Early Life and Background
Daniel Boyle was born on 20 October 1956 in Radcliffe, historically a part of Lancashire. Although he now describes himself as a "spiritual atheist", he was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic environment by his English father (of Irish descent) and Irish mother (from Ballinasloe in County Galway). Boyle was an altar boy for eight years and his mother had the priesthood in mind for her son, but aged 14 he was persuaded by a local priest not to transfer from his local school to a seminary near Wigan.
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.He later studied at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton, and at Bangor University. While at university Boyle dated the actress Frances Barber.
Boyle is a trustee of the UK-based, African arts charity Dramatic Need.
He has three children, Grace, Gabriel, & Catilin, with an ex-girlfriend, Gail Stevens.
In 2010, “The Tablet” named him as one of Britain’s most influential Roman Catholics.
Read more about this topic: Danny Boyle
Famous quotes containing the words early life, early, life and/or background:
“... business training in early life should not be regarded solely as insurance against destitution in the case of an emergency. For from business experience women can gain, too, knowledge of the world and of human beings, which should be of immeasurable value to their marriage careers. Self-discipline, co-operation, adaptability, efficiency, economic management,—if she learns these in her business life she is liable for many less heartbreaks and disappointments in her married life.”
—Hortense Odlum (1892–?)
“Parents ... are sometimes a bit of a disappointment to their children. They don’t fulfil the promise of their early years.”
—Anthony Powell (b. 1905)
“One might feel that, at my age, I should look on life with more gravity. After all, I’ve been privileged to listen, firsthand, to some of the most profound thinkers of my day ... who were all beset by gloom over the condition the world had gotten into. Then why can’t I view it with anything but amusement?”
—Anita Loos (1894–1981)
“Pilate with his question “What is truth?” is gladly trotted out these days as an advocate of Christ, so as to arouse the suspicion that everything known and knowable is an illusion and to erect the cross upon that gruesome background of the impossibility of knowledge.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)