Douglas Shearer

Sound

Born: 1899-11-17

Died: 1971-01-06

From: Westmount, Québec, Canada

Gender: Male

Popularity: 0.2

Also Known As

Douglas Graham ShearerDouglas G. Shearer

Biography

Douglas Graham Shearer (November 17, 1899 – January 5, 1971) was a Canadian-American pioneering sound designer and recording director who played a key role in the advancement of sound technology for motion pictures. He won seven Academy Awards for his work. In 2008, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Douglas began his journey into cinema by studying experimental electricity at Northern Electric Company before joining MGM in 1925. Initially exploring lighting and cameras, he pivoted to sound when the era of sound pictures emerged in 1928. He pioneered synchronizing musical soundtracks with film scenes, notably in the groundbreaking "The Broadway Melody," which won the 1929 Oscar for Best Picture. As head of MGM's sound department until his retirement, Shearer revolutionized sound recording, winning an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording for "The Big House." His groundbreaking work at MGM significantly enhanced the technical aspects of filmmaking. His legacy was recognized even in death, receiving a front-page obituary in The New York Times—an honour typically reserved for industry giants and heads of state.

Awards & Nominations11 won · 21 nominated

🏆 Won

Canada's Walk of Fame

2008

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Sound

The Great Caruso

1952

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

The Great Caruso

1952

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Green Dolphin Street

1948

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Green Dolphin Street

1948

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

They Were Expendable

1946

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

1945

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

1945

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Kismet

1945

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Madame Curie

1944

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Mrs. Miniver

1943

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

The Chocolate Soldier

1942

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Flight Command

1942

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Sound

Strike Up the Band

1941

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Boom Town

1941

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Strike Up the Band

1941

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Balalaika

1940

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

The Wizard of Oz

1940

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Sweethearts

1939

🏆 Won

Academy Scientific and Technical Award

1938

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Maytime

1938

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Sound

San Francisco

1937

🏆 Won

Academy Scientific and Technical Award

1937

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

San Francisco

1937

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Sound

Naughty Marietta

1936

🏆 Won

Academy Scientific and Technical Award

1936

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Naughty Marietta

1936

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

Viva Villa!

1935

🏆 Won

Academy Award for Best Sound

The Big House

1930

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Green Dolphin Street

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Sound

The Big House

Nominated

Academy Award for Best Special Effects

Mrs. Miniver

Douglas Shearer

Also Known As

Biography

Awards & Nominations11 won · 21 nominated

Acting2 titles

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

The Great Morgan

Directing2 titles

The Romance of Celluloid

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

Camera1 title

Panama Hattie

Sound519 titles

Vacation from Love

The Great Diamond Robbery

Si l'empereur savait ça

Capriccio Italien

The Shop Around the Corner

Singin' in the Rain

The First Hundred Years

The Chaser

Undercover Maisie

Buster se marie

The Hidden Eye

Big City

Anna Christie

Freaks

The Man from Down Under

The Reformer and the Redhead

On Borrowed Time

The Philadelphia Story

What Every Woman Knows

The Wizard of Oz

This Mad World

Twice Blessed

Ninotchka

The Thin Man

Waterloo Bridge

The Asphalt Jungle

Fury

Gaslight

Paradise for Three

The Girl from Missouri

Captains Courageous

A Night at the Opera

Mutiny on the Bounty

Little Women

Hide-Out

Bad Bascomb

The Outriders

Unashamed

The Bad and the Beautiful

Libeled Lady

Right Cross

Three Comrades

After the Thin Man

Big Leaguer

Intruder in the Dust

The Champ

Letty Lynton

Beauty for Sale

Reunion in Vienna

Shadow in the Sky

The Women

I Love You Again

The Band Wagon

The Cat and the Fiddle

Julius Caesar

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Quo Vadis

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

The Hucksters

Adam's Rib

Executive Suite

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Mrs. Miniver

Chained

The Girl in White

Another Thin Man

The Secret Garden