Officially, there was no model for the Oscar. The statuette given to Academy Award winners was designed by Cedric Gibbons, chief art director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, according to the Oscars.

With the Oscars just around the corner this ... For its creation, MGM art director Cedric Gibbons designed a statuette standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader’s sword.