Born in Avignon, France. French novelist who combined adventure and science fiction with psychological insights. Most of Boulle's works deal largely with his experiences in Southeast Asia. His best-known novels are Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai (1952, Bridge on the River Kwai), and La Planète des Singes (1963, Monkey Planet, or Planet of the Apes), both of which were adapted into highly successful films. Boulle was born in Avignon. He was trained as an engineer and spent eight years in Malaysia as a planter and soldier. He was captuted by the Japanese, but escaped from imprisonment in 1944. He published his first novel, William Coward, in 1950. Among his later works are The Whale of the Victoria Cross (1983), a story of naval warfare and marine mammals, The Photographer (1967), in which an Algerian war veteran sees an opportunity to take the ultimate picture when he discovers that his friend wants to murder the President, and Because it is absurd (on earth as in heaven), a collection of short stories. Bridge on the River Kwai depicted the true story of POW's from a Japanese labor camp who are forced to build a bridge for the Japanese war effort. Boulle used his own experiences and described the grueling work conditions in the jungle, but also the humanity of individual soldiers, both among captors and captives. Boulle died in Paris on January 30, 1994.  Writing (Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium) 1957: THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI [This was an astounding nomination, since Boulle did not write in English. The Academy changed the nomination in 1985 and awarded Oscars® to Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman, both of whom had been blacklisted during the 1950s.] 1 nomination, 1 Award