Lester Cole

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Lester Cole (June 19, 1904 - August 15, 1985) was an American screenwriter.

Born in New York City, Lester Cole began his career as an actor but soon turned to screenwriting. His first work was "If I had a Million." In 1933, he joined with John Howard Lawson and Samuel Ornitz to establish the Writers' Guild of America.

In 1934 he joined the American Communist Party. Subjected to a House Committee on Un-American Activities investigation and blacklisted, he became known as one of the "Hollywood Ten." Convicted of contempt of Congress, he served ten months in prison. Between 1932 and 1947 Cole had written more than forty screenplays that were made into motion pictures. After his blacklisting, he had only three and only because of friends through whom he was able to submit a few sceenplays under the names, Gerald L.C. Copley, Lewis Copley, and J. Redmond Prior. His best-know work was the highly successful 1966 film, Born Free.

Lester Cole died of a heart attack in San Francisco, California in 1985.