# Sol Polito

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. 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 (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, 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 | The Butterfly | Oscar A. C. Lund |
| 1915 | A Butterfly on the Wheel | Maurice Tourneur | |
| 1915 | The Cotton King | Oscar Eagle | |
| 1917 | The Runaway | Dell Henderson | |
| 1918 | Treason | Burton L. King | |
| 1919 | Burglar by Proxy | John Francis Dillon | |
| 1920 | The Misleading Lady | George Irving George W. Terwilliger | |
| 1923 | The Bad Man | Edwin Carewe | |
| 1928 | The Haunted House | Benjamin Christensen | |
| 1929 | Scarlet Seas | John Francis Dillon | |
| 1930 | No, No, Nanette | Clarence G. Badger | |
| 1931 | Five Star Final | Mervyn LeRoy | |
| 1932 | Two Seconds | Mervyn LeRoy | |
| 1932 | I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang | Mervyn LeRoy | |
| 1932 | Three on a Match | Mervyn LeRoy | |
| 1933 | Gold Diggers of 1933 | Mervyn LeRoy | |
| 1933 | 42nd Street | Lloyd Bacon | |
| 1934 | Dr. Monica | William Keighley | |
| 1934 | Dames | Ray Enright |
| 1934 | Flirtation Walk | Frank Borzage | |
| 1935 | G Men | William Keighley | |
| 1936 | The Petrified Forest | Archie Mayo | |
| 1937 | The Prince and the Pauper | William Keighley | |
| 1938 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Michael Curtiz |
| 1938 | Angels with Dirty Faces | Michael Curtiz |
| 1939 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex | Michael Curtiz | Nominee (with W. Howard Greene), Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) |
| 1939 | Dodge City | Michael Curtiz |
| 1939 | Four Wives | Michael Curtiz | |
| 1940 | Virginia City | Michael Curtiz |
| 1940 | The Sea Hawk | Michael Curtiz |
| 1940 | Santa Fe Trail | Michael Curtiz | |
| 1941 | The Sea Wolf | Michael Curtiz |
| 1941 | Sergeant York | Howard Hawks | Nominee, Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black and White) |
| 1942 | Captains of the Clouds | Michael Curtiz | Nominee, Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Color) |
| 1942 | Now, Voyager | Irving Rapper | |
| 1943 | This Is the Army | Michael Curtiz |
| 1944 | Arsenic and Old Lace | Frank Capra | |
| 1944 | The Adventures of Mark Twain | Irving Rapper | |
| 1945 | The Corn Is Green | Irving Rapper | |
| 1947 | The Long Night | Anatole Litvak | |
| 1948 | Sorry, Wrong Number | Anatole Litvak | |
| 1948 | The Voice of the Turtle | Irving Rapper | |
| 1949 | Anna Lucasta | Irving Rapper | |