Margaret Herrick (September 27, 1902-June 21, 1976), was the librarian and director of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures....
. Herrick is generally credited with naming the
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
an "Oscar", declaring the statuettes "looked just like my Uncle Oscar". However, others, including Academy President
Bette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theatre. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres; from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, have claimed they invented the name.
She was born in
Spokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, as well as the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her maiden name was Margaret Buck. Margaret graduated from the
University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. UW is the largest university in the northwestern United States and one of the oldest public universities on the west coast. The university has three campuses, with its flagship campus...
.
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Margaret Herrick (September 27, 1902-June 21, 1976), was the librarian and director of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures....
. Herrick is generally credited with naming the
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
an "Oscar", declaring the statuettes "looked just like my Uncle Oscar". However, others, including Academy President
Bette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theatre. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres; from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, have claimed they invented the name.
She was born in
Spokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, as well as the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Her maiden name was Margaret Buck. Margaret graduated from the
University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. UW is the largest university in the northwestern United States and one of the oldest public universities on the west coast. The university has three campuses, with its flagship campus...
. She was librarian of
Yakima, WashingtonYakima is a city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,845 and a metropolitan population of 229,094. According to the Washington State Office of Financial Management's...
. After marrying Donald Gledhill, an assistant to the executive secretary of the Academy, she moved to Hollywood, California in 1931 and ultimately became the Academy's first librarian. She served in that capacity until 1943, when she became the interim executive director of the Academy, replacing her husband. She and Gledhill divorced in 1945. In 1946 she was offered the Executive Director position permanently, and she held it until her retirement in January 1971. She married Philip A. Herrick in 1946, and continued to use his name professionally following their divorce in 1951.
The Academy's extensive library in
Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
, of material on films is named in her honor.
She died in Woodland Hills, California.
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