Pierre Deligné is a research mathematician who has excelled at making connections between various fields of mathematics. His research has led to several important discoveries, the most critical of which is the proof of three famous conjectures made by the mathematician André Weil. For this work, Deligné received both the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics, and the Crafoord Prize. In recognition of his reception of the Fields Medal, David Mumford and John Tate, both of the Harvard University Department of Mathematics, wrote in Science magazine that "There are few [mathematical] subjects that [Deligné's] questions and comments do not clarify, for he combines powerful technique, broad knowledge, daring imagination, and unfailing instinct for the key idea."

Pierre René Deligné was born on October 3, 1944, in Brussels, Belgium, where he and his parents, Albert and Renee Bodart Deligné, lived throughout his...