Douglas Shearer on AllMovie

During his more than four-decade-long association with MGM studios, Douglas Shearer played a key role in the development and perfecting of sound technology for films. Shearer was hired by MGM in the '20s when he came down from his native Canada to visit his sister, popular actress Norma Shearer. By the late '20s, he was designated the head of the MGM's new sound department. He served as the studio's director of technical research between 1955 and 1968. Some of Shearer's most important contributions include the development of a sophisticated recording system that largely eliminated unwanted background noise during sound recording, and the co-creation of the MGM Camera 65 wide-screen system; the latter earned him a special Oscar in 1959. Over the years, Shearer also received 12 Oscars for Best Sound Recording.