Danny Boyle
Boyle at the 2019 Montclair Film Festival
Born
Daniel Francis Boyle

(1956-10-20) 20 October 1956
Radcliffe, Lancashire, England
EducationThornleigh Salesian College
Alma materUniversity College of North Wales
(now Bangor University)
Occupation(s)Director, producer
Years active1980–present
Known for
PartnerGail Stevens (1983–2003)
Children3
AwardsFull list

Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956)[1] is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and its sequel T2 Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs, and Yesterday.

Boyle's debut film Shallow Grave won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. The British Film Institute ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century. Boyle's 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, the most successful British film of the decade, was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won eight, including the Academy Award for Best Director. He also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director. Boyle was presented with the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award at the 2008 Austin Film Festival, where he also introduced that year's AFF Audience Award Winner Slumdog Millionaire.

In 2012, Boyle was the artistic director for Isles of Wonder, the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.[2] He was subsequently offered a knighthood as part of the New Year Honours but declined due to his republican beliefs.[3] In 2014, it was announced that Boyle would become a patron of HOME in Manchester.[4]

Early life and background

Danny Boyle was born on 20 October 1956,[1] in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, about 6 miles north of Manchester's city centre, to Irish parents Frank and Annie Boyle, both from County Galway. He has a twin sister, Marie, and a younger sister, Bernadette, both of whom are teachers.[5][6] Although he now describes himself as a "spiritual atheist,"[7] he was brought up in a working-class Catholic family. Boyle was an altar boy for eight years and his mother had the priesthood in mind for him, but at the age of 14 he was persuaded by a priest not to transfer to a seminary.[8]

Whether he was saving me from the priesthood or the priesthood from me, I don't know. But quite soon after, I started doing drama. And there's a real connection, I think. All these directors – Martin Scorsese, John Woo, M. Night Shyamalan – they were all meant to be priests. There's something very theatrical about it. It's basically the same job – poncing around, telling people what to think.[9][10]

Boyle attended Thornleigh Salesian College, a Catholic boys' direct grant grammar school in Bolton,[11] and studied English and Drama at the University College of North Wales (now Bangor University), where he directed several productions for the student drama society.[5][12]

Theatre and television work

Boyle with the cast of The Children's Monologues in 2010

Upon graduating from university he began his career at the Joint Stock Theatre Company before moving on to the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 where he directed The Genius by Howard Brenton and Saved by Edward Bond. He also directed five productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company.[13]

In 1987, Boyle started working in television as a producer for BBC Northern Ireland where he produced, amongst other TV films, Alan Clarke's controversial Elephant before becoming a director on shows such as Arise And Go Now, Not Even God Is Wise Enough, For The Greater Good, Scout, and two episodes of Inspector Morse.[14]

Boyle was responsible for the BBC Two series Mr. Wroe's Virgins in 1993.[13] In between The Beach and 28 Days Later Boyle directed two TV films for the BBC in 2001–Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise and Strumpet.[15]

On 14 November 2010, he directed a one-night play at the Old Vic Theatre titled The Children's Monologues starring Sir Ben Kingsley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Gemma Arterton, and Eddie Redmayne. In 2011 he directed Frankenstein for the National Theatre.[16] This production was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011.[17] He has also appeared on Top Gear and set the fastest wet lap at that time.[18] In 2014, both Boyle and Christian Colson signed to a first look deal with FX Productions.[19]

In September 2022, Boyle was announced to be directing a dance adaptation of The Matrix, titled "Free Your Mind", and it is set to debut in October 2023 in Manchester.[20]

Isles of Wonder

Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

Boyle was artistic director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. Entitled Isles of Wonder, it charted aspects of British culture including the Industrial Revolution and contributions to literature, music, film, and technology.

Reception to the ceremony was generally positive both nationally in the United Kingdom and internationally.[21][22][23][24] In December 2012 it was widely reported that Boyle turned down a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. He told BBC Radio 4 "I'm very proud to be an equal citizen and I think that's what the opening ceremony was actually about."[25]

Pistol

On 11 January 2021, it was announced that Boyle would be adapting the Steve Jones' autobiography Lonely Boy into a six-part TV series entitled Pistol that charts the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols. The series aired on FX and Disney+ on 30 May 2022,[26] and stars Emma Appleton, Louis Partridge and Maisie Williams, amongst others. The show was filmed in London.[27]

Film

Boyle's love for film began with his first viewing of Apocalypse Now:

It had eviscerated my brain, completely. I was an impressionable twenty-one-year-old guy from the sticks. My brain had not been fed and watered with great culture, you know, as art is meant to do. It had been sandblasted by the power of cinema. And that's why cinema, despite everything we try to do, it remains a young man's medium, really, in terms of audience.[28]

1990s: Shallow Grave and Trainspotting

The first film Boyle directed was Shallow Grave.[13] The film was the most commercially successful British film of 1995,[29] won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, and led to the production of Trainspotting.[30] Working with writer John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, Shallow Grave earned Boyle the Best Newcomer Award from the 1996 London Film Critics Circle.[29] Critics credited these films with revitalising British cinema in the early '90s.[13] The BFI ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century.[31]

Boyle declined an offer to direct the fourth film of the Alien franchise to make A Life Less Ordinary.[32][33]

2000s: The Beach, 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire

Boyle's next project was a film adaptation of the cult novel The Beach by Alex Garland. Filmed in Thailand with Leonardo DiCaprio, casting of the film led to a feud with Ewan McGregor.[13] He then collaborated with Garland on the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later.[34]

Boyle at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

He also directed a short film Alien Love Triangle (starring Kenneth Branagh), which was intended to be one of three shorts within a feature film. However the project was cancelled after the two other shorts were made into feature films: Mimic starring Mira Sorvino and Impostor starring Gary Sinise.[35] In 2004 Boyle directed Millions,[9] scripted by Frank Cottrell Boyce.[36] His next collaboration with Alex Garland[9] was the 2007 science-fiction film Sunshine, featuring 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy.[37]

In 2008 he directed Slumdog Millionaire, the story of an impoverished child (Dev Patel) on the streets of Mumbai, India, who competes on the local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, for which Boyle won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Director. The most successful British film of the decade, the film won eight Academy Awards and seven BAFTA Awards.[38][39] Boyle commented, "To be a film-maker...you have to lead. You have to be psychotic in your desire to do something. People always like the easy route. You have to push very hard to get something unusual, something different."[13] Andrew Macdonald, producer of Trainspotting, said "Boyle takes a subject that you've often seen portrayed realistically, in a politically correct way, whether it's junkies or slum orphans, and he has managed to make it realistic but also incredibly uplifting and joyful."[13] The success led a deal with Fox Searchlight.[40]

Despite the commercial success of Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle also faced great criticism for his portrayal of India through a Western, idealized lens. Some critics saw the film as "poverty porn," though Boyle argued he showed India's "lust for life" and "resilience."[41]

2010s: 127 Hours, Steve Jobs and T2 Trainspotting

In 2010, Boyle directed the film 127 Hours, starring James Franco and featuring Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara. It was based on Aron Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which detailed his struggle of being trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone in Bluejohn Canyon, southeastern Utah. The film was released on 5 November 2010 to critical acclaim and got six nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Boyle and Best Actor for Franco.[42][43]

The film team of T2 Trainspotting at the Berlinale 2017

Boyle's next film was Trance, starring James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson. It has been reported another instalment of the 28 Days Later franchise is in the development stages.[44][45] Boyle has stated previously that in theory the third instalment of the series would be titled 28 Months Later, but alluded to a film taking place somewhere else in the world he created in 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. He was also stated to be producing the upcoming film Paani.[46]

Boyle told an interviewer about the eclectic range of his films, "There's a theme running through all of them—and I just realised this. They're all about someone facing impossible odds and overcoming them."[47] With a strong interest in music, Boyle has mentioned in interviews that he has considered a musical film with original compositions. Boyle has also expressed interest in an animated film.[48]

Boyle's eponymous biopic of Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs closed the 59th BFI London Film Festival. It was the third time Boyle has had that honour, after Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 and 127 Hours two years later. The BFI's London Film Festival Director, Clare Stewart, said Boyle had created an exhilarating and audacious film about a complex, charismatic pioneer.[49] He then directed the sequel to Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting.[50]

In a BBC interview, Boyle stated that he didn't write his own films but they did reflect his personality. "I am not a big auteur fan and like to work with writers, but ultimately a film is a director's vision, because he gets all its elements together towards that vision."[51]

In March 2018, Boyle confirmed he would be directing the then-untitled twenty-fifth James Bond film (later known as No Time to Die)[52] but dropped out that August due to a dispute over the film's script.[53][54]

He and writer Richard Curtis collaborated on Yesterday, starring Himesh Patel, Kate McKinnon, Lily James, and Ed Sheeran, released on 28 June 2019.[55]

Personal life

While at university, Boyle dated actress Frances Barber.[56] He was in a relationship with casting director Gail Stevens from 1983 to 2003, with whom he has three children: Gabriel, Grace, and Caitlin.[57]

Boyle is a constitutional republican.[58] He lives in Mile End, London.[59]

Boyle is the patron of North West-based young people's substance misuse charity, Early Break, which was founded and based in his home town of Radcliffe. He is also a trustee of the UK-based African arts charity Dramatic Need.[60]

In February 2017, Boyle announced a bid to launch a £30 million film and media school in Manchester, stating: "This is just what Manchester needs and I am delighted to be part of the International Screen School Manchester."[61]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Producer Notes
1994 Shallow Grave Yes No
1996 Trainspotting Yes No
1997 A Life Less Ordinary Yes No
Twin Town No Executive
2000 The Beach Yes No
2002 28 Days Later Yes No
2004 Millions Yes No
2007 Sunshine Yes No
28 Weeks Later No Executive
2008 Slumdog Millionaire Yes No
Alien Love Triangle Yes No Short film
2010 127 Hours Yes Yes Also writer
2013 Trance Yes Yes
2015 Steve Jobs Yes Yes
2017 T2 Trainspotting Yes Yes
Battle of the Sexes No Yes
2019 Yesterday Yes Yes
2021 Creation Stories No Executive
TBA 28 Years Later Yes TBA

Television

TV series

Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1989 Elephant No Yes No TV short
1989–1993 Screenplay Yes No No 3 episodes
1990–1992 Inspector Morse Yes No No 2 episodes
1993 Mr Wroe's Virgins Yes No No 3 episodes
2012 Isles of Wonder Yes No Yes Olympics opening ceremony
2014 Babylon Yes Yes No Episode: "Pilot"
2017 The Alternativity Yes Yes No Play of Banksy
2018 Trust Yes Yes No 3 episodes
2022 Pistol Yes Yes No Six-part miniseries

TV movies

Year Title Director Producer
1987 Scout Yes No
The Venus de Milo Instead Yes No
The Rockingham Shoot No Yes
1989 Monkeys Yes Yes
The Nightwatch Yes Yes
1991 For the Greater Good Yes No
2001 Strumpet Yes No
Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise Yes No

Theatre

Year Production Role Theater Notes
2023 Free Your Mind Director The Factory [62]

Accolades and recognition

In 2010, The Tablet named Boyle one of Britain's most influential Roman Catholics.[63] The BBC referred to Boyle as a "titan of the British film industry – renowned for his spunky grit – typified by his 1996 film Trainspotting."[64] In 2012, Boyle was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover – to celebrate the British cultural figures of his lifetime.[65][66]

Awards and nominations

Year Title Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards
Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins
1994 Shallow Grave 1
1996 Trainspotting 1 2 1
2008 Slumdog Millionaire 10 8 11 6 4 4
2010 127 Hours 6 8 3
2015 Steve Jobs 2 3 1 4 2
Total 19 8 25 8 11 6

Bibliography

  • The Filmmakers Filmlovers Survival Trivia Cookbook (1984)
  • Slumdog Millionaire, Class Set: Helbling Readers Movies/Level 5 (B1) (with Paul Shipton, 2013)

References

  1. 1 2 "Boyle, Danny". Who's Who. Vol. 2015 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Hedgecoe, Guy (17 June 2010). "Danny Boyle To Oversee 2012 Olympic Ceremony". The Huffington Post. Press Association.
  3. ↑ "Oscar Winning Director Danny Boyle Says He Turned Down A Knighthood". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. 19 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Stage New Manchester venue Home appoints Danny Boyle as patron".
  5. 1 2 Rebecca Flint Marx (2009). "Danny Boyle". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  6. ↑ "Danny Boyle – Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Kolan, Patrick (14 March 2007). "Interview: Danny Boyle". IGN.
  8. ↑ Caden, Sarah (22 May 2005), "The man who could have been pope", Sunday Independent, archived from the original on 4 September 2015
  9. 1 2 3 Moggach, Lottie (26 May 2005), "Danny Boyle", The Times, retrieved 11 March 2009
  10. ↑ Leach, Ben (14 January 2009), "Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle almost became a priest", The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 11 January 2022, retrieved 23 February 2009
  11. ↑ Dibbits, Kat (10 January 2009), Golden Globes are calling for Danny Boyle, theboltonnews.co.uk, retrieved 25 February 2009
  12. ↑ "Slumdog Millionaire fast becoming one of year's major films". Bangor University. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grice, Elizabeth (24 February 2009). "From fleapit to the red carpet". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  14. ↑ "Danny Boyle". IMDb.
  15. ↑ "The Danny Boyle Project, Part Five: "Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise"". Vanity Fair. 6 March 2009.
  16. ↑ "Danny Boyle to Direct Frankenstein for UK's National Theatre". DreadCentral. 16 July 2012.
  17. ↑ "Frankenstein – Productions – National Theatre". Archived from the original on 20 March 2012.
  18. ↑ "Celebrity Laps". BBC Two. 26 May 2018.
  19. ↑ Prudom, Laura (15 October 2014). "Danny Boyle Signs First-Look Deal with FX Prods". Variety. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  20. ↑ Yossman, K. J. (29 September 2022). "Danny Boyle to Direct Dance Adaptation of 'The Matrix'". Variety. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "Media reaction to London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony". BBC News. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  22. ↑ "London Olympics opening ceremony kicks off". Xinhua News Agency. 28 July 2012. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012.
  23. ↑ Lyall, Sarah (27 July 2012). "A Five-Ring Opening Circus, Weirdly and Unabashedly British". The New York Times.
  24. ↑ "Media reaction to London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony". BBC News. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  25. ↑ "Danny Boyle: The Golden boy is back". Independent. 26 May 2018.
  26. ↑ "Pistol, Disney Plus review — Danny Boyle charts the explosive rise of the Sex Pistols". Financial Times. 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Trainspotting/Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle charts the rise of the Sex Pistols in new TV series Pistol". Louder Sound. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  28. ↑ Boyle, Danny. Interview by Robert K. Elder. The Film That Changed My Life by Robert K. Elder. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2011. N. p28. Print.
  29. 1 2 Mayer, Geoff; McDonnell, Brian (2007). Encyclopedia of Film Noir. ABC-Clio. pp. 377–380. ISBN 978-0313333064.
  30. ↑ "BFI Top 100 British films". BFI. 6 September 2006. Archived from the original on 29 February 2000. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  31. ↑ "British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films". 1999. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  32. ↑ Martinson, Jane (5 April 2007). "Bringing a ray of sunshine to British films". The Guardian. London.
  33. ↑ Kirk, Jeremy (8 January 2009). "Danny Boyle Asked About 'Alien 4', 'Lady Vengeance', '28 Days Later...' Sequel, and More". WeAreMovieGeeks.
  34. ↑ Hiscock, John (3 April 2007). "Another bright idea from Mr Sunshine". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  35. ↑ Kermode, Mark (15 February 2008). "Aliens come to Wales". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 March 2008.
  36. ↑ Frank Cottrell Boyce: Writersroom. BBC.
  37. ↑ "Sunshine (IMDB)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
  38. ↑ Anita Singh (23 February 2009). "Oscar winners: Slumdog Millionaire and Kate Winslet lead British film sweep". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  39. ↑ Mendes, Ana Cristina (2010). "Showcasing India Unshining: Film Tourism in Danny Boyle'sSlumdog Millionaire". Third Text. 24 (4): 471–479. doi:10.1080/09528822.2010.491379. ISSN 0952-8822. S2CID 145021606.
  40. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (12 June 2009). "Danny Boyle signs 3-year deal". Variety. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  41. ↑ "Danny Boyle leaps to defence of Slumdog Millionaire". The Guardian. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  42. ↑ Williams, Joe (25 January 2011). "Oscar nominations confirm it's good to be 'King'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  43. ↑ Germain, David (25 January 2011). "'King's Speech' rules with 12 Oscar nominations". U-T San Diego. MLIM Enterprises. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  44. ↑ "Danny Boyle On '28 Months Later': It's Not Called '28 Months Later'!". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  45. ↑ dreadcentral.com, "UPDATED: Exclusive: Danny Boyle Directing the Next 28 Days Later Sequel". Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  46. ↑ "Danny Boyle to produce Paani". The Times of India. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  47. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (12 March 2013). "SXSW: Danny Boyle talks up new film Trance". Baltimore City Paper. Baltimore, Maryland. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013.
  48. ↑ "MOVIE CON III: Danny Boyle and Christian Colson Part 3". Empire. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  49. ↑ "What's Worth Seeing: Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs to close LFF 2015". 7 August 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  50. ↑ "Danny Boyle talks Trainspotting Sequel, Porno". /Film. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009.
  51. ↑ Husam sam Asi (25 January 2016), Danny Boyle: A film reflects the director's personality – Interview, archived from the original on 30 October 2021, retrieved 4 April 2016
  52. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (15 March 2018). "'Trainspotting' director Danny Boyle confirms he will be directing the next James Bond movie". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  53. ↑ "Danny Boyle says script dispute made him quit Bond 25". The Guardian. 21 March 2019.
  54. ↑ Sharf, Zack (21 March 2019). "Danny Boyle Breaks Silence on Bond 25 Exit: 'It's Just a Great Shame'".
  55. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (19 September 2018). "Danny Boyle-Richard Curtis Musical Comedy Tunes Up For Summer 2019 Release – Update".
  56. ↑ Lewis, Tim (21 February 2009), Bangor professor remembers ex-student Danny Boyle, walesonline.co.uk, retrieved 23 February 2009
  57. ↑ Danny Boyle at IMDb
  58. ↑ "The monarchy will be abolished in my lifetime, says Danny Boyle". The Guardian. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  59. ↑ Amy Raphael (28 August 2010). "Danny Boyle: the director who keeps his Oscar in a shoe bag". /www.amyraphael.com. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  60. ↑ Boyle, Danny (11 November 2008), "Why the Congo needs art as well as food", The Times, London, archived from the original on 18 September 2011
  61. ↑ Williams, Jennifer (16 February 2017), Danny Boyle to help launch £30m film and media school in Manchester, manchestereveningnews.co.uk, archived from the original on 16 February 2017
  62. ↑ Yossman, K.J. (29 September 2022). "Danny Boyle to Direct Dance Adaptation of 'The Matrix'". Variety. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  63. ↑ "The Tablet's Top 100". Archived from the original on 13 March 2016.
  64. ↑ "What will director Danny Boyle bring to James Bond?". BBC. 26 May 2018.
  65. ↑ "New faces on Sgt Pepper album cover for artist Peter Blake's 80th birthday". The Guardian. 5 October 2016.
  66. ↑ "Sir Peter Blake's new Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album cover". BBC. 8 November 2016.
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