CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Prominent West Virginia filmmaker, writer, and longtime educator Danny Boyd died last week.
Boyd, 69, is a graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas. He began his filmmaking career in the early 1980s and went on to produce multiple award-winning films and documentaries. His first film, Chillers, was released in 1988 and won a Silver Scroll for Excellence from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, and it continues to be shown internationally.
Other films include Strangest Dreams: Invasion of the Space Preachers and Paradise Park. The former premiered in 1991 on USA Network, while the latter earned Gold Awards at the Houston International Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Longtime West Virginia entertainer and former Mountain Stage host Larry Groce, appearing on MetroNews Midday Monday, said Boyd’s death happened suddenly.
“It was one of those things where someone especially out of the blue sky, they weren’t ill, there was nothing to suspect, all of a sudden you get this word that there not here anymore, it’s quite shocking,” Groce said.
Groce said he first met Boyd when Boyd called and asked him to appear in the film Paradise Park, which explores the lives of residents at a trailer park in West Virginia. Groce said he was initially hesitant because he is not an actor, but he loved the story Boyd was telling and agreed to take the role.
“I took the part in the movie because I loved the story, the story, to me Danny’s stories were very West Virginian, and I moved here 53 years ago now, and I love this state,” Groce said.
In addition to his filmmaking career, Boyd taught media studies at West Virginia State University for 33 years before retiring in 2016. He also founded the Paradise Film Institute at WVSU to promote filmmaking in the state by providing resources, production support, foreign exchange opportunities, and continuing education.
Groce said Boyd reached and influenced many people during his career.
“I continue to meet his students, I’m surprised that I meet these people and sure enough 30 years ago they were in Danny Boyd’s class, and they learned how to make films, or they learned about films and how to love films, he taught appreciation and he also taught how to make it,” he said. “So, there’s a vast army of people in this state and beyond, who have worked with Danny somehow, directly or indirectly.”
He was also an accomplished writer and creator of graphic novels. His most notable works are children’s books, including The Adventures of Wandala, Miss Dirt Turtle’s Garden Club, Tavey’s First Hunt, and WrestleDreamia, which have received awards.