Danny Boyle wins Oscar for directing "Slumdog"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British filmmaker Danny Boyle on Sunday won the Academy Award for directing "Slumdog Millionaire," the acclaimed rags-to-riches tale set in the slums of Mumbai.

Boyle, 52, who had never before been nominated for an Oscar, beat David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon"), Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), and Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"). It was the movie's seventh award of the night and it was a top contender for the final prize, best picture.

Boyle also becomes the first British winner of best director since Sam Mendes was honored in 2000 for "American Beauty."

"You've been so generous to us this evening," Boyle said, as he accepted his statuette onstage at the Kodak Theater. The film earlier won six Oscars.

Boyle was the clear favorite to win the Oscar, having already amassed awards from bellwether groups, such as the Directors Guild of America.

"Slumdog Millionaire" marks a rare mainstream hit for Boyle, who rose to fame with the grim 1996 drugs tale "Trainspotting." It revolves around an orphan's improbable triumph on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," with frequent flashbacks to his tragic childhood.

Working with a cast of unknowns in Mumbai's teeming slums, Boyle and his crew braved such obstacles as pythons, stifling heat and Indian bureaucracy during their three-month shoot.

After production wrapped in February 2007, the film was itself orphaned when it was dropped by financier Warner Independent Pictures, a division of giant Warner Bros.

It was eventually picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures, which released it to commercial and critical acclaim in November. Since then, it has earned nearly $150 million at the worldwide box office, although it has come under some criticism in India for its depictions of people living in Mumbai slums.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)