A legend (Latin, ''legenda'', "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic.

The Brothers Grimm defined legend as folktale historically grounded. A modern folklorist's professional definition of ''legend'' was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990:

Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode, reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs."

Etymology and origin

The word ''"legend"'' appeared in the English language circa 1340, transmitted from mediaeval Latin language through French. Its blurred (and essentially Protestant) sense of a non-historical narrative or myth was first recorded in 1613. By emphasizing the ''un''realistic character of "legends" of the saints, English-speaking Protestants were able to introduce a note of contrast to the ''"real"'' saints and martyrs of the Reformation, whose authentic narratives, they were sure, could be found in Foxe's ''Book of Martyrs''. Thus "legend" gained its modern connotations of "undocumented" and "spurious". Before the invention of the printing press, stories were passed on via oral tradition. Storytellers learned their stock in trade: their stories, typically received from an older storyteller, who might, though more likely not, have claimed to have actually known a witness, rendered the narrative as "history". Legend is distinguished from the genre of chronicle by the fact that legends apply structures that reveal a moral definition to events, providing meaning that lifts them above the repetitions and constraints of average human lives and giving them a universality that makes them worth repeating through many generations. In German-speaking and northern European countries, "legend", which involves Christian origins, is distinguished from "Saga", being from any other (usually, but not necessarily older) origin.

The modern characterisation of what may be termed a "legend" may be said to begin 1866 with Jacob Grimm's observation, "The fairy tale is poetic, legend, historic." Early scholars such as Karl Wehrhahn Friedrich Ranke and Will-Erich Peukert followed Grimm's example in focussing solely on the literary narrative, an approach that was enriched particularly after the 1960s , by addressing questions of performance and the anthropological and psychological insights provided in considering legends' social context. Questions of categorising legends, in hopes of compiling a content-based series of categories on the line of the Aarne-Thompson folktale index, provoked a search for a broader new synthesis.

In an early attempt at defining some basic questions operative in examining folk tales, Friedrich Ranke in 1925 characterised the folk legend as "a popular narrative with an objectively untrue imaginary content" a dismissive position that was subsequently largely abandoned.

Compared to the highly-structured folktale, legend is comparatively amorphous, Helmut de Boor noted in 1928. The narrative content of legend is in realistic mode, rather than the wry irony of folktale; Wilhelm Heiske remarked on the similarity of motifs in legend and folktale and concluded that, in spite of its realistic mode, legend is not more historical than folktale.

Legend is often considered in connection with rumour, also believable and concentrating on a single episode. Ernst Bernheim suggested that legend is simply the survival of rumour. Gordon Allport credited the staying-power of certain rumours to the persistent cultural state-of-mind that they embody and capsulise; thus "Urban legends" are a feature of rumour. When Willian Jansen suggested that legends that disappear quickly were "short-term legends" and the persistent ones be termed "long-term legends", the distinction between legend and rumour was effectively obliterated, Tangherlini concluded.

Christian ''legenda''

In the narrow Christian sense, ''legenda'', "things to be read [on a certain day, in church]") hagiographical account, often collected in a legendary (''legendarium'').

Because saints' lives are often embellished with many miracle stories, "legend" in a wider sense came to refer to any story that is set in a historical context but that contains non-historical or fantastic elements.

Related concepts

Legends are tales that, because of the tie to a historical event or location, are believable, although not necessarily believed. For the purpose of the study of legends, in the academic discipline of folkloristics, the truth value of legends is irrelevant because, whether the story told is true or not, the fact that the story is being told at all allows scholars to use it as commentary upon the cultures that produce or circulate the legends. Hippolyte Delehaye, (in his Preface to ''The Legends of the Saints: An Introduction to Hagiography'', 1907) distinguished legend from myth: "The ''legend'', on the other hand, has, of necessity, some historical or topographical connection. It refers imaginary events to some real personage, or it localizes romantic stories in some definite spot."

From the moment a legend is retold as fiction its authentic legendary qualities begin to fade and recede: in ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'', Washington Irving transformed a local Hudson River Valley legend into a literary anecdote with "Gothic" overtones, which actually tended to diminish its character as genuine legend.

Stories that exceed these boundaries of "realism" are called "fables". For example, the talking animal formula of Aesop identifies his brief stories as fables, not legends. The parable of the Prodigal Son would be a legend if it were told as having actually happened to a specific son of a historical father. If it included an ass that gave sage advice to the Prodigal Son it would be a fable.

Legend may be transmitted orally, passed on person-to-person, or, in the original sense, through written text. Jacob de Voragine's ''Legenda Aurea'' or "The Golden Legend" comprises a series of ''vitae'' or instructive biographical narratives, tied to the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. They are presented as lives of the saints, but the profusion of miraculous happenings and above all their uncritical context are characteristics of hagiography. The ''Legenda'' was intended to inspire extemporized homilies and sermons appropriate to the saint of the day.

Examples of famous legends

Atlantis

Big Foot

Cenodoxus, or the Damnation of the Good Doctor of Paris, told as an event justifying the sanctification of St. Bruno

Celtic Legends

El Dorado

Fountain of Youth

Helen of Troy and the Trojan War

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Legends of Africa

Odysseus

Philosopher's stone

Ramayana and Mahabharata

Robin Hood

Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome

Shangri-La

Táin Bó Flidhais

Vlad the Impaler; stories of his cruelty have attained legendary status, most likely spread after his death by his enemies.

William Tell

See also

Legendary material in Christian hagiography

References

Hippolyte Delehaye, ''The Legends of the Saints: An Introduction to Hagiography'' (1907), Chapter I: Preliminary Definitions, ''et passim''

Karl Kerenyi, ''The Heroes of the Greeks'' (1959)

Catholic Encyclopedia article ''Literary or Profane Legends''

Timothy R. Tangherlini, "'It Happened Not Too Far from Here...': A Survey of Legend Theory and Characterization" ''Western Folklore'' 49.4 (October 1990:371-390). A condensed survey with extensive bibliography.

* Category:Literary genres Category:Oral tradition Category:Narratology

ay:Jawari az:Əfsanə br:Richennoù bg:Легенда ca:Llegenda cs:Pověst da:Sagn de:Legende et:Legend el:Θρύλος es:Leyenda eo:Legendo eu:Elezahar fa:افسانه fr:Légende fy:Leginde gd:Uirsgeul ko:전설 hi:आख्यान hr:Legenda io:Legendo id:Legenda it:Leggenda he:סיפור עם jv:Legenda ka:თქმულება kk:Атаунама lt:Legenda jbo:ranmi hu:Legenda mk:Легенда nl:Legende ja:伝説 ce:Legenda no:Legende nn:Legende pl:Legenda pt:Lenda kaa:An'ızlar ro:Legendă ru:Легенда sq:Legjenda simple:Legend sk:Legenda (svätí) sl:Legenda ckb:ئەفسانە fi:Legenda sv:Legend tl:Alamat tt:Легенда tr:Efsane uk:Легенда vi:Truyền thuyết wa:Fåve do vî vî tins vls:Legende (vertellienge) yi:לעגענדע bat-smg:Legenda zh:传说

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Ridley Scott
birth date	November 30, 1937
birth place	South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
death date
occupation	Film director, film producer
years active	1965–present
spouse	Felicity Heywood,(m. 1964–1975, divorced)Sandy Watson(m. 1979–1989, divorced)
children	''With Felicity Heywood''Jake (born 1965)Luke (born 1968)''With Sandy Watson''Jordan (born 1978) }}

Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. His films include ''The Duellists'' (1977), ''Alien'' (1979), ''Blade Runner'' (1982), ''Legend'' (1985), ''Thelma & Louise'' (1991), ''G. I. Jane'' (1997), ''Gladiator'' (2000), ''Black Hawk Down'' (2001), ''Hannibal'' (2001), ''Kingdom of Heaven'' (2005), ''American Gangster'' (2007), ''Body of Lies'' (2008), and ''Robin Hood'' (2010).

Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing, as well as Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. He was knighted in the 2003 New Year honours. In 2011, Scott is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is the older brother of film director Tony Scott.

Background

Scott was born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England, the son of Elizabeth and Colonel Francis Percy Scott. He was raised in an Army family, meaning that for most of his early life, his father — an officer in the Royal Engineers — was absent. Ridley's older brother, Frank, joined the Merchant Navy when he was still young and the pair had little contact. During this time the family moved around, living in (among other areas) Cumbria, Wales and Germany. He has a younger brother, Tony, also a film director. After the Second World War, the Scott family moved back to their native north-east England, eventually settling in Teesside (whose industrial landscape would later inspire similar scenes in ''Blade Runner''). He enjoyed watching films, and his favourites include ''Lawrence of Arabia'', ''Citizen Kane'' and ''Seven Samurai''. Scott studied in Teesside from 1954 to 1958, at Grangefield Grammar School and later in West Hartlepool College of Art, graduating with a Diploma in Design.

He went on to study at the Royal College of Art, contributing to the college magazine, ''ARK'', and helping to establish its film department. For his final show, he made a black and white short film, ''Boy and Bicycle'', starring his younger brother, Tony Scott, and his father. The film's main visual elements would become features of Scott's later work; it was issued on the 'Extras' section of ''The Duellists'' DVD. After graduation in 1963, he secured a job as a trainee set designer with the BBC, leading to work on the popular television police series ''Z-Cars'' and the science fiction series ''Out of the Unknown''. Scott was an admirer of Stanley Kubrick early in his development as a director.

He was assigned to design the second ''Doctor Who'' serial, ''The Daleks'', which would have entailed realising the famous alien creatures. However, shortly before Scott was due to start work, a schedule conflict meant that he was replaced on the serial by Raymond Cusick.

In 1968, Ridley and Tony Scott founded Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a film and commercial production company. Five members of the Scott family are directors, all working for RSA. Brother Tony has been a successful film director for more than two decades; sons, Jake and Luke are both acclaimed commercials directors as is his daughter, Jordan Scott. Jake and Jordan both work from Los Angeles and Luke is based in London.

In 1995, Shepperton Studios was purchased by a consortium headed by Ridley and Tony Scott, which extensively renovated the studios while also expanding and improving its grounds.

Early career

Working with Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson, Hugh Johnson at RSA during the 1970s, Scott made television commercials in the UK including most notably the 1974 Hovis advert, "Bike Round" (New World Symphony), which was filmed in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Early films

''The Duellists''

''The Duellists'' of 1977 was Ridley Scott's first feature film. It was produced in Europe and won a Best Debut Film medal at the Cannes Film Festival but made limited commercial impact in the US. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it featured two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud (played by Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel). Their quarrel over an initially minor incident turns into a bitter, long-drawn out feud over the following fifteen years, interwoven with the larger conflict that provides its backdrop. The film is lauded for its historically authentic portrayal of Napoleonic uniforms and military conduct, as well as its accurate early-19th-century fencing techniques recreated by fight choreographer William Hobbs.

''Alien''

Scott's box office disappointment with ''The Duellists'' was compounded by the success received by Alan Parker with American-backed films — Scott admitted he was "ill for a week" with envy. Scott had originally planned to next adapt a version of ''Tristan and Iseult'', but after seeing ''Star Wars'', he became convinced of the potential of large scale, effects-driven films. He therefore accepted the job of directing ''Alien'', the ground-breaking 1979 horror/science-fiction film that would give him international recognition.

While Scott would not direct the three ''Alien'' sequels, the female action hero Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), introduced in the first film, would become a cinematic icon. Scott was involved in the 2003 restoration and re-release of the film including media interviews for its promotion. At this time Scott indicated that he had been in discussions to make the fifth and final film in the ''Alien'' franchise. However, in a 2006 interview, the director remarked that he had been unhappy about ''Alien: The Director's Cut'', feeling that the original was "pretty flawless" and that the additions were merely a marketing tool.

''Blade Runner''

After a year working on the film adaptation of ''Dune'', and following the sudden death of his brother Frank, Scott signed to direct the film version of Philip K. Dick's novel ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?''. Starring Harrison Ford and featuring an acclaimed soundtrack by Vangelis, ''Blade Runner'' was a disappointment in theatres in 1982 and was pulled shortly thereafter. Scott's notes were used by Warner Brothers to create a rushed director's cut in 1991 which removed the voiceovers and modified the ending. Scott personally supervised a digital restoration of ''Blade Runner'' and approved the ''Final Cut''. This version was released in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto cinemas on 5 October 2007, and as an elaborate DVD release on 18 December 2007. Today ''Blade Runner'' is often ranked by critics as one of the most important science fiction films of the 20th century and is usually discussed along with William Gibson's novel ''Neuromancer'' as initiating the cyberpunk genre. Scott regards ''Blade Runner'' as his "most complete and personal film".

"1984" Apple Macintosh commercial

In 1984 Scott directed the television commercial ''1984'', written by Steve Hayden and Lee Clow, produced by Chiat/Day, and starring Anya Major as the unnamed heroine and David Graham as "Big Brother". It was released for a single airing in the United States on 22 January 1984 during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It introduced the Macintosh for the first time and is now considered a "watershed event" and a "masterpiece".

''1984'' used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top with a Picasso-style picture of Apple’s Macintosh computer on it) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother).

These images were an allusion to George Orwell's noted novel, ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', which described a dystopian future ruled by a fictional "Big Brother".

''Legend''

In 1985 Scott directed ''Legend'', a fantasy film produced by Arnon Milchan. Having not tackled the fairy tale genre, Scott decided to create a "once upon a time" film set in a world of fairies, princesses, and goblins. Scott cast Tom Cruise as the film's hero, Jack, Mia Sara as Princess Lily, and Tim Curry as the Satan-Horned Lord of Darkness. A series of problems with both principal photography, including the destruction of the forest set by fire, and post-production (including heavy editing and substitution of Jerry Goldsmith's original score with a score by Tangerine Dream) hampered the film's release. ''Legend'' received scathing reviews.

1987–92

Scott made ''Someone to Watch Over Me'', a romantic police drama starring Tom Berenger, Lorraine Bracco and Mimi Rogers in 1987, and ''Black Rain'', a 1989 cop drama starring Michael Douglas and Andy García, shot partially in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. Both achieved mild success at the box office.

''Thelma & Louise'' (1991) starring Geena Davis as Thelma, and Susan Sarandon as Louise, was successful, and revived Scott's reputation. However, his next project—an independent movie, ''1492: Conquest of Paradise''—was less successful. It is a visually striking film telling the story of Christopher Columbus. However, it was a box office failure, and Scott did not release another film for four years.

Recent career

In 1995, with his brother Tony, Scott formed the film and television production company, Scott Free Productions in Los Angeles. All his subsequent feature films, starting with ''White Squall'' and ''G.I. Jane'', starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, were produced under the Scott Free banner. Also in 1995 the two brothers purchased controlling interest in Shepperton Studios, which later merged with Pinewood Studios. Scott and his brother have produced the CBS series ''Numb3rs'' (2005–2010), a crime drama about a genius mathematician who helps the FBI solve crimes, and ''The Good Wife'' (2009–), a legal drama concerning an attorney continuing her law practice while coping with her husband, a former state attorney trying to rebuild his political career after a major scandal.

''Gladiator'' 2000–2005

The huge success of Scott's film ''Gladiator'' (2000) has been credited with reviving the nearly defunct "sword and sandal" historical genre. Scott then turned to ''Hannibal'', the sequel to Jonathan Demme's ''The Silence of the Lambs''. In 2001, Scott released the war film, ''Black Hawk Down'', which further established his position as a critically and financially successful film maker. The film won two Oscars.

In 2003 Scott directed ''Matchstick Men'', adapted from the novel by Eric Garcia and starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman. It received mostly positive reviews and performed moderately at the box office. In 2005 he made the modestly successful ''Kingdom of Heaven'', a movie about the Crusades which consciously sought to connect history to current events. The Moroccan government sent the Moroccan cavalry as extras in the epic battle scenes.

Unhappy with the theatrical version of the film (which he blamed on paying too much attention to the opinions of preview audiences), Scott supervised a director's cut of ''Kingdom of Heaven'', which was released on DVD in 2006. In an interview to promote the latter, when asked if he was against previewing in general, Scott stated: "It depends who's in the driving seat. If you've got a lunatic doing my job, then you need to preview. But a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema."

2006–present

Scott teamed up again with ''Gladiator'' star Russell Crowe, directing the movie ''A Good Year'', based on the best-selling book. The film was released on 10 November 2006, with a score by Marc Streitenfeld. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp and Subsidiary studio 20th Century Fox (who backed the film) dismissed ''A Good Year'' as "a flop" at a shareholders' meeting only a few days after the film's release.

Scott's next directorial work was on ''American Gangster'', the story of real-life drug kingpin Frank Lucas. He was the third director to attempt the project after Antoine Fuqua and Terry George. Denzel Washington and Benicio del Toro had been cast in the initial Steven Zaillian-scripted project under the working title ''Tru Blu'', both actors having been paid salaries of $20 m and $15 m respectively without doing any production on the film. Following George's departure, Scott took over the project in early 2006. He had Zaillian rewrite the script to focus on the dynamic between Frank Lucas and Richie Roberts. Washington signed back on to the project as Lucas, and Crowe signed on to play Roberts. The film finally premiered in November 2007 to positive reviews and good box office. In late 2008 Scott released the espionage thriller ''Body of Lies'' starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Crowe once again which opened to luke-warm ticket-sales and mixed reviews.

Scott directed an adaptation of Robin Hood titled ''Robin Hood'', which starred Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian, and which was released on 13 May 2010 in Australia and 14 May 2010 in America. The film also starred Max von Sydow and Mark Strong.

Scott and his brother Tony produced the film adaptation of the 1980s TV cult classic ''The A-Team'', which was directed by Joe Carnahan and released on 11 June 2010.

Scott's most recent film is ''Prometheus'', and is due for release in July 2012.

Planned projects

In October 2007, it was announced that Scott would be directing ''Blood Meridian'', a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It was later announced in 2008 that Todd Field had taken over the position.

In April 2008, Scott announced his new project, ''The Kind One'', a period drama set for release in 2012. The film will star recent Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck. It is based on the novel of the same name by screenwriter Tom Epperson.

On 12 October 2008, Scott confirmed that after a 25 year wait for the rights to become available, he is making a return to science fiction with a film adaptation of the book ''The Forever War'' by Joe Haldeman. He was looking for a script writer. In March 2009, Scott confirmed that the film would be in 3D citing James Cameron's ''Avatar'' as an inspiration for doing so. "I'm filming a book by Joe Haldeman called ''Forever War''. I've got a good writer doing it. I've seen some of James Cameron's work, and I've got to go 3D. It's going to be phenomenal."

Another science fiction project to which Scott has been attached is an adaptation of Aldous Huxley's ''Brave New World'', with Leonardo DiCaprio also attached.

On 31 July 2009, news of a two part prequel to ''Alien'' surfaced, with Ridley attached to direct. The film is being developed by 20th Century Fox.. In August 2011, information leaked about production of a new installment by Alcon Entertainment, with Alcon partners Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.

Scott announced on 15 October 2009 that he will direct a film adaptation of the ''Red Riding'' trilogy.

On 6 July 2010, YouTube announced the launch of ''Life In A Day'', an experimental documentary that will be executive produced by Scott. It will incorporate footage shot on 24 July 2010 that is submitted by YouTube users from around the world.

Personal life

Ridley Scott was married to Felicity Heywood from 1964 to 1975. The couple had two sons, Jake and Luke, both of whom work as directors on Scott's production company Ridley Scott Associates. Scott later married advertising executive Sandy Watson in 1979, with whom he had a daughter, Jordan Scott, and divorced in 1989.

His current partner is the actress Giannina Facio, whom he has cast in all his movies since ''White Squall'' except ''American Gangster''. He divides his time between homes in London, France, and Los Angeles.

Approach and style

Scott was not initially considered an actors' director , but has become more receptive to ideas from his cast as his career has developed. Examples include Susan Sarandon's suggestions that the character of Louise pack shoes in plastic bags in one scene of ''Thelma & Louise'', and another where her character exchanges jewelry for a hat and other items— and Tim Robbins' collaboration with Scott and Susan Sarandon to rework the final scene with a more upbeat ending. Russell Crowe commented, "I like being on Ridley's set because actors can perform [...] and the focus is on the performers." Paul M. Sammon, in his book ''Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner'', commented in an interview with Brmovie.com that Scott's relationship with his actors has improved considerably over the years.

On the other hand, he can be a demanding and difficult director to work for. He was nicknamed "Guvnor" in the ''Blade Runner'' production. Several crew members wore protest t-shirts with slogans such as "Yes Guvnor, my ass" and "Will Rogers never met Ridley Scott" in reference to Will Rogers' most famous quotation, "I never met a man I didn't like". This was mainly in response to the way that Scott directed his first American crew, which some considered too harsh.

His striking visual style, incorporating a detailed approach to production design and innovative, atmospheric lighting, has been influential on a subsequent generation of filmmakers — many of whom have imitated his style. Scott commonly uses slow pacing until the action sequences. Examples include ''Alien'' and ''Blade Runner''; the ''LA Times'' critic Sheila Benson, for example, would call the latter "Blade Crawler" "because it's so damn slow". Another technique he employs is use of sound or music to build tension, as heard in ''Alien'', with hissing steam, beeping computers and the noise of the machinery in the space ship.

Scott has developed a method for filming intricate shots as swiftly as possible:

"I like working, always, with a minimum of three cameras. [...] So those 50 set-ups [a day] might only be 25 set-ups except I'm covering in the set-up. So you're finished. I mean, if you take a little bit more time to prep on three cameras, or if it's a big stunt, eleven cameras, and — whilst it may take 45 minutes to set up — then when you're ready you say 'Action!', and you do three takes, two takes and is everybody happy? You say, 'Yeah, that's it.' So you move on."

Although Scott is often known for his painterly directorial style, other techniques and elements include: Strong female characters.

Some of his movies feature strong conflicts between father and son that usually end with the latter killing the former (''Blade Runner'', ''Gladiator'') or witnessing the event (''Kingdom of Heaven'', ''Robin Hood''). The Lord of Darkness in ''Legend'' also mentions his "father" on a few occasions. As part of the conflict between father and son there are some repetitive scenes: in ''Gladiator'', the son hugs the father seemingly as an expression of love but this embrace turns into the suffocation and death of the father. There is a similar sequence in ''Blade Runner''.

Scott utilises cityscapes as an emphasis to his storytelling (i.e., a futuristic Los Angeles in ''Blade Runner'', Tokyo in ''Black Rain'', Jerusalem in ''Kingdom of Heaven'').

In ''Gladiator'', ''Blade Runner'' and ''Kingdom of Heaven'', a son gets to know his father when he is grown up. Other common elements are that the mother is not seen, and that the son or father is seen performing his last actions. For example, Roy Batty is dying when he saves Deckard, Maximus dies after killing Commodus and Godfrey of Ibelin kills some enemies after he has been mortally wounded by an arrow. In addition, the hero is saved from death before attaining his greatest deeds: Deckard is saved by Rachel, Maximus is saved by a slave and Balian is saved by a Muslim enemy. Similar situations can be seen in Tony Scott's ''Man on Fire''.

Military and officer classes as characters reflecting his father's career, such as in ''G.I. Jane'' and ''Black Hawk Down'' and ''Kingdom of Heaven''.

Storyboarding his films extensively. These illustrations, when made by himself, have been referred to as "Ridleygrams" in DVD releases.

Like Stanley Kubrick, Scott was once known for requesting a great many takes. This was evident on ''Blade Runner'': the crew nicknamed the movie "Blood Runner" because of this.

He often makes use of classical music (the Hovis advertisements, ''Someone to Watch Over Me'').

Extensive use of smoke and other atmospheres (in ''Alien'', ''Blade Runner'' and ''Black Rain''), plus fans and fan-like objects (''Blade Runner'', ''Black Rain'' and the large Boeing jet engines in the ''1984'' TV advertisement). Fans are also used in ''Hannibal'', for symbolic purposes.

Consistency in his choice of composers, using Jerry Goldsmith (''Alien'' and ''Legend''), Vangelis (''Blade Runner'' and ''1492: Conquest of Paradise'') or Hans Zimmer (''Black Rain'', ''Thelma & Louise'', ''Gladiator'', ''Hannibal'', ''Black Hawk Down'' and ''Matchstick Men''). Scott has also twice used songs by Sting during the film credits ("Valparaiso" for ''White Squall'' and "Someone to Watch Over Me" for the movie of the same title).

DVD format and director's cut

Scott is known for his enthusiasm for the DVD format, providing audio commentaries and interviews for all his films where possible. In the July 2006 issue of ''Total Film'' magazine, he stated: "After all the work we go through, to have it run in the cinema and then disappear forever is a great pity. To give the film added life is really cool for both those who missed it and those who really loved it."

Running alongside his enthusiasm for DVD, Scott is sometimes considered the "father" of the director's cut, a description which is somewhat ironic considering that the impetus to produce such versions has sometimes begun with other parties. The positive reaction to the ''Blade Runner'' Director's Cut encouraged Scott to re-cut several movies that were a disappointment at the time of their release (including ''Legend'' and ''Kingdom of Heaven''). Today the practice of alternative cuts is more commonplace, though often as a way to make a film stand out in the DVD marketplace by adding new material.

Awards

Scott has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Directing: for ''Thelma & Louise'', ''Gladiator'' and ''Black Hawk Down'', as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy Award. He has won 3 British Academy Awards for the film ''Blade Runner''. He was knighted in the 2003 New Year honours.

Awards and important nominations

Awards

Cannes

* 1977: ''The Duellists''

Saturn Awards

* 1979: ''Alien''

Important nominations

Academy Awards

* 1991: ''Thelma & Louise''

* 2000: ''Gladiator''

* 2001: ''Black Hawk Down''

Golden Globe

* 2000: ''Gladiator''

* 2006: ''American Gangster''

BAFTA

* 1991: ''Thelma & Louise'' (Best Film)

* 1991: ''Thelma & Louise'' (Best Director)

* 2000: ''Gladiator'' (Best Director)

* 2006: ''American Gangster'' (Best Film)

Box office performance

! Date	! Movie	! Studio	! United States gross	! Worldwide gross	! Theatres	! Opening weekend	! Opening theatres	! Budget
1977	''The Duellists''	Par.						$900,000
1979		Fox	$80,931,801	$104,931,801	757	$3,527,881	91	$11,000,000
1982	''Blade Runner''	WB	$32,768,670	$33,139,618	1,325	$6,150,002	1,295	$28,000,000
1985		Uni.	$15,502,112		1,187	$4,261,154	1,187	$30,000,000
1987		Col.	$10,278,549		894	$2,908,796	892	$17,000,000
1989		Par.	$46,212,055	$134,212,055	1,760	$9,677,102	1,610	$30,000,000
1991	''Thelma & Louise''	MGM	$45,360,915		1,180	$6,101,297	1,179	$16,500,000
1992	''1492: Conquest of Paradise''	Par.	$7,191,399		1,008	$3,002,680	1,008	$47,000,000
1996		BV	$10,292,300		1,524	$3,908,514	1,524	$38,000,000
1997	''G.I. Jane''	BV	$48,169,156		2,043	$11,094,241	1,945	$50,000,000
2000		DW	$187,705,427	$457,640,427	3,188	$34,819,017	2,938	$103,000,000
2001		MGM	$165,092,268	$351,692,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	$87,000,000
2001		Sony	$108,638,745	$172,989,651	3,143	$179,823	4	$92,000,000
2003	''Matchstick Men''	WB	$36,906,460	$65,565,672	2,711	$13,087,307	2,711	N/A
2005		Fox	$47,398,413	$211,652,051	3,219	$19,635,996	3,216	$130,000,000
2006	''A Good Year''	Fox	$7,459,300	$42,056,466	2,067	$3,721,526	2,066	$35,000,000
2007		Uni.	$130,164,645	$265,697,825	3,110	$43,565,115	3,054	$100,000,000
2008		WB	$39,394,666	$115,321,950	2,714	$12,884,416	2,710	$70,000,000
2010		Uni.	$105,269,730	$321,669,730	3,505	$36,063,385	3,503	$155,000,000
2012		Fox

Filmography

''Alien (film) ''Blade Runner'' ''Legend (film) ''Someone to Watch Over Me (film) ''Black Rain (American film) ''Thelma & Louise'' ''1492: Conquest of Paradise'' ''White Squall (film) ''G.I. Jane'' ''Gladiator (2000 film) ''Hannibal (film) style="text-align:center;" ''Matchstick Men (film) ''Kingdom of Heaven (film) ''A Good Year'' ''American Gangster (film) ''Body of Lies (film) ''Robin Hood (2010 film) ''Prometheus (film)

rowspan=2	Year	Film	! colspan=2
Nominations	Wins
1977	''The Duellists''
1979	Alien'' ||	2	1
1982	|	2
1985	Legend'' ||	1
1987	Someone to Watch Over Me'' ||
1989	Black Rain'' ||	2
1991	|	6	1
1992	|
1996	White Squall'' ||
1997	|
2000	Gladiator'' ||	12	5
rowspan="2">2001	Hannibal'' ||
''Black Hawk Down (film)	Black Hawk Down''	4 || style="text-align:center;"|2
2003	Matchstick Men'' ||
2005	Kingdom of Heaven'' ||
2006	|
2007	American Gangster'' ||	2
2008	Body of Lies'' ||
2010	Robin Hood'' ||
2012	Prometheus'' ||

Commercials

''Bike Round'' for Hovis (1973)

''Chanel... Share the fantasy.'' for Chanel (1979)

''1984'' for Apple Computer (1984)

''Deficit Trials'' for W.R. Grace (1986)

''The Choice of a New Generation'' for Pepsi (1986) (Starred Don Johnson and Glenn Frey)

''Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo Super Bowl commercial (1992)

TV shows

''Numb3rs'' (Producer, 2005–2010)

''The Good Wife'' (Executive producer, 2009–present)

''The Pillars of the Earth'' (Executive producer, 2010–present)

References

External links

Ridley Scott at Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Ridley Scott Associates (RSA)

They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

Video interview with STV's Grant Lauchlan, discussing ''Kingdom of Heaven'' and ''Blade Runner''

Times Interview with Ridley Scott 5 October 2006

Total Film: Interview with Ridley Scott, 15 July 2007

RSA Films (Ridley and Tony Scott's advertising production company), 30 November 2007

Category:1937 births Category:Alumni of the Royal College of Art Category:Apple Inc. advertising Category:English film directors Category:English film producers Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Living people Category:People from South Shields Category:Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees

ar:ريدلي سكوت bn:রিডলি স্কট bs:Ridley Scott br:Ridley Scott bg:Ридли Скот ca:Ridley Scott cs:Ridley Scott cy:Ridley Scott da:Ridley Scott de:Ridley Scott et:Ridley Scott es:Ridley Scott eu:Ridley Scott fa:ریدلی اسکات fr:Ridley Scott gl:Ridley Scott ko:리들리 스콧 hr:Ridley Scott io:Ridley Scott id:Ridley Scott is:Ridley Scott it:Ridley Scott he:רידלי סקוט lb:Ridley Scott hu:Ridley Scott nl:Ridley Scott ja:リドリー・スコット ka:რიდლი სკოტი no:Ridley Scott oc:Ridley Scott nds:Ridley Scott pl:Ridley Scott pt:Ridley Scott ro:Ridley Scott ru:Скотт, Ридли simple:Ridley Scott sk:Ridley Scott sr:Ридли Скот fi:Ridley Scott sv:Ridley Scott th:ริดลีย์ สก็อตต์ tr:Ridley Scott uk:Рідлі Скотт zh:雷利·史考特

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	John Legend
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Roger Stephens
birth date	December 28, 1978
origin	Springfield, Ohio, United States
instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboards
alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
genre	R&B;, hip hop soul, soul, neo soul, jazz fusion
occupation	Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor
years active	2001–present
label	GOOD, Sony Music
associated acts	Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots
website	}}

John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists. Stephens added his voice to those of other artists, assisting in them reaching chart-topper hits. He lent his voice to that of Kanye West, on Slum Village's "Selfish" and Dilated Peoples' "This Way". Other artists included Jay-Z's "Encore", and he sang backing vocals on Alicia Keys' 2003 song "You Don't Know My Name" and Fort Minor's "High Road." Stephens played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything."

Life and career

1978–2009: Early life and career beginnings

Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He is the son of Phyllis, a seamstress, and Ronald, a factory worker and former National Guardsman. Throughout his childhood, Stephens was homeschooled on and off by his mother. At the age of four, he began playing the piano and at the age of seven, he performed with his church choir. When he was ten, his parents divorced, causing his mother to suffer a breakdown. At the age of 12, Stephens attended North High School, from which he graduated four years later. He graduated salutatorian.

According to Stephens, he was offered scholarships to Harvard University, Georgetown University and Morehouse College. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature. While in college, he helmed Counterparts, a co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group as president (1997–1998) and musical director (1998–1999). Stephens' lead vocals on the group's recording of Joan Osborne's "One of Us" propelled the song to critical acclaim landing the song on the track list of the 1998 ''Best of Collegiate a Cappella'' compilation CD. Stephens was also a member of the prestigious Sphinx Senior Society while an undergraduate at Penn. While in college, Stephens was introduced to Lauryn Hill by a friend. Hill hired him to play piano on "Everything Is Everything", a song from her album, ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill''.

During this period, Stephens took time to hold a number of shows around Philadelphia, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. He finished college in 1999, and thereafter began producing, writing, and recording his own music. He released two albums independently; his self-titled demo (2000) and 'Live at Jimmy's Uptown' (2001), which he sold at his shows.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Stephens began working as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. During this time, he began working on his demo and began sending his work to various record labels. In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Stephens to then up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West; Stephens was hired to sing during the hooks of West's music. After signing to West's label, he chose his stage name from a nickname that was given to him by poet J. Ivy, due to Stephens' "old-school sound". Stephens' vocals can be heard on several tracks including Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name", Jay-Z's "Encore", Kanye West's "Never Let Me Down," also featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy, Dilated Peoples' "This Way" and Slum Village's "Selfish".

2004–2005: ''Get Lifted''

Stephens released his debut album, ''Get Lifted'', in December 2004. It debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 116,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sell 2.1 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold three million copies worldwide. The album produced two singles: "Ordinary People" (US and UK top 30) went straight to number one and "Used to Love U" (US top 100, UK top 30).

2006–2007: ''Once Again''

The first single from his second album, ''Once Again'', was "Save Room". The album was released October 24, 2006, and boasts production from Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, and will.i.am. In an interview with MTV, he said that this album contained his favorite song that he had written to date, entitled "Again." He said he came up with the idea for the song and wrote some of it while sitting on a subway. He stated that the song was also the inspiration for the album's title.

In August 2006 Stephens appeared in an episode of ''Sesame Street''. He performed a song entitled "It Feels Good When You Sing a Song", a duet with Hoots the Owl. He also performed during the pregame show of ''Super Bowl XL'' in Detroit and the halftime show at the ''2006 NBA All-Star Game''.

2008–2010: ''Evolver''

Stephens released his third studio album ''Evolver'', in October 2008. Rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast is featured on the first single of the album on a song titled "Green Light". "It's going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is — than people think John is," Andre insisted. "I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song". The next single from ''Evolver'' was confirmed as "Everybody Knows".

Speaking in July 2008 to noted UK R&B; writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning "Blues & Soul", he explained his reasons for titling the album 'Evolver': "Well I think people sometimes come to expect certain things from certain artists. They expect you to kind of stay in the same place you were at when you started out. Whereas I feel I want my career to be defined by the fact that I'm NOT gonna stay in the same place, and that I'm always gonna try new things and experiment. So, as I think this album represents a manifestation of that, I came up with the title 'Evolver'."

In 2009, Stephens performed in The People Speak a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.

2010: Wake Up!

John Legend and The Roots teamed up to record a collaborative album, ''Wake Up!'', which was released on September 21, 2010. The first single released off the album was "Wake Up Everybody" featuring singer Melanie Fiona and rapper Common; a video for the song has been released. "Hard Times" is the second single.

In February 2011 John won three Grammy Awards (one by himself and two with The Roots) at the 53rd Annual Grammy Music Awards Ceremony. Legend won a Grammy Award for Best R&B; Song for "Shine", and he and The Roots won Grammy Awards for Best R&B; Album (''Wake Up!'') and Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance for "Hang On In There". In March 2011 Legend and the Roots won two NAACP Image Awards – one for Outstanding Album (''Wake Up!'') and one for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration.

2011–Present: Tour & Work on New Album

Legend is currently on a 50-date tour as a guest for British Soul band Sade. In the San Diego stop, Legend confirmed that he is working on his next studio album, and played a new song called "Dreams".

Legal Troubles

On July 5, 2011, songwriter Anthony Stokes filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against John Legend in United States District Court, in the District of New Jersey, alleging that Legend's song "Maxine's Interlude" from his 2006 album ''Once Again'' derives from Stokes' demo "Where Are You Now." Stokes claims he gave Legend a demo of the song in 2004 following a concert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Legend has denied the allegations, telling E! Online, "I never heard of his song until he sued me. I would never steal anyone's song. We will fight it in court and we will prevail." Nearly 60,000 people took a TMZ.com poll that compared the two songs and 65% of voters believe that Legend's "Maxine's Interlude" is a rip-off of Stokes' "Where Are You Now."

Collaborations

In 2005 was featured in the Fort Minor song "High Road".

In 2006 was featured in Sérgio Mendes's collaboration album, ''Timeless'', singing "Please Baby Don't".

In 2006 collaborated with Jay-Z on the album ''Kingdom Come'' on the song "Do U Wanna Ride".

Collaborated with Japanese R&B; duo CHEMISTRY on their 2006 single "Tōkage".

Collaborated with Mary J. Blige on "King & Queen".

In 2007 lent his vocals for the ''Rich Boy'' track "Ghetto Rich".

In 2008 collaborated with Colombian Rock artist Juanes at the Latin Grammys, singing in Spanish along with Juanes, on the bilingual version of the song "''Si tu estas ahi''" also known as "''If You Are Out There''".

Featured in The Black Eyed Peas song, "Like That". The song "Ordinary People" was originally meant to be for a Black Eyed Peas project, but he decided to keep it for himself and recorded the song after he had been signed to Columbia Records.

Tentatively worked with Michael Jackson on a future album. In a Dutch interview with singer and host Tommy Parker, he was asked about this collaboration. His response was that he had written one song for the upcoming album, but was unsure about whether Jackson would be using it.

Sang "The Girl is Mine" and the national anthem along with Stephen Colbert on ''The Colbert Report''.

Featured on the sixth track ("Heartbreaker") of MSTRKRFT's second album ''Fist of God''.

He collaborated with Fergie for her song "Finally" on her 2006 debut album "''The Dutchess''".

Featured in T.I.'s song "Slide Show" on his album ''Paper Trail''. A music video for "Slide Show" was released on August 10, 2009, featuring a video collage; it is unknown as of yet, however, if it is an official single.

He is also featured in the song "Magnificent" by Rick Ross. The music video has cameo appearances from DJ Khaled saying and wearing "We the Best!!", Birdman, Ace Hood, Triple C's, and Special Ed. It was released on March 3, 2009, and it was directed by music video director Gil Green. It was filmed at Gulfstream Park Racetrack in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The two later collaborated on the songs "Sweet Life" and "Free Mason," the former of which failed to make the cut for the follow-up album, Teflon Don, and the latter of which featured rapper Jay-Z as well.

Co-wrote (and played piano on) "Move on Me" by British singer-songwriter Fin Greenall (a.k.a Fink) from the album "Sort of Revolution" (2009)

Collaborated with Reggae legend Buju Banton on the track "Can't Be My Lover". The track is one of the biggest mixes of R&B; and Reggae/Dancehall in years.

In 2009 recorded a duet with Brazilian singer Ana Carolina called ":pt:Entreolhares (The Way You’re Looking at Me)". He sings in English, and she sings in Portuguese.

In the summer of 2009 he recorded a duet with ex-member of Sin Bandera, Noel Schajris, called ''"No Importa"'' (It Doesn't Matter). He sings in English and Spanish.

In 2009 a duet version "Save Room" featuring German band, Monrose, was released under the title "Save Room (Let's Get Strictly Physical)".

Has plans to collaborate with British born talent, Stefan Vitalis, to produce a soulful and dynamic record.

Recorded a cover of the U2 song "Pride (in the name of love)"

Collaborated with Nas for the title track on DJ Khaled's 2010 album Victory.

In 2010 collaborated with Pink and Herbie Hancock for a recording of Peter Gabriel's song "Don't Give Up", which featured on Hancock's album The Imagine Project.

Collaborated with Lupe Fiasco on the track "Never Forget You."

Collaborated with Kanye West on the song "Blame Game" on West's album ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''.

In September 2010 collaborated with British dubstep trio, Magnetic Man, on a track entitled "Getting Nowhere".

Collaborated with Lil Wayne on the track "So Special." On Wayne's album ''Tha Carter IV''.

Music videos and acting career

His cover of Stevie Wonder's 1974 hit song "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" appeared in Will Smith/Eva Mendes' film ''Hitch'' and on the soundtrack album of the movie.

The 2007 video for his single, "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)", features Alexandre Rodrigues and Melvin Bragg from the critically acclaimed film, ''City of God''.

Songs attributed to John Legend have appeared in feature films, as follows:

"Refuge" appears on the soundtrack to the 2006 film ''The Second Chance''.

"Dare to Dream" is in the 2007 movie ''Pride''.

"Someday" is part of the soundtrack to the 2007 film ''August Rush''.

"Shine" was written for the end credits of the 2010 film ''Waiting for Superman''.

He has a supporting, singing-only role in the 2008 movie ''Soul Men'', where he plays the deceased lead singer of a fictitious soul group that includes Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. Although he has no real dialogue in the film, he only sings a song called "I'm Your Puppet" along with Jackson and Mac.

Endeavors

Television appearances and commercials

Performed "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at the 2006 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Pittsburgh, PA.

Appeared on the season finale of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', singing a cover of "You Don't Know Me". He also appeared on an episode of the television series "Las Vegas" in February 2007, performing his single "Save Room" solo at the end of the episode.

In 2007 performed with John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae at the Grammy Awards. He later appeared with Bailey Rae in several live performances.

Appeared in a recent commercial for a Lexus SUV, in which Legend is shown listening to Nina Simone's "Backlash Blues" (recorded live in Paris, 1968, on ''The Great Show'' LP) and describing his experience with the music. He is also notable for performing closing music in many of Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs' keynote presentations.

In January 2008 sang in a video for Barack Obama, produced by Will.I.Am called "''Yes We Can''".

Performed "America The Beautiful" at WrestleMania XXIV on Sunday March 30, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

In a 2008 Target commercial performed a piece of his song "Slow Dance" to pitch his new album "available exclusively at Target." The commercial was shown during online streaming episodes of NBC programs.

In 2008 performed several numbers live in front of tens of thousands of fans during the "Welcome to America" July 4 celebration on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, PA.

Performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver in September 2008.

Appeared on ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' on October 31, 2008. He was a member of the panel and performed "If You're Out There" at the end of the show.

Appeared on CNN Heroes 2008, which was taped November 22, 2008, and was televised November 27, 2008.

Appeared to perform the song in duet with Colombian rock singer Juanes during the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on November 13, 2008. The version they performed was sung mostly in Spanish by both singers, with only a few lines in English.

On Sunday, January 18, 2009, performed at the We Are One:The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing James Taylor's "Shower the People" with James Taylor and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland.

On Friday, February 13, 2009, he was a guest and performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. John performed his song, "Everybody Knows" from his album, Evolver.

Performed at the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Launch party at LAX in Las Vegas on February 12, 2009.

Performed at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game halftime show on February 15, 2009.

Performed at the 81st Academy Awards on February 22, 2009, singing "Down to Earth" nominated for Best Original Song.

On an episode of ''The Colbert Report'' which aired March 7, 2008, performed "The Girl Is Mine" with Stephen Colbert. It was a remake of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney hit. Returned to ''The Colbert Report'' on April 14, 2008, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Stephen Colbert, opening the show's week in Philadelphia. He later appeared in Colbert's Christmas special ''A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All'', where he performed an ode to nutmeg. His fourth appearance aired September 9, 2010, when he performed a tribute to returning American troops in the second half of the two-part special ''Been There, Won That: The Returnification of the Ameri-Can-Do Troopscape''. He sung "Coming Home" from his 2006 album Once Again.

On Sunday, May 17, 2009, served as commencement speaker for the University of Pennsylvania's 2009 graduation ceremonies. Amy Goodman happened to be in the audience, and she televised the speech the following Tuesday, May 19, 2009 on ''Democracy Now!''.

On June 12, 2009, co-hosted ESPN's ''Mike and Mike in the Morning'' on the ESPN2/ESPN Radio simulcast with Mike Greenberg. He sat in for Mike Golic.

On August 23, 2010, performed at the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant, Evening Gown segment, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On October 27, 2010, performed the American National Anthem for the 2010 World Series opener.

On October 30, 2010, performed at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear with The Roots.

On February 24, 2011, Legend appeared on the season 2 finale of ''Royal Pains''.

Interviewed by host John Jacobsen as the third guest on the first season of PBS television's ''The Artist Toolbox''.

Charitable Endeavors & Philanthropy

On July 7, 2007, he participated in the Live Earth concert in London, performing "Ordinary People". On July 8, 2007, he participated in the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, with India.Arie. On July 11, 2007, he participated in the Jazz Open Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, with Amy Winehouse. On September 21, 2008, he also performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK in conjunction with the Peace One Day concert. He sang "Green Light" and "If You're Out There".

''The Show Me Campaign'', through which his fans are encouraged to donate funds toward improving the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania, is another example of Stephens' charitable involvement. In early 2008, he began touring with Professor Jeff Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute to promote sustainable development as an achievable goal.

Stephens returned to his hometown of Springfield, Ohio on Christmas Eve 2007 for a "Coming Home Christmas Benefit Concert" in the auditorium of North High School. The performance featured several local talent from Springfield, including Legend's younger brother Vaughn Anthony Stephens, who helped organize the concert. The performance also featured a tribute to Jason Collier, and proceeds went to a scholarship fund set up in his name for local high schoolers.

After reading Professor Jeffrey Sachs' book, ''The End of Poverty'', Stephens was inspired to visit Ghana to learn more about making life better for the people who live under the poverty line. This is when he started his "Show Me Campaign" in 2007. With this campaign, Stephens called on his fans to help him in his initiative for those who reside in Bossaso Village and non-profit organizations that the campaign partners with.

In 2007 Stephens was the spokesman for GQ Magazine's "Gentlemen's Fund", an initiative to raise support and awareness for five cornerstones essential to men: opportunity, health, education, environment, and justice.

In May 2007 he partnered with Tide laundry detergent to raise awareness about the need of families in St. Bernard Parish, (Slidell, LA) one of the most devastated areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. He spent a day folding laundry at the Tide "clean start" mobile laundromat and visited homes which Tide is helping to rebuild in that community.

In October 2007 he became involved with a project sponsored by The Gap, a retail clothing store chain in the United States. Through their "project red campaign" (also called "2 WEEKS"), The Gap's contribution to their global fund from the sale of each (2 WEEKS) t-shirt is equivalent to the average cost of 2 weeks of anti-retroviral medicine in Africa, which enables people living with HIV to lead healthy, normal lives.

In 2009 Stephens gave AIDS Service Center NYC permission to remix his song "If You're Out There" to create a music video promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and testing.

Stephens claims to have contributed a share of the proceeds of some tickets for his August 13, 2009, concert at Madison Square Garden to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Stephens is also the National spokesperson for and has performed benefit concerts for "Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). MLT is a national non-profit organization that has made ground-breaking progress assisting the next generation of African American, Hispanic and Native American leaders in major corporations, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurial ventures.

On January 22, 2010, he performed "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" on the ''Hope for Haiti Now'' telethon show.

On September 8, 2010, John Legend joined the national board of Teach for America. Legend also sits on the boards of The Education Equality Project and the Harlem Village Academies, and serves as co-chair (with Rupert Murdoch) of the Harlem Village Academies’ National Leadership Board.

On September 9, 2010, he performed "Coming Home" on the Colbert Report as a tribute song for the end of combat operations in Iraq, and for the active troops and the veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

In 2011, he contributed the track "Love I've Never Known" to the Red Hot Organization's most recent album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot+Rio." Proceeds from the album sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Endorsements

Stephens is currently a spokesperson for the Baileys line of alcoholic beverages. He also spoke on behalf of The Polka Dotz at Milwaukee's 2008 German Fest.

He performed and spoke at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Barack Obama Presidential campaign in April 2008. He later performed "If You're Out There" from the album ''Evolver'' and a duet of Will.i.am's "Yes We Can" at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Also, he performed a half-hour set list in support of Barack Obama in his hometown of Springfield, as well as at The Ohio State University and Wright State University campuses on September 29, 2008.

Private "Fan Appreciation" Events

On July 26, 2007, Stephens hosted a John Legend Network Members Only Party and Concert called "The Kings & Queens Bash" at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. There were 500 participants in attendance and he introduced the acts from his new label, Homeschool Records to his John Legend Network fans: Estelle, his brother, Vaughn Anthony Stephens, Lucy Woodward and The James Gang. Harmonicist Frederic Yonnet performed as a special guest.

On July 25, 2008, at the Highline Ballroom in New York City, John Legend planned another annual private event for his fans who are members of the John Legend Network called "John Legend Unplugged". Legend performed a 21-song set list, including several songs from his ''Evolver'' album. This allowed John Legend Network members to be the first to hear the new songs. After the party, John greeted each individual on their way out and took pictures with fans.

On February 8, 2011 John Legend performed at Arizona State University's Gammage Auditorium for a Black History Month event presented by the Undergraduate Student Government.

Discography

''Get Lifted'' (2004)

''Once Again'' (2006)

''Evolver'' (2008)

''Wake Up!'' (with The Roots) (2010)

New Album (2012)

Filmography

Television
!Year	!Title	!Role	!Notes
2006	''Sesame Street''	Himself
	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	Himself/Performer	''Season 6 Finale, 'The Bat Mitzvah'''
	Himself/Performer	''Season 4 Episode 11, 'Wagers of Sin'''
2008	''A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All''	Forest Ranger	''Christmas Special''
2009		Himself	Documentary
2010	Dancing with the Stars	Himself/Performer
2011	''Royal Pains''	Himself/Performer	"Listen to the Music"
Film
!Year	!Title	!Role	!Notes
	''Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You!''	Himself
''Soul Men''	Marcus Hooks

See also

List of awards and nominations received by John Legend

References

External links

Official website

John Legend – The Artists Organization – Management

John Legend in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' October 2010

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12

Category:1978 births Category:African American musicians Category:American actors Category:American baritones Category:American management consultants Category:American pop pianists Category:American rhythm and blues musicians Category:American soul musicians Category:Boston Consulting Group people Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Ohio Category:Neo soul singers Category:People from Springfield, Ohio Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni

ar:جون لجند cs:John Legend da:John Legend de:John Legend et:John Legend el:Τζον Λέτζεντ es:John Legend fr:John Legend ko:존 레전드 hr:John Legend id:John Legend it:John Legend he:ג'ון לג'נד lt:John Legend nl:John Legend ja:ジョン・レジェンド no:John Legend pl:John Legend pt:John Legend ru:Ледженд, Джон sk:John Legend fi:John Legend sv:John Legend th:จอห์น เลเจนด์ zh:約翰傳奇