Film director Tony Scott has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles. The British-born movie veteran, famous for blockbusters such as Top Gun, Days Of Thunder and Enemy of the State, was seen parking his car by the Vincent Thomas Bridge at lunchtime on August 19, before jumping into the water. His body was recovered three hours later.
A note was found and an LAPD officer has been quoted as saying, "We have no reason to believe it was not a suicide".
The younger brother of Blade Runner director Ridley Scott, Tony was born in North Shields, near Newcastle, and studied fine arts at Sunderland Art School and the Royal College of Art.
After directing numerous commercials, Tony Scott made his feature film debut in 1982 with cult vampire flick The Hunger, starring David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve. In 1985 he reluctantly agree to direct Tom Cruise in Top Gun, after producers were impressed by an advert he'd shot featuring a Saab 900 turbo racing a fighter plane.
He followed the success of Top Gun with a string of hits, including Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, Crimson Tide and Quentin Tarantino's True Romance.
