Danny Boyle

Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) 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.

Danny Boyle was born on 20 October 1956, in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, about 6 mi 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.

Although he now describes himself as a "spiritual atheist," 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.

"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."

Boyle attended Thornleigh Salesian College, a Catholic boys' direct grant grammar school in Bolton, 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.

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.

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.

Boyle was responsible for the BBC Two series Mr. Wroe's Virgins in 1993.

The film was the most commercially successful British film of 1995, won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, and led to the production of Trainspotting. Working with writer John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, Shallow Grave earned Boyle the Best Newcomer Award from the 1996 London Film Critics Circle.

Critics credited these films with revitalising British cinema in the early '90s.

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.

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.

The British Film Institute ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century.

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 aid of his charity Dramatic Need, which operates in Rwanda and South Africa, helping young people to come to terms with trauma and conflict.

The BFI ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century.

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

In 2011 he directed Frankenstein for the National Theatre.

This production was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011.

He has also appeared on Top Gear and set the fastest wet lap at that time.

In 2012, Boyle was the artistic director for Isles of Wonder, the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

He was subsequently offered a knighthood as part of the New Year Honours but declined due to his republican beliefs.

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.

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, and stars Emma Appleton, Louis Partridge and Maisie Williams, amongst others.

The show was filmed in London.

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."

The first film Boyle directed was Shallow Grave.

In 2014, both Boyle and Christian Colson signed to a first look deal with FX Productions.

Boyle was announced to be directing a dance adaptation of The Matrix, titled "Free Your Mind", set to debut in October 2023 in Manchester.

He co-directed another performance of the play in 2015 at the Royal Court Theatre, and again in 2017 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.