Gusti Huber

Quietly intense Viennese leading actress, primarily on stage, who enjoyed considerable success in the days before WWII. After coming to America with the husband she met at war's end, Huber continued her theatrical career in "Flight to Egypt" (1952), directed by Elia Kazan, as one of a family of Austrians trying to emigrate to America. She also played on Broadway in "Dial M for Murder" (1953), but her best-remembered part remains that of the patient Jewish mother bordering on hysteria as she hides with her family and friends from the Nazis in "The Diary of Anne Frank." Huber, who had acted in European films before the war, recreated her Mama Frank in George Stevens's memorable 1959 film version. Two years later, she retired from acting, and later lectured regularly in the New York City area on the legacy of Anne Frank. Mother of actress Bibi Besch and grandmother of actress Samantha Mathis.