Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle

Boyle in November 2008
Born Daniel Boyle
20 October 1956 (1956-10-20) (age 54)
Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, UK
Occupation Director/Producer
Years active 1980–present

Danny Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, A Life Less Ordinary, The Beach, Sunshine and Slumdog Millionaire. For the latter Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy 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. On the 17th June 2010, it was announced that he will be the artistic director for the 2012 Olympic games opening ceremony.[1]

Contents

Early life and background

Boyle was born on 20 October 1956 in Radcliffe[2] (historically a part of Lancashire), into a working-class Irish Catholic family. His mother was from Ballinasloe in County Galway, and his father was born in England to an Irish family.[3]

It was a very strict, Catholic family. I was an altar boy for eight years, I was supposed to be a priest and really, it was my mother's fondest wish that I would become one.[3]

When he was 14 years old, Boyle applied to transfer from his local school to a seminary near Wigan, but was dissuaded from doing so by a priest. During an interview with The Times for his film Millions, he said:

I was meant to be a priest until I was 14, I was going to transfer to a seminary near Wigan. But this priest, Father Conway, took me aside and said, ‘I don’t think you should go’. 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.[4][5]

He studied at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton,[6] and at Bangor University.[2] While at university Boyle dated the actress Frances Barber.[7]

Boyle is a trustee of the UK-based, African arts charity Dramatic Need.[8]

Career

Theatre

Upon leaving school he began his career at the Joint Stock Theatre Company, before moving onto the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 where he directed Genius by Howard Brenton and Saved by Edward Bond. He also directed five productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company.[9] In 2010 he will direct Frankenstein for the National Theatre.[10]

Television

In 1980 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 three[11] episodes of Inspector Morse. These were Masonic Mysteries, The Day of The Devil and Cherubim and Seruphim. He was also responsible for the BBC2 series Mr. Wroe's Virgins.[9]

In between the films The Beach and 28 Days Later Boyle directed two TV movies for the BBC in 2001 - Vacuuming Completely Nude In Paradise and Strumpet.

Films

The first movie Boyle directed was Shallow Grave.[9] The film was the most commercially successful British film of 1995[12] and led to the production of Trainspotting, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.[13] Working with writer John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald, Shallow Grave earned Boyle the Best Newcomer Award from the 1996 London Film Critics Circle.[12] Shallow Grave and Trainspotting were two films that revitalised British cinema.[9]

He then moved to Hollywood and sought a production deal with a major US studio. He declined an offer to direct the fourth film of the Alien franchise, instead making A Life Less Ordinary using British finance.

Boyle's next project was an adaptation of the cult novel The Beach. Filmed in Thailand with Leonardo DiCaprio in a starring role, casting of the film led to a feud with Ewan McGregor, star of his first three films.[9] He then collaborated with author Alex Garland on the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later.[14]

He also directed a short film Alien Love Triangle (starring Kenneth Branagh), and 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.[15]

In 2004 Boyle directed Millions,[4] scripted by Frank Cottrell Boyce. His next collaboration with Alex Garland[4] was the science-fiction film Sunshine, starring 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, was released in 2007.[16]

Boyle at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2008 he directed Slumdog Millionaire, the story of an impoverished child (Dev Patel) on the streets of Mumbai who competes on India's variant of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, for which Boyle won an Academy Award. The film won eight Academy Awards in total.[17] "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."[9] 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."[9]

Boyle is to direct Ponte Tower, about a girl moving into South Africa's famed fifty-four story skyscraper near the end of the apartheid-era only to fall under the influence of a drug lord, as well as the film Solomon Grundy, about a baby who experiences an entire lifetime in just 6 days.[18] "Once you've had anything like a hit in the movie business it's so easy to get lost. All these people are scuttling around trying to get you to make things, suggesting things and offering deals. The pressure of what to do next is horrible."

Boyle is currently working in Utah where he's filming his latest production 127 Hours - based on the true-life, horrific story of mountaineer Aron Ralston.

Awards

Boyle at Ryerson, Canada

Shallow Grave

Trainspotting

28 Days Later

Slumdog Millionaire

Filmography

Released films
Planned films

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Hedgecoe, Guy (June 17, 2010). "Danny Boyle to oversee 2012 Olympic ceremony". Associated Press. Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news;_ylt=AlRtJ3NWLCcmq_zjQzgRRLlAyMIF?slug=ap-london2012-ceremonies&print=1. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Danny Boyle, New York Times, http://movies.nytimes.com/person/188724/Danny-Boyle/biography, retrieved 2008-10-29 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caden, Sarah (2005-05-22), The man who could have been pope, Sunday Independent, http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=129&si=1401311&issue_id=12514, retrieved 2009-02-23 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Moggach, Lottie (2005-05-26), Danny Boyle, London: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk, http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article526377.ece, retrieved 2009-03-11 
  5. ↑ Leach, Ben (2009-01-14), Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle almost became a priest, London: telegraph.co.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/4238043/Slumdog-Millionaire-director-Danny-Boyle-almost-became-a-priest.html, retrieved 2009-02-23 
  6. ↑ Dibbits, Kat (2009-01-10), Golden Globes are calling for Danny Boyle, theboltonnews.co.uk, http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/4035893.Golden_Globes_are_calling_for_Danny_Boyle/, retrieved 2009-02-25 
  7. ↑ Lewis, Tim (2009-02-21), Bangor professor remembers ex-student Danny Boyle, walesonline.co.uk, http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/02/21/bangor-professor-remembers-ex-student-danny-boyle-91466-22975971/, retrieved 2009-02-23 
  8. ↑ Boyle, Danny (2008-11-11), Why the Congo needs art as well as food, London: timesonline.co.uk, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5126664.ece/, retrieved 2010-01-22 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Grice, Elizabeth (2009-02-24), From fleapit to the red carpet, London: Telegraph.co.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4789045/From-fleapit-to-the-red-carpet.html, retrieved 2009-03-11 
  10. ↑ Danny Boyle to Direct Frankenstein for UK's National Theatre
  11. ↑ "Danny Boyle Biography (1956-)". Film Reference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/28/Danny-Boyle.html. Retrieved 5 November 2009. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Mayer & McDonnell 2007, pp. 377–380.
  13. ↑ BFI Top 100 British films, BFI, 2006-09-06, http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/bfi100/1-10.html, retrieved 2009-02-23 
  14. ↑ Hiscock, John (2007-04-03), Another bright idea from Mr Sunshine, London: telegraph.co.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3663788/Another-bright-idea-from-Mr-Sunshine.html, retrieved 2009-02-26 
  15. ↑ Kermode, Mark (2008-02-15). "Aliens come to Wales". London: Guardian.co.uk. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2256450,00.html. Retrieved 1 March 2008. 
  16. ↑ "Sunshine (IMDB)". imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448134/. Retrieved 2010-04-16. 
  17. ↑ Singh, Anita (2009-02-23), Oscar winners: Slumdog Millionaire and Kate Winslet lead British film sweep, London: telegraph.co.uk, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/4786193/Oscar-winners-Slumdog-Millionaire-and-Kate-Winslet-triumph-in-great-night-for-British-film.html, retrieved 2009-02-23 
  18. ↑ http://www.hsx.com/security/view/GRUND
  19. ↑ Brooks, Xan (5 November 2009). "Danny Boyle climbs on mountaineer epic 127 Hours". The Guardian (Manchester, England: Guardian News and Media Limited). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/05/danny-boyle-aron-ralston. Retrieved 5 November 2009. 
  20. ↑ "Danny Boyle On '28 Months Later': It's Not Called '28 Months Later'!". MTV Movies Blog. http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/11/12/danny-boyle-on-28-months-later-its-not-called-28-months-later/. Retrieved 2009-12-21. 
  21. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (28 February 2007). "Danny Boyle plans thriller set at South Africa's Ponte City". Screen Daily.com (EMAP Media). http://www.screendaily.com/danny-boyle-plans-thriller-set-at-south-africas-ponte-city/4031239.article. Retrieved 5 November 2009. 
  22. ↑ Danny Boyle talks Trainspotting Sequel, Porno

External links

Films directed by Danny Boyle
1990s
Shallow Grave (1994) • Trainspotting (1996) • A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
2000s
The Beach (2000) • 28 Days Later (2002) • Millions (2004) • Sunshine (2007) • Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
2010s
127 Hours (2010)
Shorts
Alien Love Triangle (2002)