- Born
- Died
- Birth nameAustin Cedric Gibbons
- Nickname
- Gibby
- Height5′ 11¾″ (1.83 m)
- After graduating from New York's Art Students League he worked for his architect father, then started film work at Edison Studios in 1915 assisting Hugo Ballin. In 1918 he moved to Goldwyn as art director and, in 1924, began his 32 year stint as supervising art director for some 1500 MGM films, with direct responsibility in well over 150 of those. He designed the Oscar itself, winning it 11 of the 37 times he was nominated for it. Some of his designs influenced American interiors, and it has been argued that he was the most important art director in the history of American cinema.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
- SpousesHazel Brooks(October 25, 1944 - July 26, 1960) (his death)Dolores Del Río(August 6, 1930 - January 17, 1941) (divorced)Gwendolyn Alice Weller (actress)(1925 - 1926) (divorced)
- RelativesSandra Shaw(Niece or Nephew)
- Designed the Academy Award (Oscar) statuette.
- According to the book "Let's Go to the Movies!" by Lester Gordon published by Santa Monica Press in 1992, the reason his name appears in over 1500 film credits is as follows: "His 1924 contract stated that every film released by MGM in the USA would give him the credit of Art Director, even though others did the majority of the work."
- Received over 1500 on-screen credits between 1917-56, an unsurpassed record.
- He was nominated for and won more Academy Awards than any other art director.
- Dolores Del Rio recommended to Gibbons that he use Emilio Fernández (aka "El Indio") as the model for the statue.
- When I find things I like I see no reason to change them. Except women.
- [to Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, who wrote Adam's Rib (1949), when they went to Gibbons' office to discuss the sets for that film] You know, this is an historic day. I've been at the studio [MGM] for 25 years and this is the first time writers have ever been in my office.
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