great entertainment." Actor Elijah Wood added: "Awful news about Tony Scott. Rest in peace." While Stephen Fry said: "Deeply saddened to hear the news about Tony Scott. A fine film-maker and the most charming, modest man." Click on the photos to look back at some of the highlights of Tony Scott’s career.
Tony Scott's top films
- The Hunger (1983) - Tony cuts his teeth in his feature debut starring David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve
- Top Gun (1986) - Directs Tom Crusie in what would become a cult classic
- Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987) - At the helm of the second chapter of the comedy franchise starring Eddie Murphy
- Days of Thunder (1990) - Reunited with Tom Cruise on the set of this frenetic racing flick which also featured Nicole Kidman
- True Romance (1993) - This ensemble piece starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette and provided Tony with his most critically acclaimed film
- Crimson Tide (1995) - This thriller was the first of many collaborations between the director and Denzel Washington
- Enemy of the State (1998) - In the hot seat for big-budget spy thriller starring Will Smith
- Spy Game (2001) - Staying with the espionage genre to direct heavyweights Brad Pitt and Robert Redford
- Man on Fire (2004): Once again works with Denzel Washington in this action thriller
- Domino (2005) - Coaxes out a gritty performance from Kiera Knightley as a bounty hunter
- The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) - Pairs Denzel Washington with John Travolta for this terrorist thriller
- Unstoppable (2010) - For his last film, Tony recruits Denzel for a film which raked in $168million at the box office