Danny Boyle

(b. Oct. 20, 1956, Manchester, Eng.), At the 2009 Academy Awards ceremony, Danny Boyle was named best director for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), his unconventional romance that had become an unlikely international sensation. The film a modern take on Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist set in India with elements of Bollywood earned seven other Oscars, including best picture. Slumdog had almost failed to receive a theatrical release after its initial distributor folded. It eventually landed at Fox Searchlight, but many questioned whether audiences would see a movie that contained scenes of extreme child abuse and torture, featured extensive dialogue in Hindi with English subtitles, and cast first-time performers who actually lived in Mumbai (Bombay) slums. Such doubts proved unfounded, however, as Boyle crafted an energetic and ultimately optimistic film that connected with both moviegoers and critics. In addition to winning the Oscars, he and his film also received BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and a host of other awards.

Before stepping behind the camera, Boyle worked in the theatre. He served as the artistic director (1982–85) at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs and as deputy director (1985–87) at the Royal Court Theatre. In 1987 he made his directorial debut with the television movie Scout. He directed various other TV projects before helming his first feature film, Shallow Grave (1994). The crime thriller was noted for its bold visual imagery, which became a trademark of Boyle’s work, and was written by John Hodge, who became a frequent collaborator. In 1996 the director scored his big breakthrough with Trainspotting. The darkly humorous look at heroin addicts, written by Hodge and featuring Shallow Grave star Ewan MacGregor, became an international hit and one of the U.K.’s highest-grossing films. MacGregor reteamed with Boyle on the romantic comedy A Life Less Ordinary (1997), but it failed to match the success of their previous efforts. Boyle next directed his first big-budget Hollywood film, The Beach (2000), which featured a screenplay by Hodge based on Alex Garland’s popular novel about a seemingly utopian community on a remote Thai island. Despite starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it earned mixed reviews and failed to find an audience.

In 2002 Boyle had a sleeper hit with the postapocalyptic zombie film 28 Days Later. He continued to show his versatility with Millions (2004), a heartwarming story about a motherless boy who finds the proceeds of a bank robbery. After directing the science-fiction thriller Sunshine (2007), Boyle received the greatest accolades of his career for Slumdog. The film, however, was not without controversy. Some charged that it romanticized poverty, and others complained that the child actors were exploited, especially when it was revealed that two of the young stars continued to live in the Mumbai slums. Boyle (with the film’s producer) subsequently purchased homes for the children’s families and donated over $750,000 to a fund to help other Mumbai children.