Leon Leyson, Holocaust survivor on 'Schindler's List,' dies at 83

Leon Leyson, who was among the youngest of the refugees to be saved from the Holocaust by German businessman Oskar Schindler, has died. He was 83.

Leyson was 10 years old when Poland was invaded by the Nazis and 13 when he started to work for Schindler, the hero in Steven Spielberg's 1993 Oscar-winning movie, "Schindler's List."

Many of Leyson's family members died in the Holocaust. Leon, his parents, older brother and sister survived.

Leyson and his family moved to the United States in 1949.

It wasn't long before he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He often spoke about how grateful he was to serve his new country.

A counselor at Los Angeles City College helped him get his education, and he became a teacher at Huntington Park High School.

He taught students there for 39 years. He lived in Fullerton with his wife, Liz, and raised two children.

For a long time, most people didn't know Leon was a Holocaust survivor. It wasn't until "Schindler's List" came out that Leyson began talking about what happened to him and his family.

Leyson spoke at the the Orange County's Chapman University often. In 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

When he heard about that, he joked, "I'm really speechless. I'll be a doctor, so if you have a headache, come see me."