The Academy Award for Best Director goes to Danny Boyle for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Danny Boyle first gained prominence making such cult films as ‘Shallow Grave’ and ‘Trainspotting.’ See photos and video and read more below.
Boyle, 52, had never before been nominated for an Oscar but won over David Fincher for ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ Ron Howard for ‘Frost/Nixon,’ Gus Van Sant for ‘Milk,’ and Stephen Daldry ‘The Reader.’ While working on Slumdog, Boyle and his crew braved such obstacles as pythons, stifling heat, and the Indian bureaucracy during their three-month shoot.
“I want to thank my dad, my sisters and my wife… one person we haven’t thanked is the choreographer who directed the last song in the film - Longines. I want to thank him too,” said Boyle after receiving his award.
Boyle offered warm gratitude to the people of Mumbai, saying they “dwarf even this guy” as he held up his Oscar statue.
Born on October 20, 1956 in Manchester, UK, Boyle’s family was a working-class Irish Catholic. His mother was from Ballinasloe, County Galway, and his father was born in England to an Irish family. For a while, Boyle seriously contemplated priesthood and attended religious school as a teenager. He was discouraged by a priest from joining the clergy.
He began his career in the theatre, first with the Joint Stock Theatre Company and then with the Royal Court Theatre. Boyle made his feature film directorial debut with ‘Shallow Grave,’ a small-scale but well-received success. Next followed ‘Trainspotting,’ based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. His next project was an adaptation of the cult novel ‘The Beach.’ He then worked with author Alex Garland on the post-apocalyptic horror film ‘28 Days Later.’ In 2004, Boyle directed ‘Millions.’ His science-fiction film ‘Sunshine,’ starring 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy, was released in 2007. In 2008, Boyle directed ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ the story of an impoverished child (Dev Patel) on the streets of Mumbai who competes on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Photos: Wenn.com