The foremost place of R. Frisch in the modern development of economics and especially econometrics is assessed. Some of his achievements are briefly described: on land rent theory, marginal utility of income, bunch map ‘technique’ model building, planning, programming and Pareto optima. Some remarkable facts of Frisch's life are also reported, e.g. his short stay in a concentration camp during the war and his crusade against Norway joining the E.E.C. on the ground that the country had better remain an outside exampie of democracy and social justice.