Who directed Apple's famous "1984" commercial?
Last updated: January 24, 2025
Apple's groundbreaking "1984" Super Bowl commercial transformed advertising forever with its cinematic vision and dystopian nightmare feel. A mysterious woman shatters conformity while Big Brother drones on a massive screen. The legendary spot needed a true visionary at the helm. Who directed this game-changing advertisement?
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The answer is: Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott took a break from making feature films to direct Apple's "1984" commercial, fresh off the success of "Blade Runner" and "Alien." The commercial's $900,000 budget was unheard of at the time, but Scott treated it like a mini-movie.
He filmed in England using real skinheads as extras for the dystopian crowd scenes. The protagonist was played by athlete Anya Major, who was cast specifically because she could spin and throw without getting dizzy and falling over.
The commercial was used as the launchpad for their newest computer, the Macintosh. It was Apple's first all-in-one with a graphical user interface and not just some text on a terminal screen.
When Apple's board of directors first saw the commercial, they hated it so much that they tried to sell off their Super Bowl ad time. Their advertising agency, Chiat/Day, simply ignored Apple's wishes and refused to sell the spot. In a legendary act of defiance, they ran it anyway. After it aired during Super Bowl XVIII, the commercial generated millions in free publicity. Phone lines at computer stores lit up, and Macintosh sales went through the roof.
The famous spot only aired once nationally during the Super Bowl, though it ran once at 1 AM in Twin Falls, Idaho in December 1983 to qualify for advertising awards. That small-town late-night showing technically makes Twin Falls the birthplace of one of advertising's most iconic moments.