On 19th August, 2012 around 12: 30 pm Tony Scott jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in California to end his life. We pay our condolences to his family and remember the man who gave us films like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Enemy of the State.
7 Interesting Facts:-
#1 Tony Scott’s first fling with films was not as a director but as an actor. When he was sixteen years old, he appeared in Boy and Bicycle, a short film marking the directorial debut of his then twenty three year old brother Ridley Scott.
#2 After graduating from the Royal College of Art, Tony wanted to be a painter. But the success of Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), the television commercial production outfit of his brother, directed his attention towards film.
#3 Tony wanted to do documentaries at first but Ridley Scott said to him, “Don’t go to the BBC, come to me first.” He knew that Tony had a fondness for cars, so he told him, “Come work with me and within a year you’ll have a Ferrari.” And Tony did own a Ferrari.
#4 During the 60s and 70s Tony directed thousands of television commercials for RSA. In 1982, Scott was approached by MGM to direct a vampire film The Hunger. Tony agreed and The Hunger was released in 1983. The film received harsh reviews by the critics and failed to find an audience. Though it flopped The Hunger later became a cult favourite.
#5 Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were one of the few admirers of The Hunger in its initial release and in 1985, on the basis of a commercial Tony directed, they signed Scott to direct Top Gun. Released in 1986, Top Gun grossed more than US$176 million and was one of the most successful films of that year. Its young lead Tom Cruise became a star and Tony Scott found himself on Hollywood’s A list of action directors.
#6 Such was the success of Top Gun that the US Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas to try and catch some of the adrenaline charged guys leaving the screenings. They had the highest applications rate for years as a result.
#7 Tony Scott went on to direct many more box office hits which include Beverly Hills Cops II, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. However, unlike his brother Ridley, he never received much critical acclaim and was never nominated for the Academy Awards. His movies though have a wide following and he has directed top actors like Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Will Smith and Gene Hackman.