F. X. Toole was the pseudonym of Jerry Boyd (1930–2002), a boxing trainer and author whose work inspired the award-winning film Million Dollar Baby. In 1988, Boyd began writing about boxing, using the pseudonym F. X. Toole to keep his hobby secret from his colleagues in the boxing world. One of his stories caught the eye of a literary agent, who sold Rope Burns, a collection of Boyd’s stories, in 2000. Boyd died two years later, but before he passed he wrote the posthumously published Pound for Pound (2006) and sold the film rights to his story “Million $$$ Baby.” Clint Eastwood’s adaptation, Million Dollar Baby, won four Academy Awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture.
