Its interracial love story made it commercially successful and it first publicized Hollywood as the home of the U.S. film industry. His overriding spirit . Terrible. [116], When "talking pictures" were invented in 1928, Cecil B. DeMille made a successful transition, offering his own innovations to the painful process; he devised a microphone boom and a soundproof camera blimp. Born in 1881, DeMille made his directorial debut with "The Squaw Man" (1914), a story he remade in 1918 and 1931 . The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. Film Director. [118] His first three sound films were produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [84] While on a European vacation in 1921, DeMille contracted rheumatic fever in Paris. [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. However, the idea failed due to lack of funding and commitment. However, Birchard acknowledged that Sarris's point was more likely that DeMille's style was behind the development of film as an art form. [15], DeMille was a brave and confident child. U.S. State: Massachusetts. [201], DeMille experimented in his early films with photographic light and shade which created dramatic shadows instead of glare. [175][176] His personal will drew a line between Cecilia and his three adopted children, with Cecilia receiving a majority of DeMille's inheritance and estate. Of his seventy films, five revolved around stories of the Bible and the New Testament; however many others, while not direct retellings of Biblical stories, had themes of faith and religious fanaticism in films such as The Crusades and The Road to Yesterday. Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. Cecil Blount deMille, 12 th August 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. [51] In 1911, DeMille became acquainted with vaudeville producer Jesse Lasky when Lasky was searching for a writer for his new musical. Adams was 29 years old at the time of their marriage, eight years older than DeMille. [204] As DeMille's career progressed, he increasingly relied on artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck's concept, costume, and storyboard art. William deMille reluctantly became a story editor. [85][86] In addition to his Paradise, DeMille purchased a yacht in 1921 which he called The Seaward. 1. Broadway Actor. 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. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. . Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. He had a band of assistants who catered to his needs. The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. [238] Although he is known for his later "spectacular" films, his early films are held in high regard by critics and film historians. Farnum chose $250 per week. Early life [ edit ] Born in Orange, New Jersey , [1] DeMille was the daughter of Judge Fredrick Adams, [2] New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, [1] and Ella Adams, his first wife. DeMille also was planning a film about the space race as well as another biblical epic about the Book of Revelation. [36][note 6], Film started becoming more sophisticated and the subsequent films of the Lasky company were criticized for primitive and unrealistic set design. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 27 October 2022. [39] DeMille wrote a few of his own plays in-between stage performances, but his playwriting was not as successful. Host Scott . The cuts were sometimes rough, but the movies were always interesting. He is one of the most extraordinarily able showmen of modern times. Then, he would help writers construct a script. [177] Cecilia lived in the house for many years until her death in 1984,[178] but the house was auctioned by his granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley who also lived there in the late 1980s. [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. [10] At the military college, even though his grades were average, he reportedly excelled in personal conduct. [186] Generally, Belasco's influence of DeMille's career can be seen in DeMille's showmanship and narration. [284] Although many of DeMille's films are available on DVD and Blu-ray release, only 20 of his silent films are commercially available on DVD [285][note 15], The original Lasky-DeMille Barn in which The Squaw Man was filmed was converted into a museum named the "Hollywood Heritage Museum". He was so eager to produce the film, that he hadn't yet read the novel. Here is all you want to know, and more! [234], DeMille was interested in art and his favorite artist was Gustave Dor; DeMille based some of his most well-known scenes on the work of Dor. Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. 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 . He was her mentor, while she was for many years his mistress (a liaison which was tolerated by De Mille's long-suffering wife Constance Adams ). [44], DeMille performed on stage with actors whom he would later direct in films: Charlotte Walker, Mary Pickford, and Pedro de Cordoba. After reading the screenplay, Daniel A. Lord warned DeMille that Catholics would find the film too irreverent, while non-Catholics would have considered the film Catholic propaganda. [68] He continued to Los Angeles. September 17, 1914. MGM distributed the film in 1941 and donated profits to World War II relief charities. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. [212] Paulette Goddard's refusal to risk personal injury in a scene involving fire in Unconquered cost her DeMille's favor and a role in The Greatest Show on Earth. [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. Age at Death: 77. I'm ready for my close-up." [112] He was also a real estate speculator,[113] an underwriter of political campaigns, and vice president of Bank of America. Robin Williams won the Cecil B. DeMille Awards in 2005. (Born, August 13, 1881 - died January 21, 1959) Cecil Blount DeMille's career plowed relentlessly forward living and dying again and again in waves - on the crests and in the troughs of the "American Dream.". In addition to winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field, Sidney also received a BAFTA award for The Defiant Ones, a Golden Globe for Lilies of the Field, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, among other awards and nominations. Gender. [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. [249] Similarly, scholar David Blanke, argued that DeMille had lost the respect of his colleagues and film critics by his late film career. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. He also toured with the Standard Opera Company, but there are few records to indicate DeMille's singing ability. 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. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. DeMille's primary criticism was of closed shops, but later included criticism of communism and unions in general. 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. Story 2018 . [315] He was further nominated in the Best Picture category for The Ten Commandments at the 1957 Academy Awards. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. [154] In 1954, Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott asked DeMille for help in designing the cadet uniforms at the newly established United States Air Force Academy. However, others interpreted DeMille's work as visually impressive, thrilling, and nostalgic. Let's take a look back at 20 of his greatest movies, ranked worst to best. Red carpet photos. However, his earlier films The Captive, Kindling, Carmen, and The Whispering Chorus are more serious films. DeMille developed a plan with his doctor to allow him to continue directing while reducing his physical stress. [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. [250] Five of DeMille's film were the highest-grossing films at the year of their release, with only Spielberg topping him with six of his films as the highest-grossing films of the year. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". DeMille left a physical legacy in 1923 when, on completing The Ten Commandments, he buried the Egyptian sets in the sand dunes of Guadalupe. DeMille also produced and directed plays. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. Produced in eight weeks without exceeding budget, the film was financially successful. Cecil B. DeMille didn't make the kind of movies that wind up in French film festivals. Alternative names DeMille, Cecil Blount Short description Film director: Date of birth August 12, 1881 Place of birth 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. [129] DeMille also liked Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, finding him charismatic, tenacious, and intelligent and agreeing with Roosevelt's abhorrence of Prohibition. Immediate Family: Biological son of Gus Gonzales and Ada Piper. He would speak to the entire set, sometimes enormous with countless numbers of crew members and extras, via a microphone to maintain control of the set. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. [240] Moreover, before his religious-themed films, many of his silent era films revolved around "husband-and-wife-divorce-and-remarry satires", considerably more adult-themed. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. The school closed, and Beatrice filed for bankruptcy. Frequent actors and actresses on the show included Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Don Ameche, and Fred MacMurray. DeMille plays himself in the film. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. Peters claimed that he encouraged the cast to attend the funeral with him anyway since DeMille would not be able to shoot the film without him. Hollywood, California: Paramount Pictures.2011, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 18:28, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, eighth-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation, "Back in the Day - Sept. 18, 1991: De Mille's Pompton Lakes roots recalled", "Anthony Quinn: Colourful Hollywood star who built a career playing ethnic heroes and villains", "Guide to the Richard DeMille Collection", "Cecil DeMille, 77, Pioneer of Movies, Dead in Hollywood", "How a Hollywood Director Almost Launched L.A.'s First Commercial Airline", "Register of the Cecil B. DeMille Archives, 1863-1983", "Financing Hollywood through the Great Depression", "Angelina Jolie Buys Historic Cecil B. DeMille Estate for $24.5 Million", "Sixty years later, The Ten Commandments remains one of the most popular biblical films ever made", "Angelina Jolie Buys Cecil B. DeMille's Estate at Record-Shattering Price", "Christie's East to Auction DeMille Possessions", "New Testament to Genius: Turner's "Cecil B. DeMille", "Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" Brings the World's Greatest Love Story to the Screen", "Hollywood Legend Claudette Colbert Dies", "Charlton Heston: as you won't remember him", "The Deep Focus Typecasting of Joseph Schildkraut as Judas Figure in Four DeMille Films", "A Brief History of Movie Special Effects", "All-Time Box-Office Hits By Decade and Year", "Ridley Scott: from Alien to Exodus, a Cecil B. DeMille for the digital age", "Samson as a Moses-Figure in Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" (1949)", "BFI Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 How the directors and critics voted", "Hollywood Flashback: Cecil B. DeMille Accepted the Golden Globe Named for Him in 1952", "Reel dictators: why despots love directors", "Disp L.A. Case #45: Cecil B. DeMille's Riding Crop", "DeMille's Re-Released 'Commandments'Better Than Ever", "Cecil B. DeMille the greatest filmmaking showman rediscovered! The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. According to director of photography Janusz Kaminski, Steven Spielberg's earliest home movies still exist, and were consulted for the scene in "The Fabelmans" in which young Sammy Fabelman recreates a train crash scene from Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 film "The Greatest Show on Earth." "We've watched them before, but they are a little too primitive [] After Henry DeMille's death at age 40, Cecil's mother, Beatrice, ran a well-known boarding school for girls in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. They struggled to adapt the play from the stage to the set. The members rejected his proposal, even though his last two films, Samson and Delilah and The Greatest Show on Earth, had been record-breaking hits. Cecil B DeMille announced that his next production would be his biggest and most ambitious to date. Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. [86] A large collection of DeMille's materials including scripts, storyboards, and films resides at Brigham Young University in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Beatrice DeMille's family was not in attendance, and Simon Louvish suggests that this was to conceal DeMille's partial Jewish heritage. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 and died on January 21, 1959. 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. [121], In 1932, DeMille returned to Paramount at the request of Lasky, bringing with him his own production unit. [130] Broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from 1935 to 1954,[131] the Lux Radio show was one of the most popular weekly shows in the history of radio. Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. He debuted as an actor on February 21, 1900, in the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater. [231][note 14] The Ten Commandments inspired DreamWorks Animation's later film about Moses, The Prince of Egypt. A documentary titled. Right here at FameChain. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. [47] In 1907, due to a scandal with one of Beatrice's students, Evelyn Nesbit, the Henry deMille School lost students. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. [72] DeMille's next project was to aid Oscar Apfel and directing Brewster's Millions, which was wildly successful. [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. [62] When William found out that DeMille had begun working in the motion picture industry, he wrote DeMille a letter, disappointed that he was willing "to throw away [his] future" when he was "born and raised in the finest traditions of the theater". 1902-08-16 Filmmaker Cecil B DeMille (21) weds actress . DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. He attempted to create a guild of a half a dozen directors with the same creative desires called the Director's Guild. Derided then . Cecil B. Demille papers (English) type of reference. [18] DeMille and William collaborated on The Genius, The Royal Mounted, and After Five. [57] Having become disinterested in working in theatre, DeMille's passion for film was ignited when he watched the 1912 French film Les Amours de la reine lisabeth. Sunset Blvd. [note 4], While filming The Captive in 1915, an extra, Bob Fleming, died on set when another extra failed to heed to DeMille's orders to unload all guns for rehearsal. The Sign of the Cross (1932) is said to be the first sound film to integrate all aspects of cinematic technique. [114] He was additionally vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles where he approved loans for other filmmakers. [269] He often appeared in his coming-attraction trailers and narrated many of his later films,[270] even stepping on screen to introduce The Ten Commandments. 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. Furthermore, DeMille argued with Zukor over his extravagant and over-budget production costs. Instead of portraying the danger and anarchy of the West, he portrayed the opportunity and redemption found in Western America. [110] After the release of DeMille's The Godless Girl, silent films in America became obsolete and DeMille was forced to shoot a shoddy final reel with the new sound production technique. In that respect, he was better than any of us. Occupations. [31] In 1901, DeMille starred in productions of A Repentance, To Have and to Hold, and Are You a Mason? (1950) $10,000. [287][288] The Lasky-DeMille Barn was dedicated as a California historical landmark in a ceremony on December 27, 1956; DeMille was the keynote speaker. "[265] Said fellow director William Wellman: "Directorially, I think his pictures were the most horrible things I've ever seen in my life. 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. [215][216][217] He also cast established stars such as Gary Cooper, Robert Preston, Paulette Goddard and Fredric March in multiple pictures. DeMille did not like the first draft of the biography, saying that he thought the person portrayed in the biography was an "SOB"; he said it made him sound too egotistical. Sitting in an IMAX [157] Adolph Zukor convinced the board to change their minds on the grounds of morality. While he is known as DeMille (his nom d'oeuvre), his family name was Dutch and is usually spelled "de Mil". [187] DeMille's films Male and Female, Why Change Your Wife?, and The Affairs of Anatol can be retrospectively described as high camp and are categorized as "early DeMille films" due to their particular style of production and costume and set design. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12th, in 1881. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. The selection is made by the HFPA's board of . DeMille did not believe a large movie set was the place to discuss minor character or line issues. View Bio. The Captive (1915) $500 /week. DeMille purchased the home in 1916 for $27,893 (Yes, five digits) and lived there with his family until his death in 1959. [83], DeMille's most successful film was The Cheat; DeMille's direction in the film was acclaimed. [213] DeMille did receive help in his films, notably from Alvin Wyckoff who shot forty-three of DeMille's films;[80] brother William deMille who would occasionally serve as his screenwriter;[82] and Jeanie Macpherson, who served as DeMille's exclusive screenwriter for fifteen years;[214] and Eddie Salven, DeMille's favorite assistant director. Moreover, DeMille was audited by the Internal Revenue Service due to issues with his production company. His family's, DeMille's niece and William deMille's daughter. Maude Fealy would appear as the featured actress in several productions that summer and would develop a lasting friendship with DeMille. [130] He resigned from the Lux Radio Show because he refused to pay a dollar to the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) because he did not believe that any organization had the right to "levy a compulsory assessment upon any member. DeMille recalled that this church was the place where he visualized the story of his 1923 version of The Ten Commandments.[25]. . Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. [303] In 1957, DeMille gave the commencement address for the graduation ceremony of Brigham Young University wherein he received an honorary Doctorate of Letter degree. [225][226] DeMille was credited by actor Edward G. Robinson with saving his career following his eclipse in the Hollywood blacklist. [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". However, the films of his silent era were often thematically different from the films of his sound era. 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. Beatrice was intelligent, educated, forthright, and strong-willed. 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. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . [144], In 1942, DeMille released Paramount's most successful film, Reap the Wild Wind. Biography - A Short WikiDirector of the epic 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which featured Charlton Heston as Moses. She was born in Canada to a Scottish schoolteacher, Edward Gabriel Lester, and his Italian-Swiss wife, Cecile Bianca Bertha (Colani) Lester. [123] The Sign of the Cross was the first film to integrate all cinematic techniques. Although less critically revered than D.W. Griffith, DeMille actually played a more important role in . The film was considered a "masterpiece" and surpassed the quality of other sound films of the time. Birthplace: Ashfield, MA Location of death: Hollywood, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Bu. [271] DeMille was immortalized in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson spoke the line: "All right, Mr. DeMille. A deficiency in chromium may cause high blood sugar; however, deficiency is very rare. [138] Audiences liked its highly saturated color, so DeMille made no further black-and-white features. [18] The family lived in Washington, North Carolina,[19] until Henry built a three-story Victorian-style house for his family in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey; they named this estate "Pamlico". The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. His silent films included social dramas, comedies, Westerns, farces, morality plays, and historical pageants. [13] She had emigrated from England with her parents in 1871 when she was 18; the newly arrived family settled in Brooklyn, New York, where they maintained a middle-class, English-speaking household. [79][note 3], Cecil B. DeMille's second film credited exclusively to him was The Virginian. [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. Biographer Scott Eyman suggested that this may have been a result of Adams's recent miscarriage. [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. [245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. The Ten Commandments gave the director a chance to play God, to film miracles. [41] The Return of Peter Grimm sparked controversy; however, because Belasco had taken DeMille's unnamed screenplay, changed the characters and named it The Return of Peter Grimm, producing and presenting it as his own work. [281] However, not everyone received DeMille's religious films favorably. Considered one of the founders of Hollywood, film producer and director Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) earned a place in moviemaking history with such religious epic films as The Ten Commandmentsand King of Kings.. Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . [143] [note 9] In 1938, DeMille supervised the compilation of film Land of Liberty to represent the contribution of the American film industry to the 1939 New York World's Fair. Along the same lines, critics of DeMille often qualify him by his later spectacles and fail to consider several decades of ingenuity and energy that defined him during his generation. [84] Throughout his career, DeMille would frequently remake his own films. [259] He cultivated the image of the omnipotent director,[260] complete with megaphone, riding crop, and jodhpurs. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. imported from Wikimedia project. [5] DeMille was named after his grandmothers Cecelia Wolff and Margarete Blount. DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood. [159] The Ten Commandments, released in 1956, was DeMille's final film. They screened four of his films at Christ Church, where DeMille and his family attended church when they lived there. DeMille served as executive producer but could not improve Quinn's style of direction. Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B.
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