Sol Polito, A.S.C. (born Salvatore Polito, November 12, 1892 – May 23, 1960) was a Sicilian-American cinematographer. He is best known for his work with directors

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

and Mervyn LeRoy at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

studios in the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Salvatore Polito was born November 12, 1892 in Palermo, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1905."Salvatore Polito". National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; ''Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887–1940; Microfilm Roll: ''93''; Microfilm Serial: ''M1524''. Ancestry.com, ''U.S. Naturalization Records, 1840–1957 atabase online Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010. Retrieved 2017-03-01. He attended school in New York City and began working in the motion picture industry as a still photographer. After experience as a lab assistant and camera assistant, he was promoted to lighting cameraman in 1917. Polito married Frances (Francesca) D'Angelis in New York in 1914. The union produced two sons. The elder son

Gene Polito Eugene Emmanuel Polito (September 13, 1918 – November 28, 2010) was an American cinematographer, mechanical engineer and academic. His numerous film and television credits included ''Futureworld'', '' Up in Smoke'' and ''Lost in Space''. Biog ...

(1918-2010) also became a cinematographer. Younger son S. Robert Polito (1922–2015) became a physician. Polito moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1919 to continue his career at First National Pictures and

He worked on more than 170 films at various studios, but is best known for his work at Warner Bros. with directors

and Mervyn LeRoy. Polito died in Los Angeles on May 23, 1960, aged 67,"Sol Polito". Ancestry.com. ''California, Death Index, 1940–1997'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000. Retrieved 2017-03-01. and was entombed in the Mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.

Accolades

Polito received three

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations: * 1939: ''

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' is a 1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the play '' Elizabeth the Queen'' by Maxwell Anders ...

'', Best Cinematography (Color), shared with W. Howard Greene * 1941: '' Sergeant York'', Best Cinematography (Black and White) *

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

: ''

Captains of the Clouds ''Captains of the Clouds'' ( ''Shadows of Their Wings'') is a 1942 American war film in Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney. It was produced by William Cagney (Cagney's brother), with Hal B. Wallis as executive p ...

'', Best Cinematography (Color)

Select filmography

References

External links

*
Sol Polito
at Great Cinemagraphers, Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers * {{DEFAULTSORT:Polito, Sol 1892 births 1960 deaths American cinematographers People from New York City Italian emigrants to the United States