For More Information . The Enigmatic Pop Culture Professional. List of the best Cecil B. DeMille movies: The Ten Commandments(1956), The Godless Girl(1929), The Golden Bed(1925), Union Pacific(1939), Unconquered(1947), Male and Female(1919), The Plainsman(1936), The Whispering Chorus(1918), The Ten Commandments(1923), Samson and Delilah(1949), The Story of Dr. Wassell(1944), Reap the Wild Wind(1942 . Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. [90], During World War I, the Famous Players-Lasky organized a military company underneath the National Guard called the Home Guard made up of film studio employees with DeMille as captain. [32] At the age of twenty-one, Cecil B. DeMille married Constance Adams on August 16, 1902, at Adams's father's home in East Orange, New Jersey. [109] Western and frontier American were also themes that DeMille returned to throughout his career. 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.. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Chromium is a mineral that is found in a number of foods, such as meat, vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts. Cecil B DeMille announced that his next production would be his biggest and most ambitious to date. Cause of Death: Heart failure. [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. [145] After working on Reap the Wild Wind, in 1944, he was the master of ceremonies at the massive rally organized by David O. Selznick in the Los Angeles Coliseum in support of the DeweyBricker ticket as well as Governor Earl Warren of California. Sitting in an IMAX Cecil B. Demille - Turner Classic Movies However, Birchard acknowledged that Sarris's point was more likely that DeMille's style was behind the development of film as an art form. [10] At the military college, even though his grades were average, he reportedly excelled in personal conduct. [138] Despite the criticism, it was Paramount's highest-grossing film of the year. In his first instance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), only waiting four years from the 1914 original. Cecil B. DeMille (Filmmaker and Director) - On This Day [71] Apfel filmed most of The Squaw Man due to DeMille's inexperience; however, DeMille learned quickly and was particularly adept at impromptu screenwriting as necessary. Still, the members unanimously approved it. Cecil B. DeMille Birthday, Real Name, Age, Weight, Height, Family Name Constance DeMille Cause of death pneumonia: Born April 27, 1874 . [231][note 14] The Ten Commandments inspired DreamWorks Animation's later film about Moses, The Prince of Egypt. 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. [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Alternative names DeMille, Cecil Blount Short description Film director: Date of birth August 12, 1881 Place of birth [137] Following his surgery and the success of Union Pacific, in 1940, DeMille first used three-strip Technicolor in North West Mounted Police. [159] The Ten Commandments, released in 1956, was DeMille's final film. In March 1938, he underwent a major emergency prostatectomy. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1873 - July 17, 1960) was an American actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille. [241] Religion was a theme that DeMille returned to throughout his career. View the latest Cecil B. DeMille photos. DeMille's designs, most notably his design of the distinctive cadet parade uniform, won praise from Air Force and Academy leadership, were ultimately adopted, and are still worn by cadets. [315] He was further nominated in the Best Picture category for The Ten Commandments at the 1957 Academy Awards. Cecil B. DeMille movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best people have heard of the Ten Commandments. [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. The second star is located at 1725 Vine Street. 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. Cecil Blount DeMille was a legendary. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. Henry was a tall, red-headed student. [112] He was also a real estate speculator,[113] an underwriter of political campaigns, and vice president of Bank of America. [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. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. Constance Adams DeMille - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia 77. "[132] Consequently, he had to resign from the radio show. date of death. [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. 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. 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. Robin Williams, 2005. Cecil B. DeMille was a master of spectacle. [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". Character actor H. B. Warner was fifty, but looked Thirty was cast as Christ, and gives a gently . [187] E.H. Sothern's early influence on DeMille's work can be seen in DeMille's perfectionism. Despite its quick turnaround, the film was fairly successful. Profile of the Hollywood directing legend who became known for his "spectaculars." Learn how DeMille helped establish Hollywood as the movie-making capital o. 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. [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. Broadway Actor. is the 10th plague, in which the Angel of Death is imagined as a thick . Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. The 5 Best Cecil B. DeMille Movies, Ranked Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. Angelina Jolie's historic new home matches over-the-top life In the audience was Charles Frohman who would cast DeMille in his play Hearts are Trumps, DeMille's Broadway debut. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. He then appealed to the California Supreme Court and lost again. [33] They had met in a theater in Washington D.C. while they were both acting in Hearts Are Trumps. 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 ). [43] DeMille was credited with creating the premise of Belasco's The Return of Peter Grimm. Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. Cecil B. DeMille Born: 1881-08-12, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA Education: NY Academy of Dramatic Arts Ethnicity: Caucasian Death Date:-0001-11-30 . DeMille developed a plan with his doctor to allow him to continue directing while reducing his physical stress. [21] DeMille's sister Agnes was born on April 23, 1891; his mother nearly did not survive the birth. [320], Filmography obtained from Fifty Hollywood Directors. Biography - A Short WikiDirector of the epic 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which featured Charlton Heston as Moses. [249] Similarly, scholar David Blanke, argued that DeMille had lost the respect of his colleagues and film critics by his late film career. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. [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. Its interracial love story made it commercially successful and it first publicized Hollywood as the home of the U.S. film industry. [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. Cecil B. DeMille Pictures - Cecil B. DeMille Photo Gallery - 2022 Cecil B. DeMille American film director (1881-1959) . Work period (start) . [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. [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". They were even required to expand to RKO sound studios for filming. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. [32] From 1904 to 1905, DeMille attempted to make a living as a stock theatre actor with his wife Constance. [193], DeMille rarely gave direction to actors; he preferred to "office-direct" where he would work with actors in his office, going over characters and reading through scripts. [165] This film would be his last. Cecil B DeMille ~ Life Story & Biography with Photos | Videos He was entombed at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever). Cause of death. [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. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. [103] It held the Paramount record for twenty-five years until DeMille broke the record again himself. Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille discovered the possibilities of the "bathroom" or "boudoir" in film without being "vulgar" or "cheap". 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 This occurred with Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah. . Recommended For You. These films represent those which DeMille produced or assisted in directing, credited or uncredited. 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 [] His daughter Cecilia took over as director as DeMille sat behind the camera with Loyal Griggs as the cinematographer. Read More Having emerged as a potent force during the birth of Hollywood, director Cecil B. DeMille was a crucial figure in the early development of the classic Hollywood narrative filmmaking style. [39] Another unperformed play he wrote was Son of the Winds, a mythological Native American story. [279][280] DeMille received more than a dozen awards from Christian and Jewish religious and cultural groups, including B'nai B'rith. Groesbeck's art was circulated on set to give actors and crew members a better understanding of DeMille's vision. [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". [202] DeMille was unique in using this technique. At least one DeMille film can represent each film genre. 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. After the death of William deMille, DeMille revealed to Richard DeMille that William was his father and he had been born to William and a mistress. [183] DeMille's father worked with David Belasco theatrical producer, impresario, and playwright. Full name. Although less critically revered than D.W. Griffith, DeMille actually played a more important role in . DeMille liked to sail and dive; he had several boats throughout his lifetime. Along with biblical and historical narratives, he also directed films oriented toward "neo-naturalism", which tried to portray the laws of man fighting the forces of nature. Director John Huston intensely disliked both DeMille and his films. 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. Eventually, he became manager of the agency and later, a junior partner with his mother. Farnum chose $250 per week. But he put on pictures that made a fortune. [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. [153] Besides filmmaking and finishing his autobiography, DeMille was involved in other projects. [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. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. "[156], Alfred Zukor responding to DeMille's proposal of The Ten Commandments remake, In 1952, DeMille sought approval for a lavish remake of his 1923 silent film The Ten Commandments. "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. [130] From 1936 to 1945, he produced, hosted, and directed all shows with the occasional exception of a guest director. Additionally, he often starred in prologues and special trailers that he created for his films, having an opportunity to personally address the audience. Explore Cecil B. DeMille's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. [49] DeMille had a daughter, Cecilia, on November 5, 1908, who would be his only biological child. [306] DeMille received a Golden Globe Award for Best Director[314] and was additionally nominated for the Best Director category at the 1953 Academy Awards for the same film. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. Cecil B DeMille & Unknown Married, Children, Joint Family Tree [164] Although DeMille completed the film, his health was diminished by several more heart attacks. His family's, DeMille's niece and William deMille's daughter. 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. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. (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.". Cecil B. DeMille's "Ten Commandments" is getting appropriately colossal treatment in honor of its 55th anniversary. The Roaring Twenties were the boom years and DeMille took full advantage, opening the Mercury Aviation Company, one of America's first commercial airlines. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". How Artisans Brought Cecil B. DeMille's Famous Train Crash to Life in [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. 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. [134] William Keighley was his replacement. His art was even shown at Paramount meetings when pitching new films. 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. Next, he would work with writers to develop the story that he was envisioning. Henry, a . [304] Additionally, in 1958, he received an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Temple University. retrieved. [79][note 3], Cecil B. DeMille's second film credited exclusively to him was The Virginian. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. However, he would never again vote for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election. 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..