Douglas Shearer Biography

Fast Facts

• His special Oscar in 1959 was in recognition of him helping to create the MGM Camera 65
• His grandfather, James Shearer, grew up in Scotland before moving to Canada, and was a carpenter who later found success as a timber merchant
• Born to Andrew Shearer and Edith Shearer, who divorced after his father's business failed and he could no longer provide for the family
• In addition to Norma Shearer, he had a second sister, Athole, who was at one time married to film director Howard Hawks
• Came to the United States from Canada to visit his sister, actress Norma Shearer, and ended up getting hired by MGM
• Played an important part in perfecting sound technology for films, developing a sophisticated recording system that cut down background noise during sound recording, and co-creating the MGM Camera 65 wide-screen system
• Was the head of MGM's new sound department by the 1920s
• Was MGM's director of technical research from 1955 to 1968
• Worked on such well-known films as "The Big House," "San Francisco," "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" and "The Great Caruso․"
• A sound designer and recording director who spent more than 40 years working with MGM Studios