The son of the creators of Babar the Elephant (Jean and Cécile de Brunhoff), Thierry de Brunhoff was a pupil of Alfred Cortot and Edwin Fischer before rising to fame in 1960. His career was brief, ending in 1974 when he took holy orders and became a Benedictine monk. Friar Thierry now resides at the En-Calcat Abbey in France.