Then, he would help writers construct a script. DeMille's return was approved by Zukor under the condition that DeMille not exceed his production budget of $650,000 for The Sign of the Cross. [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. Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. 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 . DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood. Adopted son of Cecil B. DeMille and Constance DeMille. Cecil Blount DeMille (/ssl dml/; August 12, 1881 January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. He directed 70 feature films, beginning in the silent era . 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. 10 June 2021. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. [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". Golden Globes 1953 - Best Director and Best . Here, he parts the Red Sea. [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. In his first instance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), only waiting four years from the 1914 original. Billy Jim Hawkins . [273], As a filmmaker, DeMille was the aesthetic inspiration of many directors and films due to his early influence during the crucial development of the film industry. Cecil DeMille's famous niece was named for her. [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. [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. 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. [34], They were sexually incompatible; according to DeMille, Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and evil passions. "A dreadful showoff. However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. [300] In 1963, the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation donated the "Paradise" ranch to the Hathaway Foundation, which cares for emotionally disturbed and abused children. DeMille". Director John Huston intensely disliked both DeMille and his films. The Ten Commandments gave the director a chance to play God, to film miracles. [62] They offered Farnum a choice to have a quarter stock in the company (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. View Bio. His poor physical condition upon his return home affected the production of his 1922 film Manslaughter. But they have inspired cutting edge directors including Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. [142] Jeanie MacPherson would work as a scriptwriter for many of DeMille's films. [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. Alfred Hitchcock cited DeMille's 1921 film Forbidden Fruit as an influence of his work and one of his top ten favorite films. Broadway Actor. [242] Another common theme in DeMille's films is the reversal of fortune and the portrayal of the rich and the poor, including the war of the classes and man versus society conflicts such as in The Golden Chance and The Cheat. The continued success of his productions led to the founding of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor. DeMille left a physical legacy in 1923 when, on completing The Ten Commandments, he buried the Egyptian sets in the sand dunes of Guadalupe. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. 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. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. The wedding party was small. 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. Its interracial love story made it commercially successful and it first publicized Hollywood as the home of the U.S. film industry. [275] Scorsese said he had viewed The Ten Commandments forty or fifty times. [41] However, none of these were very successful; William deMille was most successful when he worked alone. 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. The picture of her husband was taken in 1916, the year they bought the house, when he was 35 and an increasingly active and . The actual parting of the sea was created by releasing 360,000 gallons of water into a huge water tank split by a U-shaped trough, overlaying it with film of a giant waterfall that was built on the Paramount backlot, and playing the clip backwards. [190], DeMille's filmmaking process always began with extensive research. [208] DeMille had an authoritarian persona on set; he required absolute attention from the cast and crew. [138] Critics were impressed with the visuals but found the scripts dull, calling it DeMille's "poorest Western". [169] DeMille attended the Santa Barbara premiere of The Buccaneer in December 1958. [164] Although DeMille completed the film, his health was diminished by several more heart attacks. 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! [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. Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. [109] Eight of his films were "epics" with five of those classified as "Biblical". Host Scott . Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. Oscars 1950 - Honorary Award. He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. [292], In summer 2019, The Friends of the Pompton Lakes Library hosted a Cecil B DeMille film festival to celebrate DeMille's achievements and connection to Pompton Lakes. [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". [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. [16] He gained his love of theater while watching his father and Belasco rehearse their plays. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. [44], DeMille performed on stage with actors whom he would later direct in films: Charlotte Walker, Mary Pickford, and Pedro de Cordoba. He is particularly remembered for his 1956 film "The Ten Commandments", but made over 70 films throughout his long career. 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. He related a story that he maintained his self-control when Gloria Swanson sat on his lap, refusing to touch her. 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. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. [255], Publicly Episcopalian, DeMille drew on his Christian and Jewish ancestors to convey a message of tolerance. Actor, The F.B.I. [202] DeMille was unique in using this technique. [194] DeMille was particularly adept at directing and managing large crowds in his films. heart failure. Birthplace: Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming, United States. [107] Aside from The King of Kings, none of DeMille's films away from Paramount were successful. DeMille also produced and directed plays. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [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. He called this place, "Paradise", declaring it a wildlife sanctuary; no shooting of animals was allowed besides snakes. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. [304] Additionally, in 1958, he received an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Temple University. [243] In relation to his own interests and sexual preferences, sadomasochism was a minor theme present in some of his films. His films were distinguished by their epic . Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. It was commercially very successful. The legendary comedian, 61, has been confirmed to receive one of the night's highest honors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given as a way to honor "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment," per the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. [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. DeMille made a 1905 reprise in Hamlet as Osric. An example is the Bible which has been remade into many different movies including The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. DeMille and The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson. 21 January 1959. [133] He began presenting speeches across the United States for the next few years. Cause of Death: Heart failure. Biographer Scott Eyman suggested that this may have been a result of Adams's recent miscarriage. Birth place. [255] Andrew Sarris, a leading proponent of the auteur theory, ranked DeMille highly as an auteur in the "Far Side of Paradise", just below the "Pantheon". As DeMille continued to rely on Groesbeck, the nervous energy of his early films transformed into more steady compositions of his later films. [151] DeMille would reminisce into a voice recorder, the recording would be transcribed, and the information would be organized in the biography based on the topic. However, Beatrice introduced Lasky to DeMille instead. His wife did not like Paradise, so DeMille often brought his mistresses there with him including actress Julia Faye. Sitting in an IMAX [26] The aim of the school was to teach young women to properly understand and fulfill the women's duty to herself, her home, and her country. [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. Gender. He directed and produced four films on his own, working with Producers Distributing Corporation because he found front office supervision too restricting. [186] Generally, Belasco's influence of DeMille's career can be seen in DeMille's showmanship and narration. 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. Between 1913 and 1956, he made a total of 70 features, both silent and sound films.He is acknowledged as a founding father of the cinema of the United States and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. . [228] Throughout his career, he did not alter his films to better adhere to contemporary or popular styles. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. He joined the Producers Distributing Corporation. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. DeMille had considered making the film himself. Cecil Blount DeMille. [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". The cuts were sometimes rough, but the movies were always interesting. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. AKA Cecil Blount DeMille. Film Director. [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. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. The surgery caused him to suffer from sexual dysfunction for the rest of his life, according to some family members. Heart Ailment. Biography - A Short WikiDirector of the epic 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which featured Charlton Heston as Moses. The school closed, and Beatrice filed for bankruptcy. [261][262] He was known for his unique, working wardrobe which included riding boots, riding pants, and soft, open necked shirts. Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director, producer, and actor. He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director who had been a director with the Edison Company. Cause of death. I'm ready for my close-up." Credits. DeMille: The Master of the American Biblical Epic . [148] Again, 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth became Paramount's highest-grossing film to that point. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. Cecil Blount deMille, 12 th August 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. [101], After five years and thirty hit films, DeMille became the American film industry's most successful director. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. - Death and the Maiden (1973) . However much I may dislike some of his pictures, it would be very silly of me, as a producer of commercial motion pictures, to demean for an instant his unparalleled skill as a maker of mass entertainment. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. [155], We have just lived through a war where our people were systematically executed. DeMille's primary criticism was of closed shops, but later included criticism of communism and unions in general. (He would later cast her in The Ten Commandments.) [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. [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Now he wants to make the life of Moses. 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. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. [156] Fifty-two of his features are silent films. She was born in Canada to a Scottish schoolteacher, Edward Gabriel Lester, and his Italian-Swiss wife, Cecile Bianca Bertha (Colani) Lester. [235] DeMille was also known for his use of special effects without the use of digital technology. [181] Henry was heavily influenced by the work of Charles Kingsley whose ideas trickled down to DeMille. 77. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. [5] DeMille was named after his grandmothers Cecelia Wolff and Margarete Blount. He suffered from a post-surgery infection from which he nearly did not recover, citing streptomycin as his saving grace. Profile of the Hollywood directing legend who became known for his "spectaculars." Learn how DeMille helped establish Hollywood as the movie-making capital o. [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. [41] His first play was The Pretender-A Play in a Prologue and 4 Acts set in seventeenth century Russia. For More Information . . DeMille claimed that MacPherson was not a good writer, but she received credit in his films because she gave him many ideas for the screenplays. [45] His 1905 performance in The Prince Chap as the Earl of Huntington was well received by audiences. [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. 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. The Enigmatic Pop Culture Professional. [50], DeMille was poor and struggled to find work. that DeMille found his greatest inspiration. He stated that The Ten Commandments was the final culmination of DeMille's style. Next, he would work with writers to develop the story that he was envisioning. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S., United States, is Film Director, Producer. [252], Despite his box-office success, awards, and artistic achievements, DeMille has been dismissed and ignored by critics both during his life and posthumously. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . During the French New Wave, critics began to categorize certain filmmakers as auteurs such as Howard Hawks, John Ford, and Raoul Walsh. With this year's Oscar nominations soon to be announced, we take a look back at his cinematic extraganzas. Early Life [128] He supported Herbert Hoover and in 1928 made his largest campaign donation to Hoover. retrieved. [73] There were problems; however, with the perforation of the film stock and it was discovered the DeMille had brought a cheap British film perforator which had punched in sixty-five holes per foot instead of the industry-standard of sixty-four. 22. [36][note 6], Film started becoming more sophisticated and the subsequent films of the Lasky company were criticized for primitive and unrealistic set design. Mrs. DeMille's office and library opened to the music room. The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. Find out about Cecil B DeMille's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! This prohibited denying anyone the right to work if they refuse to pay a political assessment, however, the law did not apply retroactively. The Sign of the Cross (1932) is said to be the first sound film to integrate all aspects of cinematic technique. [72] DeMille adapted Belasco's dramatic lighting techniques to film technology, mimicking moonlight with U.S. cinema's first attempts at "motivated lighting" in The Warrens of Virginia. [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. DeMille asked David Niven to star in the film, but it was never made. This is the earliest of DeMille's films available in a quality, color-tinted video format. [293] Two schools have been named after him: Cecil B. DeMille Middle School, in Long Beach, California, which was closed and demolished in 2010 to make way for a new high school;[294] and Cecil B. DeMille Elementary School in Midway City, California. [121], In 1932, DeMille returned to Paramount at the request of Lasky, bringing with him his own production unit. [102] Many of his films featured scenes in two-color Technicolor. Birthplace: Ashfield, MA Location of death: Hollywood, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Bu. 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. [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. DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and grew up in New York City. [248], According to Sam Goldwyn, critics did not like DeMille's films, but the audiences did and "they have the final word". [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. In the audience was Charles Frohman who would cast DeMille in his play Hearts are Trumps, DeMille's Broadway debut. Terrible. [14], DeMille's parents met as members of a music and literary society in New York. [32] Publicists wrote that he became an actor in order to learn how direct and produce, but DeMille admitted that he became an actor in order to pay the bills. [105] Consequently, DeMille left Paramount in 1924 despite having helped establish it. [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. 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. [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. Cecil B. DeMille didn't make the kind of movies that wind up in French film festivals. DeMille had adopted him to avoid revealing the affairs to William's wife. The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. Lasky and DeMille convinced film pioneer Siegmund Lubin of the Lubin Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia to have his experienced technicians reperforate the film [74] This was also the first American feature film; however, only by release date, as D. W. Griffith's Judith of Bethulia was filmed earlier than The Squaw Man, but released later. Consequently, the film was never made. The film was produced on a large budget of $600,000, the most expensive production at Paramount. [209][note 13], DeMille was known for autocratic behavior on the set, singling out and berating extras who were not paying attention. A lasting memory for DeMille was a lunch with his father and actor Edwin Booth. They also learned that other filmmakers were successfully shooting in Los Angeles, even in winter. [130] From 1936 to 1945, he produced, hosted, and directed all shows with the occasional exception of a guest director. 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 . Hot! [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. His silent films included social dramas, comedies, Westerns, farces, morality plays, and historical pageants. 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. In his address, he compares the exodus of the Israelites under Moses's direction to that of the Mormon . [157] Adolph Zukor convinced the board to change their minds on the grounds of morality. 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. [27] Before Henry deMille's death, Beatrice had "enthusiastically supported" her husband's theatrical aspirations. Broadway Actor. The sets and effects were so realistic that 30 extras needed to be hospitalized due to a scene with fireballs and flaming arrows. [149][150] DeMille signed a contract with Prentice Hall publishers in August 1953 to publish an autobiography. Cecil B. DeMille photo shoot. [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". However, throughout his career, he filmed comedies, periodic and contemporary romances, dramas, fantasies, propaganda, Biblical spectacles, musical comedies, suspense, and war films. Once there, he chose not to shoot in Edendale, where many studios were, but in Hollywood. [84] Throughout his career, DeMille would frequently remake his own films. DeMille was credited in small print as "based on an idea by Cecil DeMille". [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. Derided then . [84] Goldwyn was later fired from Famous Players-Lasky due to frequent clashes with Lasky, DeMille, and finally Zukor. [10] He worked as a playwright, administrator, and faculty member during the early years of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, established in New York City in 1884. [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.