'Pierre Étienne Bézier' (
September 1,
1910 –
November 25,
1999) (pronounced "BEH zee eh") was a
French engineer and creator of the
Bézier curves and
Bézier surfaces that are now used in most
computer-aided design and
computer graphics systems.
Born in
Paris, Bézier obtained a degree in
mechanical engineering from the ''
École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers'' in 1930. He earned a second degree in
electrical engineering in 1931 at the ''
École Supérieure d'Électricité'', and a doctorate in 1977 in
mathematics from the
University of Paris.
He worked for
Renault from 1933–
1975, where he developed his
UNISURF CAD CAM system.
From 1968–
1979 he was Professor of Production Engineering at the ''
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers''.
In 1985 he was recognized by
ACM SIGGRAPH with a `Steven A. Coons' award for his lifetime contribution
to computer graphics and interactive techniques.