death_date death_place birth_place imagesize nationality notableworks name birth_date period image article_title birth_name occupation
30 january 1994 paris , france avignon , france 200px french '' planet of the apes '' the bridge over the river kwai '' '' pierre boulle 20 february 1912 1950 -- 1992 pierre boulle.jpg pierre boulle
 pierre-françois-marie-louis boulle author
pierre boulle

`` not to be confused with pierre boileau . ''
pierre boulle -lrb- 20 february 1912 -- 30 january 1994 -rrb- was a french novelist best known for two works , `` the bridge over the river kwai '' -lrb- 1952 -rrb- and `` planet of the apes '' -lrb- 1963 -rrb- , that were both made into award-winning films .
boulle was an engineer serving as a secret agent with the free french in singapore , when he was captured and subjected to two years ' forced labour .
he used these experiences in `` the bridge over the river kwai '' , about the notorious death railway , which became an international bestseller .
the film , named `` the bridge on the river kwai '' , by david lean won seven oscars , and boulle , who spoke no english at the time , was credited with writing the screenplay , because its two actual screenwriters had been blacklisted .
his science-fiction novel `` planet of the apes '' , in which intelligent apes gain mastery over humans , was adapted into a series of eight award-winning films that spawned magazine versions and popular themed toys .
