Jesse L. Lasky

In 1913 Lasky and his sister Blanche's husband, Samuel Goldwyn, teamed with DeMille and Oscar Apfel to form the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, with Lasky as president.[3] With limited funds, they rented a barn near Los Angeles where they made Hollywood's first feature film, DeMille's The Squaw Man, which was a success. Known today as the Lasky-DeMille Barn, it is home to the Hollywood Heritage Museum.

Other films produced by the studio include the original version of Brewster's Millions, The Call of the North, Cameo Kirby, The Circus Man, The Ghost Breaker, The Making of Bobby Burnit, The Man from Home, The Man on the Box, The Master Mind, The Only Son, The Virginian (all 1914), The Cheat, Carmen, Kindling (all 1915), The Blacklist (1916) and The Bottle Imp (1917).

In 1916, Lasky's company merged with Adolph Zukor's rival company Famous Players Film Company to create Famous Players–Lasky Corporation, with Zukor as president and Lasky as vice-president in charge of production.[1][3] In 1920, Famous Players–Lasky built a large studio facility in Astoria, New York, now known as the Kaufman Astoria Studios. Films produced by Lasky include What Every Woman Knows (1921), The Covered Wagon (1923), A Kiss for Cinderella (1925), Beau Geste (1926), Wings (1927).[1] In September 1927, Famous Players–Lasky was reorganized under the name Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation, later becoming the Paramount Pictures Corporation.[6]

In 1927, Lasky was one of the 36 people who founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His Wings was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Financial problems arose within the industry as a result of the Great Depression and Lasky resigned in 1932 after personally losing $12 million.[1] Famous Players–Lasky went into receivership in 1933[7] and was folded into Paramount.

He became an independent film producer and in 1935 formed a partnership with Mary Pickford to produce films but within a few years she dissolved their business relationship.[1][3] He went on to produce a radio talent show.[3]

Lasky then found work as an associate producer at RKO Pictures before becoming a producer at Warner Bros. until 1945 when he formed his own production company. At Warners he produced Sergeant York (1941), The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) and Rhapsody in Blue (1945).[1] His last film was The Great Caruso (1951). He became in debt to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and was preparing another production with Paramount, The Brass Band, to help pay off the debt but died before production started.[1][3]