Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an Academy Award-winning American film production designer (a job title he invented) and art director who also worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter during a career spanning five decades. He earned acclaim for his work in silent movies, and later pioneered the use of color in film for dramatic effect. Description above from the Wikipedia article William Cameron Menzies, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.