Jimmy Boyle (artist)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Boyle is a Scottish sculptor, novelist and convicted criminal.
In 1967 he was sentenced to life imprisonment
for the murder
of another gangland figure, William "Babs" Rooney. During his incarceration in the special unit of Barlinnie Prison, he turned to art
and wrote an autobiography
, A Sense of Freedom
(1977), which has since been filmed and starred David Hayman as Jimmy.
On his release from prison he moved to Edinburgh
to continue his artistic career. He designed the largest concrete sculpture in Europe called "Gulliver" for The Craigmillar Festival Society
in 1976. The following year he co-wrote the play The Hardman with Tom McGrath
, premiered at the Traverse Theatre
.
Boyle has also published Pain of Confinement: Prison Diaries (1984), and a novel, Hero of the Underworld (1999). The latter was adapted for a French film, La Rage et le Reve des Condamnes (The Anger and Dreams of the Condemned), and won the best documentary
prize at the Fifa Montreal
awards in 2002. He also has written a forthcoming novel, A Stolen Smile, which is about the theft of the Mona Lisa
and how it ends up hidden on a Scottish housing estate; Disney reportedly bought the film rights.
He lives between France and Morocco with his second wife, Kate Fenwick, a British actress. They married in Marrakech
, Morocco
, on 27 October 2007.
The character Nicky Dryden in the 1999 film The Debt Collector
is loosely based on Boyle.
In 1998 he was named as a financial donor of the Labour Party
.
In 1967 he was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of another gangland figure, William "Babs" Rooney. During his incarceration in the special unit of Barlinnie Prison, he turned to art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and wrote an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, A Sense of Freedom
A Sense of Freedom
A Sense of Freedom is a 1979 Scottish crime film directed by John Mackenzie for Scottish Television. The film starred David Hayman and featured Hector Nicol & Fulton Mackay, is a based on the autobiography of Glasgow gangster Jimmy Boyle, who was reputed to be Scotland's most violent man...
(1977), which has since been filmed and starred David Hayman as Jimmy.
On his release from prison he moved to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to continue his artistic career. He designed the largest concrete sculpture in Europe called "Gulliver" for The Craigmillar Festival Society
Craigmillar Festival Society
The Craigmillar Festival Society was a Community Arts organisation that existed in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh, Scotland from 1962 to 2002. It is regarded as important contributor to the Community Arts Movement...
in 1976. The following year he co-wrote the play The Hardman with Tom McGrath
Tom McGrath (playwright)
This article is about the Scottish playwright. For other people named Tom McGrath, see Thomas McGrath.Tom McGrath was a Scottish playwright and jazz pianist....
, premiered at the Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963.The Traverse Theatre commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary playwrights. It also presents a large number of productions from visiting companies from across the UK. These include new plays,...
.
Boyle has also published Pain of Confinement: Prison Diaries (1984), and a novel, Hero of the Underworld (1999). The latter was adapted for a French film, La Rage et le Reve des Condamnes (The Anger and Dreams of the Condemned), and won the best documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
prize at the Fifa Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
awards in 2002. He also has written a forthcoming novel, A Stolen Smile, which is about the theft of the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
and how it ends up hidden on a Scottish housing estate; Disney reportedly bought the film rights.
He lives between France and Morocco with his second wife, Kate Fenwick, a British actress. They married in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, on 27 October 2007.
The character Nicky Dryden in the 1999 film The Debt Collector
The Debt Collector
The Debt Collector is a 1999 thriller, written and directed by Scottish dramatist Anthony Neilson and starring Billy Connolly, Ken Stott and Francesca Annis....
is loosely based on Boyle.
In 1998 he was named as a financial donor of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
External links
- Jimmy Boyle's life less ordinary (from BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
) - Jimmy Boyle (from myglasgow.org)
- Boyle's Boy (from The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
) - New York Times article featuring Boyle's house in Marrakech
- Article by Boyle in the Independent, about life in Morocco
- Article about Boyle in Marrakech in the Telegraph