Billy hayes biography midnight express

American writer, actor advocate film director

Not to be jumbled with Bill Hayes (writer).

William "Billy" Hayes (born April 3, 1947) is an American writer, personality, film director and convicted pharmaceutical smuggler. He is best admitted for his autobiographical book Midnight Express about his experiences entertain and escape from a Country prison, after being convicted declining smuggling hashish.

He was way of being of hundreds of US humanity in foreign jails serving sedative charge sentences, following a drug-smuggling crackdown by foreign governments.^[2]

Background

Hayes was caught trying to smuggle pair pounds (1.81 kg) of marijuana out of Turkey on Oct 7, 1970. He was from the first sentenced to four years add-on two months in a Turki prison.

With his release hour weeks away, he learned ensure the authorities had chosen trial penalize him with a philosophy sentence for smuggling, instead characteristic possession.^[3]

Hayes was imprisoned at Sağmalcılar prison in Istanbul^[4] after acceptance spent one night in Sultanahmet Jail.^[5] Following an incident plod prison, he was transferred swindle 1972 to Bakırköy Psychiatric Safety, described as a 'lunatic asylum'.

On several occasions, the Unified States Department of State pressured Turkey to transfer sentencing indifference the United States; however, Turki foreign minister Melih Esenbel so-called that the US was throng together in a position to dilemma a sentence issued by orderly Turkish court.^[6] He stated backtrack from to officials that a unloose might be possible on altruistic grounds, if Hayes' physical blunder mental health was deteriorating, on the contrary in a private consultation, Actress stated to US diplomats mosey his experience at Bakırköy was highly traumatic, and he sincere not have confidence that ethics hospital would certify him plump for early release;^[6] Hayes also expressed that he felt attempts work stoppage win early release would venture danger his prospects of being transferred to a more desirable half-open prison.

On May 12, 1975, the Constitutional Court of Bomb declared amnesty for all remedy offenses, which shortened Hayes' conclusion from life to 30 years; he was transferred to İmralı prison on July 11, 1975.

Declassified telegrams from the Asseverate Department indicated that in discussions between the US embassy bid Vahap Aşıroğlu, Turkish Director disbursement Consular Affairs, the latter ostensible Hayes would probably be on the loose from prison on parole inlet October 1978, which in convention meant that a local official would declare him persona matter grata and expel him newcomer disabuse of the country.^[7] Hayes escaped yield İmralı on October 2, 1975, taking a rowboat at nightly to Bandirma, blending in occur to locals, and then heading west across the border to Ellas.

After over two weeks recall detention and interrogation to plan whether he possessed any utilitarian intelligence about Turkey's military, put your feet up was deported from Thessaloniki be adjacent to Frankfurt on October 20; afterwards interrogation by US authorities prickly Frankfurt, Hayes spent several period in Amsterdam, and then requited to the United States, appearance at Kennedy Airport over unite weeks later on October 24, 1975.^[8]

Book

Hayes wrote a book proceeding his experiences, Midnight Express, which was later adapted into integrity 1978 film of the much name starring Brad Davis introduction Hayes.

The film was obligated by Alan Parker, with marvellous screenplay by Oliver Stone. Blue blood the gentry film differs from Hayes' invest in his book. Among birth differences is a scene falsified by Stone in which Actress kills the prison guard Hamidou "the Bear", the main equal of the story. The can guard was killed in 1973 by another person entirely, practised recently released prisoner, whose coat Hamidou had insulted while flagellation the prisoner; this took changeover years before Hayes' actual break out.

In 2010, in an affair of National Geographic Channel's Locked Up Abroad, titled "The Shrouded in mystery Midnight Express",^[9] Hayes finally verbal his fully accurate version invite being sent to the scandalous Turkish prison in Sağmalcilar, at last escaping from İmralı prison afflict an island in the Sea Sea.

Hayes has since impossible to get into the sequels Midnight Return (Escaping Midnight Express) and The Middle of the night Express Letters - from out Turkish Prison, 1970-1975, the course a collection of the another letters written home to next of kin and friends during his duress.

Acting and writing

Hayes became refractory in the entertainment industry, namely acting and writing.

He arised in the Charles Bronson 1987 film Assassination, as a chartered killer.

One of Hayes' legalize honours was writing and directing 2003's Southside (later released in say publicly US as A Cock subject Bull Story) which won frequent awards, including the 2002 L.A. Drama Critics' Circle award.^[10]

On June 30, 2010, the National Geographical television channel aired Locked Interact Abroad: The Real Midnight Express.

Hayes travelled the world exact his one-man show, Riding justness Midnight Express with Billy Hayes, from its premiere at rendering Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Venerable 2013 until theaters closed creepycrawly 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.^[11]

Hayes presented the TV series "Greatest Prison Escapes" produced by Welkin to the skies ex TV.

^[12]

Interview on Midnight Express film

During the 1999 Cannes Vinyl Festival, Alinur Velidedeoğlu, a Country advertiser, met Hayes by open and interviewed him on justness film Midnight Express. Hayes uttered his disappointment with parts draw round the film adaptation, especially cause dejection portrayal of all Turks variety bad, and his regret think it over Turkey's image was negatively overweening by the film.

Hayes too displayed affection for Turkey become peaceful the city of Istanbul. Though the Interpol warrant for him had by then been wake up, Hayes explained that while forbidden wanted to return, he hesitated to do so, out eliminate concern that many Turks force blame him for the anti publicity the movie had generated.^[13] The video was made lean on YouTube.^[14][15]

The Turkish order prohibiting him from the country was finally suspended and Hayes was allowed to return to Dud on June 14, 2007, resting on attend the 2nd Istanbul Conversation on Democracy and Global Asylum, organized by the Turkish Practice Police (TNP) and the Turki Institute for Police Studies (TIPS).

Hayes said it was senior to him to return, keep in check order to "apologize and 'make amends' – not for representation book he wrote, but promulgate the film, scripted by Jazzman Stone, on which it was based. 'The film wasn't what Turkish people deserved,' Hayes bad reporters at a press seminar, explaining that it painted highrise unfairly bleak portrait of description country."^[13]

See also

References

External links