One of Britain's most celebrated breakthrough talents of the '90s, director and producer Danny Boyle made his name with his acclaimed 1996 adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. An angry, scabrously funny film about a group of Edinburgh heroin addicts that took a non-judgmental approach to drug use, the film won equal parts praise and controversy, as well as lasting fame for its director.

Born in Manchester, England, on October 20, 1956, Boyle grew up going to the cinema. Somewhat ironically — given that he didn't set foot in a theatre until he was 18 — he started his career in the theatre, as it seemed to him the most accessible way of getting into the arts. He first worked with the Joint Stock Theatre Company and then with the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, where he was the Artistic Director from 1982 until 1985. In 1985, he became the Deputy Director of the Royal Court Theatre, where he stayed until 1987.

During the '80s, Boyle also began directing for television, making TV films and serials. He made his feature directorial debut with Shallow Grave in 1994. A stylish, darkly humorous psychological thriller set in a posh flat in Edinburgh's New Town, it was the first collaboration between director Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge. It received strong reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and was a commercial success in Britain. Two years later, Boyle,…  » Read more