Andrew Laszlo

My father, Andrew Laszlo, was born in Papa, Hungary in 1926. In 1944, he was sent to Bergen-Belsen imprisoned at the same time as Anne Frank. After the war, my father returned to Papa. Finding that none of his family survived, he decided to come to America.

He arrived in New York Harbor on January 17th, 1947. He was penniless and did not speak English. He became a famous cinematographer doing films such as Shogun, The Warriors and Rambo, First Blood. In later life, he was honored at the nation’s capital alongside Elie Wiesel for Holocaust Days of Remembrance. 50 years to the date after he arrived in America, he shared his memoir with his family.

Andrew Laszlo Jr. was born and raised in Roslyn, New York. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College before moving to Montana. His maternal great-grandfather, an indentured servant who arrived in America circa 1868, settled in Butte, Montana, and helped establish one of the state's earliest Jewish congregations. He also purchased a cattle ranch in Ennis, Montana, which the family still owns today.

Andrew Jr. had a successful 42-year career at Morgan Stanley, retiring as an Executive Director in the Wealth Management Division.