H.A. Rey
#121,014 Most Popular
About
Illustrator and author best known for creating the popular Curious George children's series with his wife, Margret Rey, from 1939 to 1966. They wrote seven stories about George and his friend The Man in the Yellow Hat. The story Curious George Takes a Job was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1960. It is one of the most popular children's book franchises in history, selling some 30 million copies.
Before Fame
He was working in Brazil as a bathtub salesman when he reunited with Margret who had left Germany to escape the rise of Nazism. They moved to Paris together before fleeing on bicycles in 1940, carrying the Curious George manuscript with them.
Trivia
In the original book he and his wife created, Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys, Curious George was not the main character. He also had a strong interest in astronomy which led to his publishing the book The Stars: A New Way to See Them in 1952. Many of his more intuitive constellation diagrams were adopted and now appear in many astronomy guides.
Family Life
His full name is Hans Augusto Reyersbach. He and his wife are both German Jews. He and Margret originally met at her sister's 16th birthday party in Hamburg. They were married in 1935.
Associated With
Frank Welker and Jim Cummings both provided voices for the Curious George television show.
