30 Astonishing Facts About The Famous Director Danny Boyle You Probably Didn't Know

Danny Boyle, the director of the most successful British film of the decade "Slumdog Millionaire," is often referred to as the “titan of the British film industry," as named by the BBC, "renowned for his spunky grit – typified by his 1996 film Trainspotting.” Here are some facts about the English director:

1.  He is an award winning English director, producer and screenwriter was born Daniel Francis Boyle, on October 20, 1956, in Radcliffe, Lancashire, England. Boyle was raised by his Irish Catholic parents who immigrated to England from County Galway, Ireland.
2.  He was an altar boy for eight years and until the age of 13, and believed that he would become a priest, but a local clergyman convinced his parents to make him wait until 18 for a decision. By the time he reached the age, he had moved on wanting to direct.
3.  He completed his secondary school at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton and later attended University College of North Wales to study English and Drama. He would eventually leave without a degree to direct at the Joint Stock Theatre Company, a politically themed company.
4.  In 1982, he joined the Royal Court Theatre in London, where he became their artistic director and oversaw Howard Brenton’s ‘The Genius’ and Edward Bond’s ‘Saved,’ the latter of which earned him a coveted Time Out Award.
5.  Boyle was made the deputy director of the Royal Court Theatre for main stage in 1985, and served in that capacity until 1987. He worked outside of Royal Theatre, directing ‘The Pretenders’ and ‘The Last Days of Don Juan,’ two among the five he directed for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
6.  In 1987 he joined the BBC Northern Ireland as a television producer, where he produced notable among others TV films, Alan Clarke’s controversial ‘Elephant’ before becoming a director on show such as ‘Arise And Go Now,’‘Not Even God Is Wise Enough,’‘For The Greater Good,’‘Scout,’‘Masonic Mysteries,’ and two episode of ‘Inspector Morse.’
7.  He switched to period drama when he directed the four-part miniseries ‘Mr. Wroe’s Virgin’s’ in 1993, for the BBC Two, which is about 19th century cult leader.
8.  In 1994, he made his directional debut in feature film with ‘Shallow Grave’ a darkly comic about three friends.The film was the most commercially successful British film of 1995 and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. Boyle stayed in a four bedroom flat with his leads leading up to production rehearsing all day.
9.  In 1996, in his next venture he directed black comedy drama film ‘Trainspotting’ which was ranked by Time Out as the 10th best British film ever. The film was shot in just seven and a half weeks on a budget of £1.5 million.
10.  For the purpose of Dramatic Need, Boyle directed ‘The Children’s Monologues’ at Old Vic Theatre on November 14, 2010, and at Royal Theatre on October 25, 2015. It featured adopted stories of children’s first-hand experience in South Africa and performed by actors such as Sir Ben Kingsley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Gemma Arterton, and Eddie Redmayne.
11.  Boyle directed ‘Frankenstein’ which was premiered at the Royal National Theatre on February 05, 2011, with cast including Benedict Cumber batch and Jonny Lee Miller. The production was broadcast to cinemas around the world as a part of the National Theatre Live program.
12.  His love for film began with his first viewing of ‘Apocalypse Now.’ He was impressionable twenty-one year old guy, when the film fueled his obsession with experience in the cinema, really, of trying to create.
13.  Boyle’s directional venture often has some trademark trait associated with his work such as, his opening shot is usually a shot from the middle of the movie. He uses bright, colorful landscapes of places, characters, actors or references to and relating to Scotland.
14.  He is known for being extremely versatile and working in a variety of different genres and his protagonists are often unsympathetic in some way. His films often contain intricate and creative flashback sequences.
15.  Boyle was artistic director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. The ceremony, entitled Isles of Wonder, charted aspects of British culture, including the Industrial Revolution and British contribution to literature, music, film and technology.
16.  Even an Oscar landslide didn’t appear to change him. His reputation only grew further following his refusal to accept a knighthood on the New Year’s list. He said ‘I am very proud to be an equal citizen and I think that’s what the opening ceremony was about.’ I want to remain a man of the people.
17.  In 2000, he directed ‘The Beach,’ adaptation of 1996 novel by English author Alex Garland. Though the film failed to capture much interest critically and at the box-office, it was a big learning curve for him as a director.
18.  In 2002, the team of Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald and Boyle, combined for the post-apocalyptic horror film ’28 Days Later’ starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston. The film was a considerable success at the box-office.
19.  Boyle once again teamed-up with Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, and Cillian Murphy for the science fiction thriller film ‘Sunshine’ in 2007. After Boyle and Garland took a year to complete the script, then they spent one more year preparing for production, before completing the filming in three months. But for the post production work of editing and visual effect they spent a third full year. He found working on sci-fi project so exhausting, he vowed never to make another one again.
20.  In 2008, Boyle adapted Indian author Vikas Swarup’s novel ‘Q & A’ into drama film ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ starring Dev Patel as Jamal. It was regarded as sleeper hit and was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
21.  His second film using time denomination in the title was ‘127 Hours’ in 2010, starring James Franco and Kate Mara. The film is biographical survival drama based on canyoneer Aron Ralston, who gets trapped by a boulder and finds a way to escape.
22.  The film ‘127 Hours’ got six nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Boyle and Best Actor for Franco. It took roughly one hour for Aron Ralston to cut through his own arm to free himself. This amputation scene reportedly caused some audience members to receive medical assistance.
23.  Boyle for the first time put a woman at the heart of a movie in the psychological thriller film ‘Trance’ in 2013. He had all the actors to undergo hypnosis as part of their preparation for the film.
24.  Boyle’s biopic of Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs closed the 59th BFI London Film Festival. This was the third time Boyle has had that honor and was credited for an exhilarating and audacious film about a complex charismatic pioneer.
25.  He directed his first sequel and second sequel overall that he has produced with his black comedy drama film ‘T2 Trainspotting.’ During filming in Leith, an industrial cleaning company had to be called in to clear away used needles from real addicts living in an abandoned building where shooting took place.
26.  In 2018 he was set to direct a new James Bond movie ‘Bond 25’ but was dropped due to creative differences. In a BBC interview, he stated that he didn’t write his own films but they reflected his personality and ultimately a film is a director’s vision.
27.  Boyle along with writer Richard Curtis announced in March 2018, about his work on a musical comedy set in the 1960s and 70s, centered around struggling musician ‘Yesterday,’ starring Himesh Patel, Kate McKinnon, Lily James and Ed Sheeran, is scheduled for release on June 28, 2019.
28.  He was in relationship with Gail Stevens, a casting agent, for 20 years before they split up. They have three children, Gabriel, Caitlin and Grace. He later dated actress Rosario Dawson, but they ended the relationship.
29.  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 trusty of the UK-based African arts charity Dramatic Need.
30.  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 culture figure of his lifetime.
31.  Danny Boyle Net Worth: $60 Million