After moving to Hollywood in 1932, Orry-Kelly was hired by Warner Bros. as their chief costume designer and he remained there until 1944. He was encouraged to hyphenate his name for film credits in order to appear more exotic. Later, his designs were also seen in films at Universal, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and MGM studios. He won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design (for "An American in Paris", "Les Girls", and "Some Like It Hot") and was nominated for a fourth (for "Gypsy"). In addition to his film work he was also a portrait artist and was permitted to undertake private commissions for gowns and ready to wear dresses.