Otto Frank
Otto Frank is a Holocaust survivor and father of famous diarist Anne Frank. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Otto served in the German army in World War I. After the war he came home to work for the family business, a bank founded by his father Michael. He married Edith Hollander in 1925 and they had two daughter, Anne and Margot. In the 1930's, to escape Hitler's persecution of the Jews, Otto moved the family to Holland, where they eventually went into hiding in 1942. The Franks and their friend were betrayed and arrested by the Nazis in August 1944. Men and women were separated when they arrived at Auschwitz, and Otto never saw his wife and daughters again. The sole survivor of the group, Otto returned to Holland after the war. Miep Gies, one of the helpers, had found Anne's diary in the secret annex and returned it to Otto after he learned that Anne and Margot had died in Bergen-Belsen. Otto shared portions of Anne's diary with friends and family, and the positive response led him to the decision to publish the diary, which was first released in Europe in 1947. Anne's diary is said to be the second bestselling book in the world, after the Bible. Otto remained involved with the diary and associated works (such as the play and movie) until the end of his life. He willed Anne's original diary to the Netherlands Insititue for War Documents, with the copyright being held by the Anne Frank Fonds. He died in Basel, where he had moved with his second wife and stepchildren.
