Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12th, in 1881. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. [18] DeMille and William collaborated on The Genius, The Royal Mounted, and After Five. Cecil Blount DeMille. [290][note 16] Donated by the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation in 2004, the moving image collection of Cecil B. DeMille is held at the Academy Film Archive and includes home movies, outtakes, and never-before-seen test footage. This was, according to DeMille, the lowest point of his career. After more than thirty years in film production, DeMille reached a pinnacle in his career with Samson and Delilah (1949), a biblical epic which became the highest-grossing film of 1950. Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. Profile of the Hollywood directing legend who became known for his "spectaculars." Learn how DeMille helped establish Hollywood as the movie-making capital o. [15], DeMille was a brave and confident child. He said he was rather against union leaders such as Walter Reuther and Harry Bridges whom he compared to dictators. [129], From June 1, 1936, until January 22, 1945, Cecil B. DeMille hosted and directed Lux Radio Theater, a weekly digest of current feature films. [190], DeMille's filmmaking process always began with extensive research. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. [109] Considered at the time to be the most successful Christian film of the silent era, DeMille calculated that it had been viewed over 800 million times around the world. [173] After his death, notable news outlets such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian honored DeMille as "pioneer of movies", "the greatest creator and showman of our industry", and "the founder of Hollywood". Among his best-known films are The Ten Commandments (1956), Cleopatra (1934), and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. In the early 1950s, DeMille was recruited by Allen Dulles and Frank Wisner to serve on the board of the anti-communist National Committee for a Free Europe, the public face of the organization that oversaw the Radio Free Europe service. [5] On September 1, 1881, the family returned with the newborn DeMille to their flat in New York. [296] During the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin refers to himself in one instance as "Cecil B. DeAldrin", as a humorous nod to DeMille. Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. Gender. His last and best known film, The Ten Commandments (1956), also a Best Picture Academy Award nominee, is currently the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation. Cecil Blount DeMille (/ s s l d m l /; August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor.Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films.He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. The King of Kings (1927) The first real film about Jesus Christ, this one also set up the template by which all others would be measured until 1988. From the archive, 22 January 1959: Pioneering film maker Cecil B. deMille dies Even the severest critics of his films had to concede that he was a great showman Cecil B. deMille (1881-1959). Belasco was known for adding realistic elements in his plays such as real flowers, food, and aromas that could transport his audiences into the scenes. The cuts were sometimes rough, but the movies were always interesting. Still, the members unanimously approved it. [84] His specific use of lighting, influenced by his mentor David Belasco, was for the purpose of creating "striking images" and heightening "dramatic situations". finding aid. We have estimated Cecil B. DeMille's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. September 17, 1914. [122] His first film back at Paramount, The Sign of the Cross, was also his first success since leaving Paramount besides The King of Kings. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. Then, he would help writers construct a script. [185] Similar to Belasco, DeMille's theatre was revolved around entertainment, rather than artistry. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . Cecil Blount Demille, known as Cecil B. DeMille, was a pioneering film director - in both silent and sound movies.Starting in 1913, he became a dominant force in the Hollywood film industry for 40 years. In the months prior to his death, DeMille was researching a film biography of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. [171], Cecil B. DeMille suffered a series of heart attacks from June 1958 to January 1959,[168] and died on January 21, 1959, following an attack. 27 October 2022. [75] Additionally, this was the only film in which DeMille shared director's credit with Oscar C. [66] With no knowledge of filmmaking, DeMille was introduced to observe the process at film studios. [146][note 10] DeMille's subsequent film Unconquered (1947) had the longest running time (146 minutes), longest filming schedule (102 days) and largest budget of $5million. However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. As DeMille continued to rely on Groesbeck, the nervous energy of his early films transformed into more steady compositions of his later films. Additionally, he often starred in prologues and special trailers that he created for his films, having an opportunity to personally address the audience. [84] While on a European vacation in 1921, DeMille contracted rheumatic fever in Paris. He stated that The Ten Commandments was the final culmination of DeMille's style. [124] DeMille followed this epic uncharacteristically with two dramas released in 1933 and 1934. Additionally, DeMille's epics such as The Crusades influenced Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky. He suffered from a post-surgery infection from which he nearly did not recover, citing streptomycin as his saving grace. ", "10 Great Films that Influenced Alfred Hitchcock", "The Construction of a Christ-figure within the 1956 and 1923 Versions of Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments", "The International Film Magazine, Sight & Sound, All films", "Hollywood Heritage volunteers preserve the Industry's earliest incarnation", "National Register of Historic Places Program", "Cecil B. DeMille Film Festival July 2 & 16", "After 54 years, it's the end for DeMille Middle School", "Vietnamese Language Roundtable showcased effectiveness of dual-language immersion program at DeMille Elementary School", "Apollo 11-Technical Air to Ground Voice Transcription", "Cecilia DeMille Presley Joins National Film Preservation Foundation Board of Directors", "BYU special collections archives houses extensive Cecil B. DeMille memorabilia", "BYU Hears: "Understand the Law of God", DeMille Advises 1957 Graduates", "5th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1952", "5th Annual DGA Awards: Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1952", "Jeff Bridges to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2019 Golden Globes", "Academy Alum Cecil B. DeMille, The Founding Father of Hollywood Filmmaking", "Complete National Film Registry Listing", "Robert Townsend Directing 'Brewster's Millions' Reboot", "The Only Son/Cecil B. Demille [motion picture]", "DVD Extra: The first, and best 'Chicago' (1927)", "Rare 1949 Photographs Show the Making of 'Sunset Boulevard', "Screen: 'The Ten Commandments'; De Mille's Production Opens at Criterion The Cast", Cecil B. DeMille's Early Films' Costs and Grosses by David Pierce, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cecil_B._DeMille&oldid=1141568133, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 18:28. He bought the rights to the novel in 1925, but abandoned the project in pre-production. [298][299], DeMille's legacy is maintained by his granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley who serves as the president of the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation, which strives to support higher education, child welfare, and film in Southern California. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". DeMille toured with the circus while helping write the script. [241] Religion was a theme that DeMille returned to throughout his career. [232] In the early age of cinema, DeMille differentiated the Lasky Company from other production companies due to the use of dramatic, low-key lighting they called "Lasky lighting" and marketed as "Rembrandt lighting" to appeal to the public. Story 2018 . [238] Although he is known for his later "spectacular" films, his early films are held in high regard by critics and film historians. [138] Audiences liked its highly saturated color, so DeMille made no further black-and-white features. . DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. His silent era films often included the "battle of the sexes" theme due to the era of women's suffrage and the enlarging role of women in society. Age. The continued success of his productions led to the founding of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor. The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. However, he did take a few months to set up a movie theater for the French front. [61], The Squaw Man was a success, which led to the eventual founding of Paramount Pictures and Hollywood becoming the "film capital of the world". [169] DeMille attended the Santa Barbara premiere of The Buccaneer in December 1958. [247] Adjusted for inflation, DeMille's remake of The Ten Commandments is the eighth highest-grossing film in the world. Cecil B. DeMille real name: Cecil Blount DeMille Height: 5'11''(in feet & inches) 1.8034(m) 180.34(cm) , Birthdate(Birthday): August 12, 1881 , Age on January 21, 1959 (Death date): 77 Years 5 Months 9 Days Profession: Movies (Director), Also working as: Producer, Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Actor, Father: Henry Churchill de Mille, Mother: Matilda Beatrice deMille, Married: Yes, Children: Yes DeMille asked David Niven to star in the film, but it was never made. She had a Southern drawl which she never lost. [211] He despised actors who were unwilling to take physical risks, especially when he had first demonstrated that the required stunt would not harm them. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. DeMille is one of the more commercially successful film directors in history[246] with his films before the release of The Ten Commandments estimated to have grossed $650million worldwide. [206] Bernstein recalled that DeMille would scream, yell, or flatter, whatever it took to achieve the perfection he required in his films. Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director, producer, and actor. [321]:2123. The legendary producer-director Cecil B. DeMille was a master of the American biblical epic who shaped the public's perceptions of Judeo-Christianity in his role as Hollywood's Sunday school teacher. Hijo del dramaturgo Henry Churchill DeMille, en cuyas obras particip durante su infancia y primera adolescencia, curs . [274] DeMille has influenced the careers of many modern directors. 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. A Biblical epic with sex, it was a characteristically DeMille film. [91] Although DeMille considered enlisting in World War I, he stayed in the United States and made films. William deMille would later convert from theater to Hollywood and would spend the rest of his career as a film director. [233] DeMille's 1956 version of The Ten Commandments, according to director Martin Scorsese, is renowned for its level of production and the care and detail that went into creating the film. [236][189][237], Aside from his Biblical and historical epics which are concerned with how man relates to God, some of DeMille's films contained themes of "neo-naturalism" which portray the conflict between the laws of man and the laws of nature. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. Cecil Blount DeMille[note 1] was born on August 12, 1881, in a boarding house on Main Street in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where his parents had been vacationing for the summer. [61], The Lasky Play Company sought out William DeMille to join the company, but he rejected the offer because he did not believe there was any promise in a film career. Name in native language: Cecil Blount DeMille: Date of birth: 12 August 1881 Ashfield: Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. Recommended For You. [186] Generally, Belasco's influence of DeMille's career can be seen in DeMille's showmanship and narration. [100] Consequently, Beatrice deMille introduced the Famous Players-Lasky to Wilfred Buckland, who DeMille had known from his time at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he became DeMille's art director. This Day and Age and Four Frightened People were box office disappointments, though Four Frightened People received good reviews. Birthplace: Ashfield, MA Location of death: Hollywood, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Bu. His most notable works include The Ten Commandments -1923, The Sign of the Cross-1932 and Cleopatra-1934.Cleopatra earned him credits as it was the first film that was listed among the nominees for an Academy Award.. [133] He began presenting speeches across the United States for the next few years. [305] From the film industry, DeMille received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards in 1953,[306] and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America Award the same year. DeMille served as executive producer but could not improve Quinn's style of direction. Work period (start) 1899; Work period (end) 1959; Country of citizenship: Consequently, the film was never made. Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. Maude Fealy would appear as the featured actress in several productions that summer and would develop a lasting friendship with DeMille. DeMille's mother sent him to Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University) in Chester, Pennsylvania, at age 15. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. Work period (start) . Heart Ailment. Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. His first several films were westerns and he produced a chain of westerns during the sound era. . However, he would never again vote for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election. Cause of death: Heart failure: Nationality: American: Occupation: Producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor: Years active: 1913-1959: Spouse(s) Constance Adams . [139] DeMille was anti-communist and abandoned a project in 1940 to film Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls due to its communist themes despite the fact he had already paid $100,000 for the rights to the novel. [251] Director Ridley Scott has been called "the Cecil B. DeMille of the digital era" due to his classical and medieval epics. [172], DeMille received two Academy Awards: an Honorary Award for "37 years of brilliant showmanship" in 1950[313] and a Best Picture award in 1953 for The Greatest Show on Earth. Here is all you want to know, and more! Cecil B. DeMille passed away January 21, 1959, from a heart condition. [132], DeMille sued the union for reinstatement but lost. [235] DeMille was also known for his use of special effects without the use of digital technology. [271] DeMille was immortalized in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson spoke the line: "All right, Mr. DeMille. Mini Bio (1) Julia Faye's career is inextricably linked to director Cecil B. DeMille. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. Covers. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. They took time off weekly from film production to practice military drills. He was an active Freemason and member of Prince of Orange Lodge #16 in New York City.[1]. DeMille's highest-grossing films include: The Sign of the Cross (1932), Unconquered (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and The Ten Commandments (1956). A deficiency in chromium may cause high blood sugar; however, deficiency is very rare. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . [84] In 1916, exhausted from three years of nonstop filmmaking, DeMille purchased land in the Angeles National Forest for a ranch which would become his getaway. His overriding spirit . [253] However, Simon Louvish wrote "he was the complete master and auteur of his films"[254] and Anton Kozlovic called him the "unsung American auteur". 1956 theater brochure DeMille studied famous paintings that captured the life of Christ and brought them to the screen. In addition to his Best Picture Awards, he received an Academy Honorary Award for his film contributions, the Palme d'Or (posthumously) for Union Pacific (1939), a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Furthermore, DeMille's film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Story. d. 21 st January 1959, Hollywood, California, USA. Cecil DeMille's famous niece was named for her. Actor, The F.B.I. [259] He cultivated the image of the omnipotent director,[260] complete with megaphone, riding crop, and jodhpurs. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. Carl Laemmle anniversary 1931.JPG 1,473 1,161; 359 KB. Cecil B. DeMille's final film, another version of The Ten Commandments , is his most widely seen work, thanks to Easter-time television programming, but it is not one of his most respected. 1. [209][note 13], DeMille was known for autocratic behavior on the set, singling out and berating extras who were not paying attention. In addition to his use of volatile and abrupt film editing, his lighting and composition were innovative for the time period as filmmakers were primarily concerned with a clear, realistic image. The longest-living Oscar winner is a recipient of the Golden Globes' prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he was awarded in 1977, and he received the Producers Guild of America's Lifetime . [318], Cecil B. DeMille made 70 features. [61] Moreover, when he was busy directing other films, he would co-author other Lasky Company scripts as well as create screen adaptations that others directed. Age at Death: 77. Cause of death: Heart failure: Nationality: American: Occupation: Producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor: Years active: 1913-1959: Spouse(s) Constance Adams (1902-1959) Partner(s) Jeanie MacPherson Julia Faye: Parent(s) Henry Churchill DeMille Beatrice Samuel: Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an . [263] Joseph Henabery recalled that DeMille looked like "a king on a throne surrounded by his court" while directing films on a camera platform. Lasky and DeMille maintained the widow Fleming on the payroll; however, according to leading actor House Peters Sr. DeMille refused to stop production for the funeral of Fleming. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. [130] From 1936 to 1945, he produced, hosted, and directed all shows with the occasional exception of a guest director. [68] He continued to Los Angeles. The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. Actress and director Angelina Jolie is reportedly moving her six children with Brad Pitt into the historic estate once owned by legendary director Cecil B. DeMille who was famous for his over-the-t . Just two years before his death, and shortly after the release of his last film, The Ten Commandments, he delivered a commencement address at Brigham Young University. [88] On July 19, 1916, the Jesse Lasky Feature Play Company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company, becoming Famous Players-Lasky. His family's, DeMille's niece and William deMille's daughter. DeMille was accused of antisemitism after the release of The King of Kings,[282] and director John Ford despised DeMille for what he saw as "hollow" biblical epics meant to promote DeMille's reputation during the politically turbulent 1950s. She was born in Canada to a Scottish schoolteacher, Edward Gabriel Lester, and his Italian-Swiss wife, Cecile Bianca Bertha (Colani) Lester. [60] As director-general, DeMille's job was to make the films. [315] He was further nominated in the Best Picture category for The Ten Commandments at the 1957 Academy Awards. [183] DeMille's father worked with David Belasco theatrical producer, impresario, and playwright. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Cecil B. DeMille. [52] The collaboration of DeMille and Lasky produced a successful musical called California which opened in New York in January 1912.
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