Edwin B. Willis

Edwin Booth Willis (January 28, 1893 – November 26, 1963) was an American motion picture set designer and decorator.

Willis worked exclusively at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios for his entire career. During his career as a set designer Willis worked on over 600 separate productions. The Internet Movie Database lists his 577 film credits as set decorator, 163 credits as interior decorator and 24 credits as art director.

He was nominated for the Academy Award in his profession 32 times, in certain years receiving multiple nominations. Willis won the Oscar on eight occasions. He was born in Decatur, Illinois and died of cancer in Hollywood, in 1963.

Personal life Willis was romantically linked to Sydney Guilaroff, who was known as the first single man to adopt children in America (two sons named Jon and Eugene).

Major awards

Academy Awards Interior decoration (Color) Blossoms in the Dust - 1941 The Yearling - 1946

Interior decoration (Black & white) Gaslight - 1944

Art direction/Set decoration (Color) Little Women - 1949 An American in Paris - 1951

Art direction/Set decoration (Black & white) The Bad and the Beautiful - 1952 Julius Caesar - 1953 Somebody Up There Likes Me - 1956

Academy Award nominations Interior decoration The Great Ziegfeld - 1936 Romeo and Juliet - 1936

Interior decoration (Black & white) When Ladies Meet - 1941 Random Harvest - 1942 Madame Curie - 1943 The Picture of Dorian Gray - 1945

Interior decoration (Color) Thousands Cheer - 1943 Kismet - 1944 National Velvet - 1945

Art direction/Set decoration (Black & white) Madame Bovary - 1949 The Red Danube - 1950 Too Young to Kiss - 1951 Executive Suite - 1954 I'll Cry Tomorrow - 1955 Blackboard Jungle - 1955

Art direction/Set decoration (Color) Annie Get Your Gun - 1950 The Merry Widow - 1952 Lili - 1953 Young Bess -1953 The Story of Three Loves - 1953 Brigadoon - 1954 Lust For Life - 1956

Art Direction/Set Decoration Les Girls - 1957 Raintree County - 1957