English director and producer Ridley Scott is going to be given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction award by the Director’s Guild of America (DGA). This is a huge honor for the man who directed Alien, Gladiator, Prometheus, Thelma & Louise, and more, as it has only been given to 34 directors over the institutions 80-year history, the last time being in 2012 for Czech director Miloš Forman.

A statement from DGA President Paris Barclay reads:

Masterful in any genre, Ridley’s groundbreaking methods and peerless directing instincts have brought to life some of the most memorable films of our time, capturing the resilience of the human spirit and captivating the hearts and minds of audiences around the world. Over the course of four decades, his trailblazing career has demonstrated the impact and importance of the director’s singular vision. For these reasons, and so many more, we are honored to present the Lifetime Achievement Award in feature film to Ridley Scott.

I was first introduced to Ridley Scott’s work not through Alien but through his 1985 fantasy film Legend, which is still a favorite film of mine. It was a film that I revisited with great frequency, relishing in fantastic Tangerine Dream score, Tim Curry’s masterful performance as “Darkness”, and the unbelievably stunning world that, if you can believe it, was built on a soundstage. It was only a few years later, when I was nearing double-digits in age, that I was introduced to Alien and the Xenomorph that would become one of my favorite on-screen creatures. It’s because of that film (and the sequel) that I purchased the Quadrilogy on DVD and once again on Blu-ray. I also fell in love with his 1982 sci-fi noir film Blade Runner, for which I own the 5-disc briefcase edition.

While I haven’t seen all of his films, I know that of the ones I have seen that there hasn’t really been one I didn’t enjoyed quite thoroughly. He’s been an inspiration to countless filmmakers and I am thrilled to see him be the recipient of this award, which he absolutely deserves.

Congratulations, Sir Ridley Scott! You’ve earned it!