# Willard Boyle

_Canadian physicist and inventor (1924–2011)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/willard-boyle
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Willard Sterling Boyle was a Canadian applied physicist who shared one half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics with George E. Smith for their invention of the charge-coupled device.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 19 August 1924 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Amherst ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P19))
- **Died:** 7 May 2011 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P570))
- **Place of death:** Wallace ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Canada; United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; inventor; photographer; scientist; executive ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P106))
- **Education:** McGill University; Lower Canada College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physics; Stuart Ballantine Medal; Companion of the Order of Canada; National Inventors Hall of Fame; Charles Stark Draper Prize; IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award; Edwin H. Land Medal; Great Immigrants Award ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058#P166))

## Questions

**When was Willard Boyle born?**  
Willard Boyle was born on 19 August 1924 in Amherst.

**Where did Willard Boyle study?**  
Willard Boyle was educated at McGill University, Lower Canada College.

## Related

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- [Bertram Brockhouse](https://diginpl.com/people/bertram-brockhouse)
- [Charles Brenton Huggins](https://diginpl.com/people/charles-brenton-huggins)
- [David H. Hubel](https://diginpl.com/people/david-h-hubel)
- [Donna Strickland](https://diginpl.com/people/donna-strickland)
- [Gerhard Herzberg](https://diginpl.com/people/gerhard-herzberg)
- [Jim Peebles](https://diginpl.com/people/jim-peebles)
- [John Polanyi](https://diginpl.com/people/john-polanyi)
- [Michael Smith](https://diginpl.com/people/michael-smith)
- [Ralph M. Steinman](https://diginpl.com/people/ralph-m-steinman)
- [Richard E. Taylor](https://diginpl.com/people/richard-e-taylor)
- [Rudolph A. Marcus](https://diginpl.com/people/rudolph-a-marcus)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Willard Boyle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_Boyle) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q73058](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q73058) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Nobel Prize 2009-Press Conference KVA-23.jpg by Prolineserver ( talk ) (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nobel_Prize_2009-Press_Conference_KVA-23.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Willard Boyle, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Nobel Prize 2009-Press Conference KVA-23.jpg — Prolineserver ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Willard Boyle". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/willard-boyle. Retrieved 7 November 2026.