Simplify the following text for a Grade 4 native English-speaking person.
Original: Pierre Boulle ( 20 February 1912 â `` 30 January 1994 ) was a French novelist largely known for two famous works , The Bridge over the River Kwai ( 1952 ) and Planet of the Apes ( 1963 ) .
Simplified: Pierre Boulle ( 1912 - 1994 ) was a French writer .