Hide the Pain Harold facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
András Arató
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The most popular stock image of András Arató
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| Born |
András István Arató
11 July 1945 Kőszeg, Hungary
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| Other names | Hide the Pain Harold |
| Alma mater | Budapest University of Technology and Economics |
| Known for | Internet meme |
| Spouse(s) | Gabriella Andrásné Arató |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | János Urbanek Prize Déri Miksa Award |
| Military career | |
| Service/ |
Hungarian People's Army |
Hide the Pain Harold is a famous Internet meme. It is based on many stock photos of András István Arató. He was born on July 11, 1945.
András Arató is a retired electrical engineer and model from Hungary. In 2011, he became very well-known. This was because of his unique facial expression and what looked like a fake smile in his photos.
Arató has worked as a model for stock photos and advertisements. He enjoys traveling to places like Turkey and Russia. He even kept a blog about his life and travels. The pictures from these trips helped him become famous. While on vacation in Turkey, he put his personal photos online. A photographer saw them and contacted him.
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Early Life and School
András Arató was born in 1945 in Kőszeg, Hungary. He grew up there. He often talks about a huge chestnut tree in his hometown. He remembers it as a special "tree of wisdom."
Not much is known about his teenage years. He completed his required military service. In 1969, Arató finished his studies. He graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He studied Electrical Engineering there.
András Arató's Career
In 1996, András Arató was on a TV show. He was a contestant on the Hungarian version of Jeopardy!. After he retired, he worked as a DJ. He was on a local radio station for five years.
In 2019, he became the face of Coca-Cola in Hungary. He appeared in their advertisements.
In 2020, Arató was on another Hungarian TV show. He was a contestant on Masked Singer. He performed as the character "Szörnyecske," which means "Little Monster." This show was on the TV channel RTL Klub.
In 2025, Arató was a presenter at a big event. He helped present an award at the Hungarian Sportspeople of the Year gala. He gave the "Best Community Sports Event" award with canoeist Rita Kőbán.
How He Became an Internet Meme
While Arató was on holiday, he uploaded his travel photos online. A professional photographer saw them. The photographer was looking for a model. He invited Arató to a photo shoot. Arató agreed, and they took many pictures. Both of them liked the photos.
He was invited for more photo shoots. Over a hundred stock photos were created. He allowed these photos to be used for different purposes. However, he did not want them used for politics, or religion. He felt these topics were too sensitive.
Later, Arató searched for himself on Google Images. He saw his photos used in many places. He saw himself as a doctor on a hospital website. A few months later, he searched again. He found even more photos. One picture showed his face on all four faces of Mount Rushmore. These were the first signs of an Internet meme.
The photographer had asked him to smile a lot during the shoots. Many internet users thought his smile looked fake. They felt it was hiding sadness. This is how he got the name "Hide the Pain Harold." Arató later said he was just tired of smiling so much during the photo shoot.
At first, Arató was not happy about people adding funny text to his photos. He said he was not a "funny guy." But then he remembered doing similar things in school. He used to draw on pictures of the Hungarian poet John Arany. He would make him look like a pirate.
Arató realized he could not stop the meme. He knew that closing one webpage would not work. The meme would just appear somewhere else. So, after six years, he accepted his meme status. He had hoped people would forget about his photos. But that did not happen. First, people in the United States started using his photos. Then it spread to Europe, and later, the rest of the world.
An internet user, whose name is unknown, found out Arató's real identity. They emailed him. The user said many people believed he was not a real person. At first, Arató ignored the emails. But after getting more requests, he agreed to help. He uploaded a picture of himself to his Russian fan page. In the photo, he held a sign that said "Я ЖИВ." This means "I'M ALIVE" in Russian. Within a few hours, over ten thousand people saw the photo. It was also shown in international news.
Awards and Recognition
In 2002, Arató won the János Urbanek Prize. The Hungarian Electrotechnical Association gives this award every year. It is given to a member who has done great work in lighting technology. In 2010, he also won the Déri Miksa Award from the same association.
Personal Life
András Arató lives in Budapest. He lives with his wife, Gabriella. He also has a son, who was born in 1973. He has a cat named "Grecko."
More to Explore
- List of Internet phenomena
- List of Hungarians
