Guy Ritchie was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, to Amber (née Parkinson) and Captain John Vivian Ritchie. He is the second of two children and has an elder sister, as well as a half-brother who was placed for adoption.

Ritchie was expelled from school at the age of 15. While Ritchie claimed drug use was the reason for his expulsion, his father stated it was due to cutting class and entertaining a girl in his room.

Ritchie directed the short film *The Hard Case*.

After working on *The Hard Case*, Ritchie met Matthew Vaughn, who expressed interest in producing Ritchie's directorial debut, *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*. It took 15 months to secure financial backing for the film.

Ritchie's directorial debut, the comedy heist film *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*, was released in the United Kingdom. Starring Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher, the film was a critical and commercial success, earning $28.1 million at the worldwide box office and winning a BAFTA for Film of the Year.

Ritchie created a spin-off television series called *Lock, Stock...* in response to the success of the film *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*.

Ritchie was arrested for allegedly assaulting a man outside the Kensington home he shared with Madonna.

Ritchie's film *Snatch*, another crime-comedy about a group of criminals searching for a stolen diamond starring Benicio del Toro, Dennis Farina, Brad Pitt and Jason Statham, was released. The film was a commercial success, grossing more than $83 million worldwide.

Ritchie married Madonna at Skibo Castle in Scotland. They had a son, Rocco, in 2000, and adopted a Malawian baby, David Banda, in 2006.

Ritchie directed a music video for Madonna's song "What It Feels Like for a Girl." The video was banned from MTV and VH1 due to its depiction of criminal and violent acts.

Ritchie directed a short film starring Madonna and Clive Owen, titled *Star*, for season one of *The Hire*, an online series to promote BMW automobiles.

Ritchie's film *Swept Away*, starring Madonna and Adriano Giannini, was released. The film was a critical and commercial failure, winning five awards at the 2002 Golden Raspberry Awards.

Ritchie conceived a prank show titled *Swag* for Channel 5 in the United Kingdom.

Ritchie's heist film *Revolver*, starring Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, and André Benjamin, premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was critically panned and a commercial failure.

Ritchie directed a television commercial for Nike called "Take It To The Next Level", which included appearances from Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fàbregas, and Wayne Rooney.

Ritchie directed *RocknRolla*, starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, and Thandie Newton. The film reached number one at the UK box office in its first week of release.

Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences.

Madonna announced that she had agreed to a divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which granted him £50–60 million. Madonna and Ritchie reached a custody agreement for their children.

Ritchie's directorial effort, *Sherlock Holmes*, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, was released. It was a box-office hit, taking more than $520 million worldwide, and garnered mixed to favourable reviews. It received two Academy Award nominations.

Ritchie met English model Jacqui Ainsley.

Ritchie's London home was briefly occupied by members of the Really Free School, a squatter organisation.

Ritchie directed the sequel *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows*. It was released on 16 December and was an even greater commercial success, grossing more than $545 million worldwide.

Ritchie produced a trailer for the video game *Call of Duty: Black Ops II*.

Ritchie directed a commercial for H&M featuring David Beckham.

Ritchie directed a commercial for whisky brand Haig, which also stars David Beckham.

Warner Bros. hired Ritchie to direct the first of six films in a franchise, *King Arthur: Legend of the Sword*.

Ritchie and Jacqui Ainsley were married.

Ritchie's film *The Man From U.N.C.L.E.*, a remake of the 1960s spy series, was released to a mixed critical reception.

*King Arthur: Legend of the Sword* was released in 2D and 3D. Despite high expectations, it received mixed reviews and was a box-office failure, leading to the cancellation of the subsequent sequels.

Ritchie received the Raindance Auteur Award for his contributions to the British film industry.

Ritchie directed Disney's live-action adaptation of *Aladdin*, based on the 1992 animated film. The film was a commercial success, earning more than $1 billion worldwide despite mixed reviews.

Ritchie returned to crime comedy with *The Gentlemen*. The film was generally well received and a commercial success.

Ritchie received a six-month driving ban after he was caught using a mobile device while operating a motor vehicle.

It was announced that Ritchie was developing a spin-off television series of *The Gentlemen*, which was eventually acquired by Netflix and released on 7 March 2024.

Ritchie launched The Wild Kitchen, a firm producing outdoor cooking equipment and tents, at Chelsea Flower Show.

Ritchie directed the action thriller *Wrath of Man*, reuniting with Jason Statham. It was released in the United States on 7 May 2021 and released straight to streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 10 December 2021 in the UK.

Ritchie filmed the war drama *The Covenant*, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr and Emily Beecham, in Alicante, Spain.

Ritchie took over running of Compton Abbas Airfield, which was sold to him in October 2022, owning the neighbouring Ashcombe Estate.

Ritchie's film *Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre*, starring Jason Statham, was released in the United States.

Ritchie's film *The Covenant* was released in the United States.

It was announced that Ritchie would executive produce the ESPN documentary series *Gracie*, to be directed by Chris Fuller.

Production concluded on Ritchie's film *In the Grey*, starring Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González.

It was announced Ritchie would direct the action adventure film *Fountain of Youth*, for Skydance Media and Apple Studios, with Natalie Portman, John Krasinski and Domhnall Gleeson set to star and production began in February 2024.

Ritchie would serve as director and executive producer alongside Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett on the Ray Donovan spin-off series *The Donovans* for the streaming service Paramount+.

Ritchie's film *The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare* was released in theatres in the United States.

It was announced that Ritchie would serve as executive producer and director on the Amazon Prime Video television series *Young Sherlock*, based on the Young Sherlock Holmes series of young adult novels by Andy Lane.