'They survived for me to be here': Dustin Hoffman breaks down in tears as he talks about 'hero' great-gran who escaped from Soviet concentration camp to America
As a Hollywood legend he is fortunate enough to live a life filled with comfort and adulation .
But Dustin Hoffman broke down in tears after learning about his 'hero' great-grandmother Libba, who survived life in a Soviet concentration camp before escaping to start a new life in America.
The Marathon Man legend was rocked after discovering how his ancestor was taken from her home in Ukraine to a Russian gulag when Bolsheviks targetted Jews following the outbreak of civil war in 1917.
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Emotional: Dustin Hoffman cried after learning his great-grandmother was placed in a Soviet concentration camp on Finding Your Roots
Just before breaking down in tears on PBS show Finding Your Roots, the 78-year-old said: 'She was a hero.'
The two-time Oscar-winner was able to regain his composure and continue his tribute, saying, 'People ask me today: "What are you?"
'I say, "I'm a Jew." They all survived for me to be here.'
As a boy Dustin's father hid from his son the painful history his family had endured, however it was not until he appeared on the show that he learned about Libba.
Investigation: The legendary actor found out all about his family tree in the touching PBS show
Documentation: The actor was interested to find out all about his previously unknown great-grandmother
Suffering: He found out she had lost her left arm, suffered from poor vision and was described as being 'senile' when she entered the US
On the show he is shown his great-grandmother's medical records when she entered Ellis Island in 1930 at the age of 62.
It showed she had lost her left arm, suffered from poor vision and she was described as being 'senile.'
Presenter Henry Louis Gates Jr tells Dustin: 'This is the hero of your family tree.'
The show discovered Libba survived in a concentration camp for five years after her husband and son were killed by the first Soviet secret police, the Cheka.
This organisation executed many real and alleged enemies of Lenin's regime and was instrumental in the Red Terror. It was formed in 1917 until it was replaced by the State Political Directorate in 1922.
'They survived for me to be here': Dustin said the information made him proud of his Jewish roots
'She was a hero': He paid a touching tribute to Libba as he chatted with Henry Louis Gates Jr
Libba was already 53 when she entered the camp, but she survived and eventually escaped to Argentina.
From there she later made it to America, where she settled down with family in Chicago. She later died in 1944 at age 76.
She would no doubt be proud of her great-grandson, who won the Academy Award for best actor in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer and 1989 for Rain Man.
The twice-married star is also a father of six children, including 34-year-old son Jake, who is also an actor and director.
Evil: He discovered the first Soviet secret police the Cheka had murdered Libba's husband and son
Flourishing family: Father-of-six Dustin with son Jake, who is also an actor
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