[55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. [148] Again, 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth became Paramount's highest-grossing film to that point. 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. His art was even shown at Paramount meetings when pitching new films. U.S. State: Massachusetts. After the film was shown, viewers complained that the shadows and lighting prevented the audience from seeing the actors' full faces, complaining that they would only pay half price. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker. Sons-and daughters-in-law were required to call him "Mr. DeMille", and Richard deMille never recalled hugging his father, claiming he received handshakes instead. [318], Cecil B. DeMille made 70 features. Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. By 1930, DeMille had perfected his film style of mass-interest spectacle films with Western, Roman, or Biblical themes. [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. [140][note 8] While concurrently filmmaking, he served in World War II at the age of sixty as his neighborhood air-raid warden. (1950) $10,000. His first biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), was both a critical and commercial success; it held the Paramount revenue record for twenty-five years. [164] Although DeMille completed the film, his health was diminished by several more heart attacks. Date of birth. [263] Joseph Henabery recalled that DeMille looked like "a king on a throne surrounded by his court" while directing films on a camera platform. Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film, The Buccaneer was a disappointment. Eventually, the Guard was enlarged to a battalion and recruited soldiers from other film studios. [84] While on a European vacation in 1921, DeMille contracted rheumatic fever in Paris. Still, the members unanimously approved it. Cause of Death: Heart failure. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. [5] On September 1, 1881, the family returned with the newborn DeMille to their flat in New York. [245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. [54] DeMille found success in the spring of 1913 producing Reckless Age by Lee Wilson, a play about a high society girl wrongly accused of manslaughter starring Frederick Burton and Sydney Shields. [231], According to Scott Eyman, DeMille's films were at the same time masculine and feminine due to his thematic adventurousness and his eye for the extravagant. 1. [67], On December 12, 1913, DeMille, his cast, and crew boarded a Southern Pacific train bound for Flagstaff via New Orleans. [296] During the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin refers to himself in one instance as "Cecil B. DeAldrin", as a humorous nod to DeMille. [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. 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 ). [80] The first few years of the Lasky Company were spent in making films nonstop, literally writing the language of film. He called this place, "Paradise", declaring it a wildlife sanctuary; no shooting of animals was allowed besides snakes. 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. Male. [21] DeMille's sister Agnes was born on April 23, 1891; his mother nearly did not survive the birth. The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. [53] Another DeMille-Lasky production that opened in January 1912 was The Antique Girl. The actor had 10 Globes nominations and five wins, including a special award for his vocal work on . - Death and the Maiden (1973) . DeMille was painstakingly attentive to details on set and was as critical of himself as he was of his crew. Broadway Actor. The 1956 film was a partial remake of an earlier silent . Barbara Stanwyck. [81] The most successful films during the beginning of the Lasky Company were Brewster's Millions (co-directed by DeMille), Rose of the Rancho, and The Ghost Breaker. Chromium is a mineral that is found in a number of foods, such as meat, vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts. [182] DeMille noted that his mother had a "high sense of the dramatic" and was determined to continue the artistic legacy of her husband after he died. The film was produced on a large budget of $600,000, the most expensive production at Paramount. [34], They were sexually incompatible; according to DeMille, Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and evil passions. (Cecil Blount De Mille o DeMille; Ashfield, 1881 - Hollywood, 1959) Productor y director de cine estadounidense recordado especialmente por sus superproducciones de epopeyas histricas y religiosas. [citation needed] He was known as anti-union and worked to prevent unionizing of film production studios. Frequent actors and actresses on the show included Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Don Ameche, and Fred MacMurray. Consequently, he formed the DeMille Foundation for Political Freedom in order to campaign for the right to work. Cecil Blount DeMille. Broadway Actor. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [141], In 1942, DeMille worked with Jeanie MacPherson and brother William deMille in order to produce a film called Queen of Queens which was intended to be about Mary, mother of Jesus. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . [15] The two were married on July 1, 1876, despite Beatrice's parents' objections because of the young couple's differing religions; Beatrice converted to Episcopalianism. Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. The Squaw Man (1914), co-directed by Oscar Apfel, was a sensation and it established the Lasky Company. [204] As DeMille's career progressed, he increasingly relied on artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck's concept, costume, and storyboard art. [115] In 1916, DeMille purchased a mansion in Hollywood. [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". 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. 22. 1. 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. (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.". [186] Generally, Belasco's influence of DeMille's career can be seen in DeMille's showmanship and narration. [192] DeMille had large and frequent office conferences to discuss and examine all aspects of the working film including story-boards, props, and special effects. [174] DeMille left his multi-million dollar estate in Los Feliz, Los Angeles in Laughlin Park to his daughter Cecilia because his wife had dementia and was unable to care for an estate. [202] DeMille was unique in using this technique. [149][150] DeMille signed a contract with Prentice Hall publishers in August 1953 to publish an autobiography. Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. 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. Covers. Cause of Death: Heart failure due to a series of heart attacks. He directed 70 feature films, beginning in the silent era . [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. Biographer Scott Eyman suggested that this may have been a result of Adams's recent miscarriage. Consequently, DeMille's television and radio appearance ban lasted for the remainder of his life, though he was permitted to appear on radio or television to publicize a movie. [283] In response to the claims, DeMille donated some of the profits from The King of Kings to charity. The Enigmatic Pop Culture Professional. Radford, Bill. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. The wedding party was small. Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S. Ethnnicity: *father - English, small amounts of Scottish and Dutch, distant Belgian Flemish, remote Welsh. Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. 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. [134] William Keighley was his replacement. [156] Fifty-two of his features are silent films. Cecil B. DeMille: Film director from the United States (1881 - 1959), Actor, Writer, Film producer, Film director, Film editor, Screenwriter, Playwright, Stage actor . [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. In March 1938, he underwent a major emergency prostatectomy. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. [129] DeMille also liked Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, finding him charismatic, tenacious, and intelligent and agreeing with Roosevelt's abhorrence of Prohibition. In his address, he compares the exodus of the Israelites under Moses's direction to that of the Mormon . [36][note 6], Film started becoming more sophisticated and the subsequent films of the Lasky company were criticized for primitive and unrealistic set design. The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. [20] John Philip Sousa was a friend of the family, and DeMille recalled throwing mud balls in the air so neighbor Annie Oakley could practice her shooting. [181] Henry was heavily influenced by the work of Charles Kingsley whose ideas trickled down to DeMille. The original story Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is about two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love and their families' feud ends with death of Romeo and Juliet. Cause of death: Heart failure: Nationality: American: Occupation: Producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor: Years active: 1913-1959: Spouse(s) Constance Adams . [36] One of DeMille's affairs was with his screenwriter Jeanie MacPherson. [16] He gained his love of theater while watching his father and Belasco rehearse their plays. DeMille also produced and directed plays. September 17, 1914. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. [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. In the 1950s, Paramount sold its entire pre-1948 film library, including those of DeMille, to, The set was discovered by Peter Brosnan after hearing a rumor in 1982 that DeMille had ordered the enormous set to be buried after filming rather than taken away. Instead of portraying the danger and anarchy of the West, he portrayed the opportunity and redemption found in Western America. The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. [29] He fled the school to join the SpanishAmerican War, but failed to meet the age requirement. [315] He was further nominated in the Best Picture category for The Ten Commandments at the 1957 Academy Awards. For More Information . [278] As one of the establishing members of Paramount Pictures and co-founder of Hollywood, DeMille had a role in the development of the film industry. In 1923, DeMille released a modern melodrama The Ten Commandments which was a significant change from his previous stint of irreligious films. (TV Special) Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient 1963-1964 Password (TV Series) Self - Celebrity Contestant / Self - James Stewart vs . [187] It is difficult to typify DeMille's films into one specific genre. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. Work period (start) 1899; Work period (end) 1959; Country of citizenship: 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. [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. [32] From 1904 to 1905, DeMille attempted to make a living as a stock theatre actor with his wife Constance. Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and grew up in New York City. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. View Bio. 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. Although he is one of the most commercially successful film directors of all time, Cecil B. DeMille has for a long time been considered at best a director of . [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. Heart Ailment. While he is known as DeMille (his nom d'oeuvre), his family name was Dutch and is usually spelled "de Mil". Farnum chose $250 per week. Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. Zukor became president with Lasky as the vice president. The October 2002 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine saluted Paramount's ninetieth Anniversary by writing: "Somewhere Cecil B. DeMille is smiling.". [109] Six of DeMille's filmsThe Arab, The Wild Goose Chase, The Dream Girl, The Devil-Stone, We Can't Have Everything, and The Squaw Man (1918)were destroyed due to nitrate decomposition, and are considered lost. He had a band of assistants who catered to his needs. He produced many flops. [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. It opened on December 13, 1985, and features some of DeMille's personal artifacts. Profile of the Hollywood directing legend who became known for his "spectaculars." Learn how DeMille helped establish Hollywood as the movie-making capital o. Still, it was a huge success at the box office. Robin Williams, 2005. [264], DeMille was liked by some of his fellow directors and disliked by others, though his actual films were usually dismissed by his peers as vapid spectacle. Carl Laemmle anniversary 1931.JPG 1,473 1,161; 359 KB. The picture of her husband was taken in 1916, the year they bought the house, when he was 35 and an increasingly active and . However, he did take a few months to set up a movie theater for the French front. [235] DeMille was also known for his use of special effects without the use of digital technology. "[265] Said fellow director William Wellman: "Directorially, I think his pictures were the most horrible things I've ever seen in my life. [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. [229] He began the production of epics earlier in his career until they began to solidify his career in the 1920s. Cecil B. DeMille's "Ten Commandments" is getting appropriately colossal treatment in honor of its 55th anniversary. He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director who had been a director with the Edison Company. Character actor H. B. Warner was fifty, but looked Thirty was cast as Christ, and gives a gently . DeMille made a 1905 reprise in Hamlet as Osric. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. [22] Agnes would die on February 11, 1894, at the age of three from spinal meningitis. Sitting in an IMAX [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". DeMille traveled abroad to find employment until he was offered a deal at Paramount. 1956 theater brochure However, the idea failed due to lack of funding and commitment. Right here at FameChain. [180] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. 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. 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). Though the film was not high-grossing, it was well-received and DeMille was asked to shorten its running time to allow for more showings per day. Pictorials. [33] They had met in a theater in Washington D.C. while they were both acting in Hearts Are Trumps. 1 reference. To provide for her family, she opened the Henry C. DeMille School for Girls in her home in February 1893. He was so eager to produce the film, that he hadn't yet read the novel. We should get down on our knees to Cecil and say "Thank you! Cecil B. DeMille. The continued success of his productions led to the founding of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor. DeMille achieved international recognition for his unique use of lighting and color tint in his film The Cheat. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. Henry was a tall, red-headed student. DeMille adored the art of Groesbeck, even hanging it above his fireplace, but film staff found it difficult to convert his art into three-dimensional sets. [248], According to Sam Goldwyn, critics did not like DeMille's films, but the audiences did and "they have the final word". A lasting memory for DeMille was a lunch with his father and actor Edwin Booth. DeMille's film The Affairs of Anatol came under fire. DeMille filming the "big Indian raid" of Call of the North. [162] Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, it grossed over $80million, which surpassed the gross of The Greatest Show on Earth and every other film in history, except for Gone with the Wind. [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". [59] Lasky and DeMille were said to have sketched out the organization of the company on the back of a restaurant menu. [252], Despite his box-office success, awards, and artistic achievements, DeMille has been dismissed and ignored by critics both during his life and posthumously. Although this final reel looked so different from the previous eleven reels that it appeared to be from another movie, according to Simon Louvish, the film is one of DeMille's strangest and most "DeMillean" film. 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. Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1873 - July 17, 1960) was an American actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille. Birth place. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. education: American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, Pennsylvania Military College. [168] DeMille was unable to attend the Los Angeles premiere of The Buccaneer. Famous Players-Lasky donated the films. MGM distributed the film in 1941 and donated profits to World War II relief charities. De Mille daughter dies. [191] Plot and dialogue were not a strong point of DeMille's films. In his first instance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), only waiting four years from the 1914 original. [275] Scorsese said he had viewed The Ten Commandments forty or fifty times. [66] With no knowledge of filmmaking, DeMille was introduced to observe the process at film studios. The Sign of the Cross (1932) is said to be the first sound film to integrate all aspects of cinematic technique. He is one of the most extraordinarily able showmen of modern times. Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. Few words can describe the monumental Cecil B. DeMille. He said he was rather against union leaders such as Walter Reuther and Harry Bridges whom he compared to dictators. 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. Cecil Blount deMille, 12 th August 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. Additionally, during the war, DeMille volunteered for the Justice Department's Intelligence Office, investigating friends, neighbors, and others he came in contact with in connection with the Famous Players-Lasky. He suffered from a post-surgery infection from which he nearly did not recover, citing streptomycin as his saving grace. Heart Ailment. [166] [note 11], Due to his frequent heart attacks, DeMille asked his son-in-law, actor Anthony Quinn, to direct a remake of his 1938 film The Buccaneer. Perhaps Cecil B. DeMille is more responsible for this than are today's preachers.' 13. More Facts. [45] His 1905 performance in The Prince Chap as the Earl of Huntington was well received by audiences. [276] Famed director Steven Spielberg stated that DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth was one of the films that influenced him to become a filmmaker. [132], DeMille sued the union for reinstatement but lost. [128] He supported Herbert Hoover and in 1928 made his largest campaign donation to Hoover. [112] He was also a real estate speculator,[113] an underwriter of political campaigns, and vice president of Bank of America. Alfred Hitchcock cited DeMille's 1921 film Forbidden Fruit as an influence of his work and one of his top ten favorite films. He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. However, one word is especially appropriate. [58], Desiring a change of scene, Cecil B. DeMille, Jesse Lasky, Sam Goldfish (later Samuel Goldwyn), and a group of East Coast businessmen created the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in 1913 over which DeMille became director-general. [61] Sometimes, he directed scenes for other directors at the Feature Play Company in order to release films on time. . An annual award, the Golden Globe's Cecil B. DeMille Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the film industry. [238] Although he is known for his later "spectacular" films, his early films are held in high regard by critics and film historians. Studio: A Cecil B. DeMille Production Paramount Pictures Premiered: February 4, 1938 Featured Cast: Fredric March, Franciska Gaal, Akim Tamiroff Producer-director: Cecil B. DeMille Screenwriter: Harold Lamb, Edwin Justus Mayer, C. Gardner Sullivan Source: Lyle Saxon's book Lafitte the Pirate Additional writers: Emily Barrye, Grover Jones, Jesse Lasky Jr., Jeanie Macpherson, Preston . [138] Despite the criticism, it was Paramount's highest-grossing film of the year. The first 24 of his silent films were made in the first three years of his career (1913-1916). Henry, a . [73] Furthermore, DeMille influenced about half of Spielberg's films, including War of the Worlds. Mini Bio (1) Julia Faye's career is inextricably linked to director Cecil B. DeMille. The American Academy of Dramatic Arts honored DeMille with an Alumni Achievement Award in 1958. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. [76][77] The film grossed over ten times its budget after its New York premiere in February 1914. [231] DeMille's distinctive style can be seen through camera and lighting effects as early as The Squaw Man with the use of daydream images; moonlight and sunset on a mountain; and side-lighting through a tent flap. [316] DeMille's Union Pacific received a Palme d'Or in retrospect at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. His other well known films include The Sign of the Cross (1932), Cleopatra (1934), Samson and Delilah [] But they have inspired cutting edge directors including Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. He later moved to writing and directing stage productions, some with Jesse Lasky, who was then a vaudeville producer. [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. [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. [64] The Lasky Company bought the rights to the play The Squaw Man by Edwin Milton Royle and cast Dustin Farnum in the lead role. [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. Sunset Blvd. This is the earliest of DeMille's films available in a quality, color-tinted video format. Further illustrated by his home life, DeMille required formality and politeness at home. [109] Eight of his films were "epics" with five of those classified as "Biblical". [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. He donated. [147], DeMille's next film, Samson and Delilah in 1949, became Paramount's highest-grossing film up to that time. [8] Henry de Mille, whose ancestors were of English and Dutch-Belgian descent, was a North Carolina-born dramatist, actor, and lay reader in the Episcopal Church.
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