William Cameron Menzies | |
|---|---|
 Menzies in 1925 | |
| Born | July 29, 1896 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1957 (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | Yale University, University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | Production designer, film director |
| Years active | 1917–1956 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Art Direction 1928 The Dove ; Tempest Academy Honorary Award 1939 Gone with the Wind |
William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American filmmaker who pioneered the discipline of production design, a job title he invented.[1][2] His career spanned five decades, during which time he also worked as an art director, director, producer, and special effects artist. He began his career during the silent era, and later pioneered the use of color in film for dramatic effect.[2]
Over the course of his career, Menzies was nominated for six Academy Awards and won two - one for Best Art Direction, and an Honorary Oscar for his work on Gone with the Wind. He is considered one of the most influential figures of the Golden Age of Hollywood,[3] described by Martin Scorsese as a “genius, [whose] influence was incalculable.”[4]
- ^ Cairns, David (March–April 2011). "The Dreams of a Creative Begetter". The Believer. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
Menzies was an art director, production designer (a title he invented himself), producer, and director, the man who created the look of Gone with the Wind, unifying the work of a posse of directors.
- ^ a b Curtis, James (November 17, 2015). William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come. Pantheon. ISBN 978-0375424724.
- ^ https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/man-who-made-gone-with-wind-glorious-william-cameron-menzies-and-art-of-production-design.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES". Film Forum.
"'Menzies, the man who more or less invented the idea of production design in movies, [was] a genius, pure and simple, and his influence was incalculable.' – Martin Scorsese"