Jesse L. Lasky
Encyclopedia
Jesse Louis Lasky, Sr. (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was a pioneer Hollywood film producer. He was a key founder of Paramount Pictures
with Adolph Zukor
, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr.
, he worked at a variety of jobs but began his entertainment career as a vaudeville
performer that led to the motion picture business. His sister Blanche married Samuel Goldwyn
and in 1913 Lasky and Goldwyn teamed with Cecil B. DeMille
and Oscar Apfel
to form the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. With limited funds, they rented a barn near Los Angeles
where they made Hollywood's first feature film
, DeMille's The Squaw Man. Known today as the Lasky-DeMille Barn
, it is home to the Hollywood Heritage Museum
.
In 1916 their company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company
to create the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. In 1920, Famous Players-Lasky built a large studio facility in Astoria, New York, now known as the Kaufman Astoria Studios
. In 1927, Lasky was one of the thirty-six people who founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
Financial problems arose within the industry as a result of the Great Depression
and the Famous Players-Lasky Company went into receivership in 1933. Jesse Lasky then partnered with Mary Pickford
to produce films but within a few years she dissolved their business relationship. Lasky then found work as a producer at one of the big studios until 1945 when he formed his own production company. He made his last film in 1951 and in 1957 published his autobiography, I Blow My Own Horn.
Lasky died in 1958 of a heart attack in Beverly Hills. Lasky was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
, adjacent to Paramount Studios, in Hollywood.
at 6433 Hollywood Blvd. Lasky Drive in Beverly Hills
was named in his honor.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
with Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr.
Biography
Born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, he worked at a variety of jobs but began his entertainment career as a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer that led to the motion picture business. His sister Blanche married Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn was an American film producer, and founding contributor executive of several motion picture studios.-Biography:...
and in 1913 Lasky and Goldwyn teamed with Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
and Oscar Apfel
Oscar Apfel
Oscar C. Apfel was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.-Biography:...
to form the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. With limited funds, they rented a barn near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where they made Hollywood's first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, DeMille's The Squaw Man. Known today as the Lasky-DeMille Barn
Lasky-DeMille Barn
The Lasky-DeMille Barn is one of Hollywood's first film studios and a designated California State Historic Landmark. It is now the site of the Hollywood Heritage Museum.-History:...
, it is home to the Hollywood Heritage Museum
Hollywood Heritage Museum
The Hollywood Heritage Museum, also known as the "Hollywood Studio Museum," is located on Highland Ave. in Hollywood, California, USA.The museum is opposite the Hollywood Bowl and is housed in the restored Lasky-DeMille Barn, which was acquired in February 1983 by Hollywood Heritage, Inc., and...
.
In 1916 their company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company
Famous Players Film Company
The Famous Players Film Company was founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, the powerful New York City theatre impresarios. The company advertised "Famous Players in Famous Plays" and its first release was the French film Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth starring...
to create the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. In 1920, Famous Players-Lasky built a large studio facility in Astoria, New York, now known as the Kaufman Astoria Studios
Kaufman Astoria Studios
The Kaufman Astoria Studios is an historic movie studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens.-History:It was originally built by Famous Players-Lasky in 1920 to provide the company with a facility close to the Broadway theater district. Many features and short...
. In 1927, Lasky was one of the thirty-six people who founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Financial problems arose within the industry as a result of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the Famous Players-Lasky Company went into receivership in 1933. Jesse Lasky then partnered with Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
to produce films but within a few years she dissolved their business relationship. Lasky then found work as a producer at one of the big studios until 1945 when he formed his own production company. He made his last film in 1951 and in 1957 published his autobiography, I Blow My Own Horn.
Lasky died in 1958 of a heart attack in Beverly Hills. Lasky was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
, adjacent to Paramount Studios, in Hollywood.
Legacy
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Lasky has a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6433 Hollywood Blvd. Lasky Drive in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
was named in his honor.