Ridley Scott has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
His nominations were for Thelma & Louise at the 64th Academy Awards, Gladiator at the 73rd Academy Awards, and Black Hawk Down at the 74th Academy Awards. Although Gladiator won Best Picture, Scott did not win the directing award for that film; Steven Soderbergh won for Traffic.
Thelma & Louise marked Scott's first Best Director nomination and became one of his most influential films, particularly for its depiction of two women on the run. Gladiator brought him into the center of the historical-epic revival, while Black Hawk Down earned recognition for its intense visual portrayal of a 1993 battle in Mogadishu.
A frequent source of confusion is counting Scott's other Academy Award recognition. The Martian received a Best Picture nomination as one of its producers, but Scott was not nominated for Best Director. Likewise, nominations from the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Directors Guild, or Emmy Awards do not change his Academy Award directing total.