Historical Figure
Otto Frank
1889–1980
Father of Anne Frank (1889–1980)
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Biography
Otto Heinrich Frank was a German businessman, and the father of Anne Frank. He edited and published the first edition of her diary in 1947 and advised on its later theatrical and cinematic adaptations. In the 1950s and the 1960s, he established European charities in his daughter's name and founded the trust which preserved his family's wartime hiding place, the Anne Frank House, in Amsterdam.
Timeline
The story of Otto Frank, told in moments.
Served in the German Army during World War I. Reached the rank of lieutenant. He fought at the Somme and was decorated for bravery.
Went into hiding with his family in a secret annex above his Amsterdam business. Eight people lived in the concealed rooms for two years. His daughter Anne kept a diary.
Liberated from Auschwitz in January. He learned his wife Edith had died there. In July, he confirmed that both daughters, Margot and Anne, had died at Bergen-Belsen.
Published Anne's diary as Het Achterhuis. He edited it from two versions Anne had written. The book was eventually translated into more than 70 languages.
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