Harry Solter
| Harry Solter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Henry Lewis Solter November 19, 1873 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died |
March 2, 1920 (aged 46) El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names |
Harry Salter H.L. Solter Harry L. Solter |
| Occupation | Actor, director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1908–1917 |
| Spouse(s) | Florence Lawrence (m. 1908–20) |
Henry Lewis "Harry" Solter (November 19, 1873 – March 2, 1920) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter and director.
Career
Solter began his career as an actor in 1908 with Biograph Studios. That same year he met actress Florence Lawrence while making the film Romeo and Juliet for Vitagraph Studios and married on August 30 of that year. In 1909, Solter began working for Carl Laemmle's Independent Moving Pictures Co. of America (IMP) as an actor but also as a director. Over the next nine years, he directed 148 silent films.
In 1912, Harry Solter and his wife established the Victor Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 1913, they sold out to Carl Laemmle whose amalgamation of several studios created the colossal Universal Film Manufacturing Co.. Solter continued to direct for the new company until 1918 when health problems emerged. With this new prosperity, Florence was able to realize a 'lifelong dream,' buying a 50-acre (20 ha) estate in River Vale, New Jersey.[1][2]
Death
Solter died of a stroke on March 2, 1920 at the age of 46. He is interred in the Baltimore Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | Romeo and Juliet | ||
| Balked at the Altar | |||
| Romance of a Jewess | Customer/Rubinstein | ||
| The Taming of the Shrew | Katharina's Father | Writer | |
| After Many Years | Tom Foster | ||
| Money Mad | First Villain | ||
| A Calamitous Elopement | |||
| 1909 | At the Altar | On Street | |
| A Drunkard's Reformation | In the Play | ||
| 1910 | The Rocky Road | ||
| All the World's a Stage | Director | ||
| 1911 | The Two Paths | ||
| Duke De Ribbon Counter | Director | ||
| During Cherry Time | Director | ||
| 1912 | Not Like Other Girls | Director | |
| Betty's Nightmare | Director | ||
| The Redemption of Riverton | Director | ||
| 1913 | Unto the Third Generation | Director | |
| The Spender | Director | ||
| His Wife's Child | Director | ||
| 1914 | The Romance of a Photograph | Director | |
| The Pawns of Destiny | Director, writer | ||
| A Mysterious Mystery | Director | ||
| 1916 | Blind Man's Bluff | Director, scenario | |
| 1917 | Face on the Screen | Director | |
| The Spotted Lily | Director Credited as Harry L. Solter | ||
| 1918 | The Wife He Bought | Director | |
| 1921 | The Sage Hen | Writer | |
References
- ↑ Florence Lawrence, Women Film Pioneers Project. Accessed September 23, 2015. "Florence Lawrence intended her last Victor photoplay to be her second two-reel film, The Lady Leone (1912), and after its completion, she and Solter retired to their home in River Vale, New Jersey."
- ↑ PHS Answer Girl & Curator, Pascack Historical Society. Accessed September 23, 2015. "Florence Lawrence was America’s first movie star according to movie historians. She lived at 565 Rivervale Road in River Vale from 1913 through 1916."