<p>Provided is a process for easily producing a wire grid polarizer showing a high polarization separation ability in the visible light region and having an improved transmittance in a short wavelength region. On a light-transmitting substrate 14 having a surface on which a plurality of ridges 12 are formed, an underlayer 22, first fine metallic wires 24 and second fine metallic wires 30 are formed by a vapor deposition method satisfying the conditions (A) to (F). (A) The underlayer material was vapor-deposited on a top face 16 and a first side face 18 of each ridge 12 from a direction of an angle ¸ L . (B) The underlayer material is vapor-deposited on the top face of a first underlayer 22a and a second side face 20 from a direction of an angle of ¸ R on the opposite side to that of the condition (A). (C) ¸ L and ¸ R are from 60° to 90°. (D) The height Hma1 of the underlayer 22 is from 1 to 20 nm. (E) A metal or a metal compound is vapor-deposited on the top face of the underlayer 22 and a bottom face 28 of each groove 26. (F) The height Hma2 of each first fine metallic wire 24 and the height Hp of each ridge satisfy a relation 40 nm‰¦Hma2‰¦0.9×Hp.</p>
