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

1. 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."
2. 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."

External links

• Harry Solter at the Internet Movie Database
• Harry Solter at Find a Grave