Carlos Frenk was born in Mexico City, Mexico and is the eldest son of six siblings. His father is a German Jewish doctor who emigrated from Germany at the age of 7, fleeing persecution in the lead up to World War II. His mother is a Mexican–Spanish pianist. As a youth, Frenk showed some talent for basketball and played semi-professionally, but realised he would not be tall enough to turn pro. The other half of his life was devoted to mathematics.
