The Life and Times of Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle was born October 20, 1956, in England. His family was a traditional working class Irish Catholic unit, and it was expected that he would become a priest in his adulthood. At age 14, just before he signed up for seminary, a priest advised him to go a different path with his life. Boyle thinks this encounter has a greater significance than he originally expected, saying, “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” (Wikipedia). Pursuing his drama career, Boyle went to college at Thornleigh Salesian College and Bangor University. After college, he became a theater director, working at the Joint Stock Theater Company, the Royal Court Theater, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He later moved on to television, and eventually film.