American writer, actor and film director
Not to be disorderly with Bill Hayes (writer).
William "Billy" Hayes (born April 3, ) is an American writer, actor, film director and convicted medicament smuggler. He is best known for his autobiographical book Midnight Express about his experiences in and escape from a Turkic prison, after being convicted of smuggling hashish. He was helpful of hundreds of US citizens in foreign jails serving cure charge sentences, following a drug-smuggling crackdown by foreign governments.[2]
Hayes was caught trying to smuggle four pounds ( kg) of hash out of Turkey on October 7, He was originally sentenced to four years and two months in a Turkish dungeon. With his release date weeks away, he learned that interpretation authorities had chosen to penalize him with a life determination for smuggling, instead of possession.[3]
Hayes was imprisoned at Sağmalcılar put inside in Istanbul[4] after having spent one night in Sultanahmet Jail.[5] Following an incident in prison, he was transferred in come to an end Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital, described as a 'lunatic asylum'. On a number of occasions, the United States Department of State pressured Turkey get into transfer sentencing to the United States; however, Turkish foreign see to Melih Esenbel stated that the US was not in a position to dispute a sentence issued by a Turkish court.[6] He stated privately to officials that a release might quip possible on humanitarian grounds, if Hayes' physical or mental constitution was deteriorating, but in a private consultation, Hayes stated take a breather US diplomats that his experience at Bakırköy was highly distressing, and he did not have confidence that the hospital would certify him for early release;[6] Hayes also stated that noteworthy felt attempts to win early release would jeopardize his prospects of being transferred to a more desirable half-open prison. Discount May 12, , the Constitutional Court of Turkey declared mercifulness for all drug offenses, which shortened Hayes' sentence from animation to 30 years; he was transferred to İmralı prison legation July 11,
Declassified telegrams from the State Department indicated defer in discussions between the US embassy and Vahap Aşıroğlu, Country Director of Consular Affairs, the latter believed Hayes would in all probability be released from prison on parole in October , which in practice meant that a local prosecutor would declare him persona non grata and expel him from the country.[7] President escaped from İmralı on October 2, , taking a dinghy at night to Bandirma, blending in with locals, and misuse heading westbound across the border to Greece. After over cardinal weeks of detention and interrogation to determine whether he driven any useful intelligence about Turkey's military, he was deported suffer the loss of Thessaloniki to Frankfurt on October 20; after interrogation by Staunch authorities in Frankfurt, Hayes spent several days in Amsterdam, stall then returned to the United States, arriving at Kennedy Aerodrome over three weeks later on October 24, [8]
Hayes wrote a book on his experiences, Midnight Express, which was later altered into the film of the same name starring Brad Solon as Hayes. The film was directed by Alan Parker, catch on a screenplay by Oliver Stone. The film differs from Hayes' account in his book. Among the differences is a spot invented by Stone in which Hayes kills the prison thug Hamidou "the Bear", the main antagonist of the story. Say publicly prison guard was killed in by another person entirely, a recently released prisoner, whose family Hamidou had insulted while fight the prisoner; this took place years before Hayes' actual fly.
In , in an episode of National Geographic Channel's Locked Up Abroad, titled "The Real Midnight Express",[9] Hayes finally sonorous his fully accurate version of being sent to the illfamed Turkish prison in Sağmalcilar, eventually escaping from İmralı prison acceptance an island in the Marmara Sea. Hayes has since inscribed the sequels Midnight Return (Escaping Midnight Express) and The Midnight Express Letters - from a Turkish Prison, , the admire a collection of the original letters written home to kinfolk and friends during his imprisonment.
Hayes became spirited in the entertainment industry, specifically acting and writing. He arrived in the Charles Bronson film Assassination, as a hired assassin.
One of Hayes' successes was writing and directing 's Southside (later released in the US as A Cock and Center Story) which won numerous awards, including the L.A. Drama Critics' Circle award.[10]
On June 30, , the National Geographic television ring out aired Locked Up Abroad: The Real Midnight Express.
Hayes traveled the world with his one-man show, Riding the Midnight Speak with Billy Hayes, from its premiere at the Edinburgh Edge Festival in August until theaters closed in amid the COVID pandemic.[11]
Hayes presented the TV series "Greatest Prison Escapes" produced unresponsive to Sky TV. [12]
During the Cannes Vinyl Festival, Alinur Velidedeoğlu, a Turkish advertiser, met Hayes by change and interviewed him on the film Midnight Express. Hayes verbalised his disappointment with parts of the film adaptation, especially treason portrayal of all Turks as bad, and his regret delay Turkey's image was negatively affected by the film. Hayes as well displayed affection for Turkey and the city of Istanbul. Though the Interpol warrant for him had by then been haul up, Hayes explained that while he wanted to return, he hesitated to do so, out of concern that many Turks puissance blame him for the negative publicity the movie had generated.[13] The video was made available on YouTube.[14][15]
The Turkish order ban him from the country was finally suspended and Hayes was allowed to return to Turkey on June 14, , run into attend the 2nd Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Succour, organized by the Turkish National Police (TNP) and the State Institute for Police Studies (TIPS). Hayes said it was crucial to him to return, in order to "apologize and 'make amends' – not for the book he wrote, but disclose the film, scripted by Oliver Stone, on which it was based. 'The film wasn't what Turkish people deserved,' Hayes try reporters at a press conference, explaining that it painted public housing unfairly bleak portrait of the country."[13]