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 and Mervyn LeRoy at Warner Bros. 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 [database 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."Salvatore Polito". Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Marriage Index 1866–1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Retrieved 2017-03-01."Frances Polito". Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940–1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2000. Retrieved 2017-03-01. The union produced two sons. The elder son Gene Polito (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 Warner Bros. He worked on more than 170 films at various studios, but is best known for his work at Warner Bros. with directors Michael Curtiz and Mervyn LeRoy.

Polito died in Los Angeles on May 23, 1960, aged 67,"Sol Polito". Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940–1997 [database 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 nominations: 1939: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Best Cinematography (Color), shared with W. Howard Greene 1941: Sergeant York, Best Cinematography (Black and White) 1942: Captains of the Clouds, Best Cinematography (Color)

Select filmography Año Título Director Notes 1914 Rip Van Winkle 1915 1915 1915 1916Paying the Price 1917 1918 Treason Burton L. King 1919 Burglar by Proxy 1920 George IrvingGeorge W. Terwilliger 1923 1928 The Haunted House Benjamin Christensen 1929 Scarlet Seas 1930 No, No, Nanette 1931 Five Star Final 1932 Two Seconds 1932 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang 1932 Three on a Match 1933 Gold Diggers of 1933 1933 42nd Street 1934 Dr. Monica 1934 Dames 1934 Flirtation Walk 1935 G Men 1936 1937 1938 1938 Angels with Dirty Faces 1939 Nominee (with W. Howard Greene), Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) 1939 Dodge City 1939 Four Wives 1940 Virginia City 1940 1940 Santa Fe Trail 1941 1941 Sergeant York Nominee, Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White) 1942 Captains of the Clouds Nominee, Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) 1942 Now, Voyager 1943 This Is the Army 1944 Arsenic and Old Lace 1944 1945 1947 1948 Sorry, Wrong Number 1948 1949 Anna Lucasta

References

External links

Sol Polito at Great Cinemagraphers, Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers