Cedric Gibbons was an Irish-American art director and production designer who was one of the most important and influential in his field in the history of American film. He also made a great impact on motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s, the period considered the golden-era of theater architecture. He is credited as the designer of the Oscar statuette in 1928. While at Edison Studios from 1915, he first designed a set for a film released in 1919, assisting Hugo Ballin. But, after this first foray, the studio closed, and he signed with Samuel Goldwyn in 1918. This evolved to working for Louis B. Mayer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1956. Gibbons was one of the original 36 founding members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.