A native of England, Spottiswoode initially made a name for himself as an editor of British documentaries and commercials. Moving to the United States in the early 1970s, Spottiswoode edited the controversial Straw Dogs for legendary director Sam Peckinpah. Spottiswoodes additional editing credits include Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Gambler, Hard Times and The Getaway.
Spottiswoode made his directorial debut with the cult classic Terror Train, starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Since then, Spottiswoode has amassed an impressive list of films including The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, with Robert Duvall and the political thriller Under Fire, with Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman.
Spottiswoodes television credits, which have earned him several awards and nominations, include the offbeat suspense drama The Last Innocent Man and the seminal 1993 HBO film And The Band Played On, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Made-For-Television Movie in 1994.