Billy Hayes

Billy Hayes: Biography in Details

Who is Billy Hayes?

Billy Hayes is an American writer, film director, and also actor.

He is popular for his autobiographical book Midnight Express. It includes his experiences inside and escapes from a Turkish prison.

Billy Hayes: Age, Parent, Ethnicity

Billy was born on April 3, 1947, in New York City, New York, U.S.

His father’s name is William Hayes. Likely, his mother’s name is Dorothy Hayes.

He holds an American nationality and his ancestry is Irish and Scottish.

In which school did Billy Hayes attend?

Billy Hayes was studying at Marquette University. He couldn’t continue his studies as he was caught smuggling.

Billy Hayes: Career, Professional life

Billy came into the limelight after he wrote the book Midnight Express which is about his experiment in prison.

It was also later adapted into a movie in 1978.

Afterward, Billy Hayes started writing and acting in the entertainment industry. The 2003’s movie Southside is one of Hayes’s popular writing and directing.

It was later released in the US as A Cock and Bull Story.

The movie won various awards, including the 2002 L.A. Drama Critics’ Circle award.

The National Geographic television channel aired Locked Up Abroad: The Real Midnight Express on June 30, 2010.

Billy Hayes: Salary, Net Worth

The writer has amassed a net worth is around $500,000 as of 2023. His other earning details are not available.

His movie Midnight express is of a 2.3 million USD budget and earns 35 million USD at the box office.

Billy Hayes: Rumor, controversy

Smuggle & Prison

Billy got caught on October 7, 1970. He was trying to smuggle four pounds of hashish out of Turkey.

His time at a Turkey prison was for four years and a month. The Turkish government extends his time to a life sentence afterward.

Billy Hayeswas first imprisoned at Sağmalcılar Prison in Istanbul.

And in 1972, he gets transferred to 1o Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital after an incident in the prison.

The United States requested the Turkish government to transfer him for trial in the US, but it was always denied.

On May 12, 1975, the Turkish Constitutional Court gave amnesty for all drug offenses and even shortened BIlly’s sentence time up to 30 years. Then he gets transferred to İmralı prison on July 11, 1975.

In discussions between the US embassy and Vahap Aşıroğlu, Turkish Director of Consular Affairs, the latter believed Billy would probably be released from prison on parole in October 1978.

However, Billy escaped from İmralı on October 2, 1975.

After spending several days in Amsterdam he returned to the United States.

Later he came to Turkey again and apologized to the Turkish people in 2007 at the Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security.

How tall is Billy Hayes?

Billy has an average height of 5 ft and 8 inches. and weight.

Although their measurements are not available.

Likewise, Billy Hayes has blond hair with blue eyes.

Social media

The writer doesn’t seem to be active on various social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Billy Hayes's Birthday Dates