Douglas Shearer

Douglas Shearer
Born	November 17, 1899(1899-11-17) Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Died	January 5, 1971(1971-01-05) (aged 71) Culver City, California, U.S.
Occupation	Sound designer Sound director
Years active	1928–1968

Douglas G. Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian-born pioneer sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures.

Early life and career

Shearer was born in Montreal, Quebec to a prominent upper class family, but his family fell on hard times after his father's business failed, which ultimately led to his parents' separation. Douglas remained with his father in Montreal while his two younger sisters, MGM star Norma Shearer and Athole, moved to New York City with their mother.

Unable to afford university, Douglas Shearer left school, working at a variety of jobs until he visited his sisters, who by then had relocated to Hollywood, California in the early 1920s. He decided to remain there, and found a job at MGM Studios, (his sister Norma was under contract at MGM) where he began to pursue an interest in the creation of sound in film. This interest lead to a forty-year association with the film business, in which he was a significant innovator in the development and perfecting of sound technology in motion pictures. One of his many contributions included the development of a sophisticated recording system that eliminated unwanted background noise during sound recording. Over his long career, Douglas Shearer was nominated for an Academy Award a total of twenty-one times, winning seven times for Sound and Special Effects. He is credited as Recording Director at MGM on many films between 1930 to 1953. In 1955, he was appointed MGM's director of technical research and by the time he retired in 1968 he had won an additional seven Scientific or Technical Academy Awards.

Shearer died in Culver City, California.

Awards and nominations

Academy Award for Sound (Wins):

• The Big House (1930)^[1]
• Naughty Marietta (1935)^[2]
• San Francisco (1936)^[3]
• Strike Up the Band (1940)^[4]
• The Great Caruso (1951)^[5]

Academy Award for Best Special Effects (Wins):

• Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
• Green Dolphin Street (1947)^[6]

Academy Award for Sound (Nominations):

• Viva Villa! (1934)^[7]
• Maytime (1937)^[8]
• Sweethearts (1938)^[9]
• Balalaika (1939)^[10]
• The Chocolate Soldier (1941)^[11]
• Mrs. Miniver (1942)^[12]
• Madame Curie (1943)^[13]
• Kismet (1944)^[14]
• They Were Expendable (1945)^[15]
• Green Dolphin Street (1947)^[6]

Academy Award for Best Special Effects (Nominations):

• The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Boom Town (1940)
• Flight Command (1941)
• Mrs. Miniver (1942)

See also

• Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
• Recording Director

References

1. ^ "The 3rd Academy Awards (1929/30) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/3rd-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-05. 
2. ^ "The 8th Academy Awards (1935) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/8th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-07. 
3. ^ "The 9th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/9th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-08. 
4. ^ "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/13th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-12. 
5. ^ "The 24th Academy Awards (1952) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/24th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-20. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "The 20th Academy Awards (1948) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/20th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-18. 
7. ^ "The 7th Academy Awards (1935) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/7th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-07. 
8. ^ "The 10th Academy Awards (1938) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/10th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-09. 
9. ^ "The 11th Academy Awards (1939) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/11th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-10. 
10. ^ "The 12th Academy Awards (1940) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/12th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-11. 
11. ^ "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/14th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-13. 
12. ^ "The 15th Academy Awards (1943) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/15th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
13. ^ "The 16th Academy Awards (1944) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/16th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
14. ^ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/17th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-14. 
15. ^ "The 18th Academy Awards (1946) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/18th-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 

External links

• Douglas Shearer at the Internet Movie Database
• Douglas Shearer at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Shearer, Douglas
Alternative names
Short description	Sound designer, recording director
Date of birth	November 17, 1899
Place of birth	Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Date of death	January 5, 1971
Place of death	Culver City, California, U.S.