---
name: "William Cameron Menzies"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/william-cameron-menzies"
fi1m_id: "william-cameron-menzies"
imdb_id: "nm0580017"
tmdb_id: 11489
wikidata_id: "Q261997"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "29 July 1896"
died: "5 March 1957"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 12
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T06:06:57.228019+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# William Cameron Menzies

## Identity

William Cameron Menzies

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/william-cameron-menzies
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** william-cameron-menzies
- **IMDb ID:** nm0580017
- **TMDB ID:** 11489
- **Wikidata ID:** Q261997
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cameron_Menzies, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q261997, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580017/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11489

Producer and director. Born 29 July 1896 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Died 5 March 1957.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 29 July 1896, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- **Died:** 5 March 1957
- **Active:** 1924–1956
- **Also known as:** Wiliam C. Menzies, William C. Menzies, William Menzies, Wm. Cameron Menzies
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 12: 1 directing, 1 producing, 10 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [Sam Wood](https://film.one/person/sam-wood.md), [Gary Cooper](https://film.one/person/gary-cooper.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 76 (2), 1930s 65 (3), 1940s 73 (6), 1950s 63 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cameron_Menzies, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q261997, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580017/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11489

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Our Town*](https://film.one/film/our-town.md) (72), [*Things to Come*](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md) (65)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Thief of Bagdad*](https://film.one/film/the-thief-of-bagdad-1924.md) (82)
- **HBO Max:** [*Gone with the Wind*](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md) (74)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Pride of the Yankees*](https://film.one/film/the-pride-of-the-yankees.md) (71)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

William Cameron Menzies was an American production designer and art director who also directed, produced and wrote screenplays. He is credited with pioneering the role of production designer, a title first used for his work on *Gone with the Wind* (1939). Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he studied at Yale University and the Art Students League of New York, and served in the US Army during the First World War before entering the film industry in the late 1910s.

Menzies received the first Academy Award for art direction, shared for *The Dove* (1927) and *The Tempest* (1928). He is best known for his production design on *Gone with the Wind* (1939), for which he received an honorary Oscar for the use of colour to enhance dramatic mood. Other notable credits include production design on *The Thief of Bagdad* (1924) and *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), and direction of *Things to Come* (1936) and *Invaders from Mars* (1953). He died in Beverly Hills, California, in 1957.

*Sources: britannica.com, imdb.com, fastcompany.com.*

## On Fi1m (12)

### Directed (1)

- *Things to Come* (1936), Fi1m 65, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)

### Produced (1) — the average rests on these

- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), Fi1m 63, Associate Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)

### Crew (10)

- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), Fi1m 91, Art Direction — [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), Fi1m 58, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.md)
- *Kings Row* (1942), Fi1m 70, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/kings-row.md)
- *The Pride of the Yankees* (1942), Fi1m 71, Production Design, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-pride-of-the-yankees.md)
- *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), Fi1m 76, Special Effects — [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md)
- *Our Town* (1940), Fi1m 72, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/our-town.md)
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Fi1m 74, Production design, Production Design — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *Cavalcade* (1933), Fi1m 57, Special Effects — [page](https://film.one/film/cavalcade.md)
- *The Eagle* (1925), Fi1m 70, Set Decoration — [page](https://film.one/film/the-eagle.md)
- *The Thief of Bagdad* (1924), Fi1m 82, Production Design, Art Direction, Production design — [page](https://film.one/film/the-thief-of-bagdad-1924.md)

## Complete filmography (98)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Sunshine* (1999), Title Designer
- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), Associate Producer — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)
- *The Halls of Ivy* (1954), series, Director
- *Autumn in Rome* (1954), Director
- *The Maze* (1953), Director, Production Design
- *Invaders from Mars* (1953), Director, Production Design
- *Androcles and the Lion* (1952), Production Design
- *The Queen of Sheba* (1952), as Art Direction
- *Four Star Playhouse* (1952), series, Director
- *The Narrow Margin* (1952), Co-Director
- *The Whip Hand* (1951), Director
- *Drums in the Deep South* (1951), Director, Production Design
- *Reign of Terror* (1949), Producer
- *Ivy* (1947), Producer
- *Duel in the Sun* (1946), Co-Director
- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), as Art Direction — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *Deadline at Dawn* (1946), Co-Director
- *Address Unknown* (1944), Director, Producer
- *For Whom the Bell Tolls* (1943), Production Design — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/for-whom-the-bell-tolls.md)
- *Mr. Lucky* (1943), Production Design
- *The Pride of the Yankees* (1942), Production Design — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/the-pride-of-the-yankees.md)
- *Kings Row* (1942), Production Design — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/kings-row.md)
- *The Devil and Miss Jones* (1941), Production Design
- *So Ends Our Night* (1941), Production Design
- *Foreign Correspondent* (1940), Special Effects — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/foreign-correspondent.md)
- *Our Town* (1940), Production Design — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/our-town.md)
- *The Thief of Bagdad* (1940), Associate Producer
- *Gone with the Wind* (1939), Production Design — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-with-the-wind.md)
- *Made for Each Other* (1939), Production Designer, Production Design
- *The Young in Heart* (1938), Production Design
- *The Green Cockatoo* (1937), Director
- *Nothing Sacred* (1937), Second Unit
- *Things to Come* (1936), Director — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)
- *Cleopatra* (1934), as Other
- *The Notorious Sophie Lang* (1934), Director
- *Wharf Angel* (1934), Director
- *Alice in Wonderland* (1933), Screenplay, Art Direction
- *I Loved You Wednesday* (1933), Director
- *Cavalcade* (1933), Special Effects — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/cavalcade.md)
- *Chandu the Magician* (1932), Director
- *Almost Married* (1932), Director
- *The Conquest of the Air* (1931), as Art Direction
- *The Spider* (1931), Director
- *Always Goodbye* (1931), Director
- *Reaching for the Moon* (1930), Production Design
- *Abraham Lincoln* (1930), as Settings
- *Du Barry, Woman of Passion* (1930), as Art Direction
- *Raffles* (1930), as Art Direction
- *The Bad One* (1930), as Art Direction
- *One Romantic Night* (1930), as Settings
- *Be Yourself!* (1930), as Settings
- *The Wizard's Apprentice* (1930), Producer
- *New York Nights* (1929), as Set Decoration
- *The Locked Door* (1929), Set Designer
- *Condemned!* (1929), as Art Direction
- *Bulldog Drummond* (1929), as Settings, Art Direction
- *Alibi* (1929), as Art Direction
- *The Iron Mask* (1929), as Art Direction
- *The Rescue* (1929), as Art Direction
- *The Awakening* (1928), as Art Direction
- *The Woman Disputed* (1928), as Art Direction
- *Tempest* (1928), as Art Direction
- *The Garden of Eden* (1928), as Art Direction
- *What Price Beauty?* (1928), as Art Direction
- *Sadie Thompson* (1928), as Art Direction
- *The Love of Zero* (1928), as Art Direction
- *The Dove* (1927), as Art Direction
- *Sorrell and Son* (1927), as Art Direction
- *Breakfast at Sunrise* (1927), as Art Direction
- *Two Arabian Knights* (1927), as Art Direction
- *Camille* (1927), as Art Direction
- *Venus of Venice* (1927), as Art Direction
- *The Beloved Rogue* (1927), as Art Direction
- *The Duchess of Buffalo* (1926), as Art Direction
- *Fig Leaves* (1926), as Art Direction
- *Kiki* (1926), as Art Direction
- *The Bat* (1926), as Art Direction
- *The Eagle* (1925), as Set Decoration — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/the-eagle.md)
- *The Dark Angel* (1925), as Art Direction
- *Her Sister from Paris* (1925), as Art Direction
- *The Lady* (1925), as Art Direction
- *Learning to Love* (1925), as Art Direction
- *Cobra* (1925), as Art Direction
- *The Only Woman* (1924), as Art Direction
- *The Thief of Bagdad* (1924), Production Design, Art Direction — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-thief-of-bagdad-1924.md)
- *Rosita* (1923), as Art Direction
- *Kindred of the Dust* (1922), as Art Direction
- *Serenade* (1921), as Art Direction
- *Scrambled Wives* (1921), as Art Direction
- *The Deep Purple* (1920), as Art Direction
- *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1920), as Art Direction
- *Sinners* (1920), as Art Direction
- *His Wife's Friend* (1919), as Art Direction
- *The Misleading Widow* (1919), as Art Direction
- *Come Out of the Kitchen* (1919), as Art Direction
- *Redhead* (1919), as Art Direction
- *Innocent* (1918), as Art Direction
- *The Mark of Cain* (1917), as Art Direction

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- 1930: Best Production Design (nominated), for *Bulldog Drummond*
- 1929: Best Production Design (won), for *The Dove*
- 1928: Best Production Design (nominated), for *The Dove*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/william-cameron-menzies