Danny Boyle

This article is about the director. For other people with similar names, see Daniel Boyle (disambiguation).

Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting (1996) and its sequel T2 Trainspotting (2017), The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), 127 Hours (2010), Steve Jobs (2015), and Yesterday (2019).

Danny Boyle
Boyle in 2019
Born	Daniel Francis Boyle (1956-10-20) 20 October 1956 (age 68) Radcliffe, Lancashire, England
Alma mater	University College of North Wales (now Bangor University)
Occupations	Director producer
Years active	1980–present
Awards	Full list

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 crime drama 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 won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director. Boyle received two more Academy Award nominations for writing and producing the survival drama 127 Hours.

In 2012, Boyle was the artistic director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. He was subsequently offered a knighthood as part of the New Year Honours but declined due to his republican beliefs.

Early life and education

Danny Francis Boyle was born on 20 October 1956,^[1] in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England, about 6 miles (9.7 km) 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.^[2][3]

Boyle was brought up in a working-class Catholic family. He 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.^[4]

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.^[5][6]

He now describes himself as a "spiritual atheist".^[7]

Boyle attended Thornleigh Salesian College, a Catholic boys' direct grant grammar school in Bolton,^[8] 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.^[2][9]

Career

Theatre and television

Boyle (back row, third from right) with the cast of The Children's Monologues at the Old Vic Theatre in London, November 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 directed five productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company.^[10]

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.^[11]

Boyle was responsible for the BBC Two series Mr. Wroe's Virgins in 1993.^[10] 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.^[12]

In 2011, he directed Frankenstein for the National Theatre.^[13] This production was broadcast to cinemas as a part of National Theatre Live on 17 March 2011.^[14] He has appeared on Top Gear and set the fastest wet lap at that time.^[15] In 2014 both Boyle and Christian Colson signed to a first look deal with FX Productions.^[16]

In September 2022, it was announced that Boyle would direct a dance adaptation of The Matrix, titled "Free Your Mind", which debuted in October 2023 in Manchester.^[17]

The Children's Monologues

Main article: The Children's Monologues

On 14 November 2010, he directed a one-night play at the Old Vic Theatre in London titled The Children's Monologues, 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.^[18] He co-directed another performance of the play in 2015 at the Royal Court Theatre,^[19] and again in 2017 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.^[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.^[21]

Reception to the ceremony was generally positive both nationally in the United Kingdom and internationally.^{[22][23][24][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] 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.^[10] 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.^[10] The BFI ranked Trainspotting the 10th greatest British film of the 20th century.^[31]

Boyle declined an offer to direct Alien Resurrection, 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. It was filmed in Thailand. Casting Leonardo DiCaprio led to a feud with Ewan McGregor.^[10] He collaborated with Garland on the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later.^[34]

Boyle at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

He directed a short film Alien Love Triangle, which was intended to be one of three shorts within a feature film. The project was cancelled after the two other shorts were made into feature films: Mimic and Impostor.^[35] In 2004 Boyle directed Millions,^[5] scripted by Frank Cottrell Boyce.^[36] His next collaboration with Alex Garland^[5] was the 2007 science-fiction film Sunshine.^[37]

In 2008 he directed Slumdog Millionaire, the story of an impoverished child 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."^[10] 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."^[10] The success led a deal with Fox Searchlight.^[40]

Despite the commercial success of Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle faced 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. 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. 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. 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 biographical film Steve Jobs about 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 directed the sequel to Trainspotting, T2 Trainspotting.^[50]

In a BBC interview, Boyle stated that he did not 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, released on 28 June 2019.^[55]

In 2024, it was confirmed that Boyle will make 28 Years Later, which is set in a post-apocalyptic Britain 28 years after the first film in the 28 Days Later series.^[56][57]

Personal life

While at university, Boyle dated actress Frances Barber.^[58]

Boyle is a constitutional republican.^[59] He lives in Mile End, London.^[60]

Other activities

Boyle was a founding trustee^[61] in 2007,^[62] of Dramatic Need, a charity which operated in Rwanda and South Africa, helping young people to come to terms with trauma and conflict.^[18] The charity was wound up in November 2021.^[63]

As of 2008^[update], Boyle was the patron of North West England-based young people's substance misuse charity, Early Break, which was founded and based in his home town of Radcliffe.^[64]

In 2014, it was announced that Boyle would become a patron of HOME in Manchester.^[65]

In February 2017, Boyle announced a bid to launch a £30 million film and media school in Manchester.^[66] Manchester School of Digital Arts was subsequently launched in June 2022 as part of Manchester Metropolitan University.^[67]

Recognition

In 2010, The Tablet named Boyle one of Britain's most influential Roman Catholics.^[68]

The BBC referred to Boyle as a "titan of the British film industry – renowned for his spunky grit – typified by his 1996 film Trainspotting."^[69]

In 2012, Boyle was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, to celebrate the British cultural figures of his lifetime.^[70][71]

In December 2012, it was 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."^[72][73]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Danny Boyle

Awards and nominations received for films directed by Boyle

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

Theatre

Assistant stage manager

Year	Title	Theater
1978	The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists	Joint Stock Theatre Company

Assistant director

Year	Title	Theater
1981	The Seagull	Royal Court Theatre

Director

Year	Title	Theater
1982	The Genius	Royal Court Theatre
1984-85	Saved
1985-86	The Grace of Mary Traverse
1988-89	The Bite of the Night	Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theater
1989	The Silent Woman	Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
1989	H.I.D	Royal Shakespeare Company, Almeida Theatre
1989-90	The Second Line	Cambridge Arts Theatre
1990-91	The Last Days of Don Juan	Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Barbican Theater, Newcastle Playhouse, Pit
1991-92	The Pretenders	Barbican Theater
2010	The Children's Monologues	The Old Vic
2011	Frankenstein	Royal National Theatre
2023	Free Your Mind[74]	The Factory

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1994	Shallow Grave	Yes	No	No
1996	Trainspotting	Yes	No	No
1997	A Life Less Ordinary	Yes	No	No
2000	The Beach	Yes	No	No
2002	28 Days Later	Yes	No	No
2004	Millions	Yes	No	No
2007	Sunshine	Yes	No	No
2008	Slumdog Millionaire	Yes	No	No
2010	127 Hours	Yes	Yes	Yes
2013	Trance	Yes	Yes	No
2015	Steve Jobs	Yes	Yes	No
2017	T2 Trainspotting	Yes	Yes	No
	Battle of the Sexes	No	Yes	No
2019	Yesterday	Yes	Yes	No
2025	28 Years Later †	Yes	Yes	Yes
2026	28 Years Later: The Bone Temple †	No	Yes	Yes

Key

†	Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Short film

• Alien Love Triangle (2008)

Executive producer

• Twin Town (1997)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• Creation Stories (2021)

Television

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	Miniseries

TV films

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