Osborne Scott was born in Hampton, VA. The son of an Army Chaplin, Scott moved to several cities in the U.S., Germany, and Japan until he settled in Mount Vernon, NY. In high school, he became interested in the arts through a theater group and developed a passion for theater while at Marlboro College. He then attended Antioch College’s graduate program where he gained experience as a Stage Manager and performed in an improv company called the Living Stage Theater Company. After graduation, he was accepted into the directing program at NYU, where he learned about the craft of filmmaking. After graduation, he met Ntozake Shange, who was interviewing directors at the time to stage her series of poems for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. He collaborated with her to arrange and stage the poems into an Off-Broadway and later Broadway play.
After for colored girls…, Scott directed Bustin’ Loose, starring Richard Pryor. No stranger to improv, Scott worked with Pryor to bring out the best in his performance. He then transitioned to directing half-hour television where he helmed The Jeffersons for two seasons. His time on this show launched him into a 30 year television directing career, in both half-hour comedies and hour dramas. Scott’s credits include Archie Bunker’s Place, Alice, Hotel, The Cosby Show, Hill Street Blues, 227, Picket Fences, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal, Chicago Hope, Soul Food, Criminal Minds, Gotham, CSI:NY, The Blacklist: Redemption, and black-ish. He has also directed television movies such as The Family Martinez, Crash Course, Class Cruise, and The Cheetah Girls.
For his directorial efforts, Scott was nominated for a DGA Award in 2003 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programming for The Cheetah Girls. As an active member in the Guild, Scott has served five terms as an Alternate on the Western Directors Council, two terms on the National Board as a 1st Alternate, two terms on the African American Steering Committee as co-chair, and has served as a Negotiating Committee member three times. He currently serves on the Special Projects Committee.
Scott has been a member of the Guild since 1978.