Sol Lesser (born February 17, 1890 in Spokane, Washington–September 19, 1980 in Hollywood, California) was a film producer and presenter. In 1915, while living in San Francisco, Lesser learned that the authorities were about to clean out the Barbary Coast district, a raucous area of gambling houses, saloons and brothels. He grabbed a camera and a friend, future Hollywood cameraman Hal Mohr, and roamed the area, especially the parts that were best-known before the area was shut down. (The Barbary Coast wasn't actually closed down until 1917.) The resulting film was The Last Night of the Barbary Coast, an early example of an exploitation film that was sold directly to movie theater owners by Lesser. With the profits from the film -- now considered to be a lost film -- he bought several theaters, and soon owned a cinema chain. Throughout his career, he made low-budget Western and Tarzan movies. The Tarzan films were produced for RKO and starred Johnny Weissmuller and later Gordon Scott. Sol Lesser was the recipient of The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1960. He has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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| Preceded by Bob Hope |
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1960 |
Succeeded by George Seaton |
