[245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. [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. [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. [citation needed] He was known as anti-union and worked to prevent unionizing of film production studios. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker. The Roaring Twenties were the boom years and DeMille took full advantage, opening the Mercury Aviation Company, one of America's first commercial airlines. 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 adapted several of Belasco's screenplays into film. In his address, he compares the exodus of the Israelites under Moses's direction to that of the Mormon . 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.. It was produced with a large budget and contained many special effects including an electronically operated giant squid. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. [163], On November 7, 1954, while in Egypt filming the Exodus sequence for The Ten Commandments, DeMille (who was seventy-three) climbed a 107-foot (33m) ladder to the top of the massive Per Rameses set and suffered a serious heart attack. [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. However, the idea failed due to lack of funding and commitment. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. To provide for her family, she opened the Henry C. DeMille School for Girls in her home in February 1893. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. Next, he would work with writers to develop the story that he was envisioning. [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. 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. His art was even shown at Paramount meetings when pitching new films. 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. Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. DeMille's mother sent him to Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University) in Chester, Pennsylvania, at age 15. [181] Henry was heavily influenced by the work of Charles Kingsley whose ideas trickled down to DeMille. [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. DeMille had considered making the film himself. Furthermore, DeMille argued with Zukor over his extravagant and over-budget production costs. A documentary titled. [215][216][217] He also cast established stars such as Gary Cooper, Robert Preston, Paulette Goddard and Fredric March in multiple pictures. Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. [73] Furthermore, DeMille influenced about half of Spielberg's films, including War of the Worlds. 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. MGM distributed the film in 1941 and donated profits to World War II relief charities. [118] His first three sound films were produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. This prohibited denying anyone the right to work if they refuse to pay a political assessment, however, the law did not apply retroactively. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. William had been a successful playwright, but DeMille was suffering from the failure of his plays The Royal Mounted and The Genius. "[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. [47] In 1907, due to a scandal with one of Beatrice's students, Evelyn Nesbit, the Henry deMille School lost students. However, his earlier films The Captive, Kindling, Carmen, and The Whispering Chorus are more serious films. It was commercially very successful. He directed and produced four films on his own, working with Producers Distributing Corporation because he found front office supervision too restricting. [65] Already $15,000 in debt to Royle for the screenplay of The Squaw Man, Lasky's relatives bought the $5,000 stock to save the Lasky Company from bankruptcy. To diseased proportions. He stated that The Ten Commandments was the final culmination of DeMille's style. DeMille was variously declared 'the master of the religious epic', 14. the 'arch apostle of spectacle', 15. and the 'King of the epic Biblical spectacular', 16. as also Henry was a tall, red-headed student. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. He was entombed at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever). Birthplace: Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming, United States. [29] He fled the school to join the SpanishAmerican War, but failed to meet the age requirement. d. 21 st January 1959, Hollywood, California, USA. Still, it was a huge success at the box office. Here is all you want to know, and more! Story 2018 . Cecil DeMille's famous niece was named for her. He initially sought out William deMille. 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. . The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. 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 . Compared to other directors, few film scholars have taken the time to academically analyze his films and style. DeMille served as executive producer but could not improve Quinn's style of direction. He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director who had been a director with the Edison Company. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. On the day of DeMille's death, President McKay sent a telegram to the DeMille family stating that DeMille "merits the welcome, 'well done that good and faithful servant; enter thou into the rest prepared for the just.' . 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. The wedding party was small. [41] DeMille and his brother at times worked with the legendary impresario David Belasco, who had been a friend and collaborator of their father. [53] Another DeMille-Lasky production that opened in January 1912 was The Antique Girl. 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. The continued success of his productions led to the founding of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor. [136] During pre-production of Union Pacific, DeMille was dealing with his first serious health issue. DeMille's highest-grossing films include: The Sign of the Cross (1932), Unconquered (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and The Ten Commandments (1956). Here we have a man who made a film praising the Jewish people, that tells of Samson, one of the legends of our Scripture. Cecil B. DeMille photo shoot. Early Life Red carpet photos. Further illustrated by his home life, DeMille required formality and politeness at home. Cause of Death. They took time off weekly from film production to practice military drills. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. [72] DeMille's next project was to aid Oscar Apfel and directing Brewster's Millions, which was wildly successful. Media in category "Cecil B. DeMille" The following 53 files are in this category, out of 53 total. [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. [301][302], Cecil B. DeMille received many awards and honors, especially later in his career. [259] He cultivated the image of the omnipotent director,[260] complete with megaphone, riding crop, and jodhpurs. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. On January 8, 1893, at age 40, Henry de Mille died suddenly from typhoid fever, leaving Beatrice with three children. DeMille's film The Affairs of Anatol came under fire. The Tikah still made a few trade canoes into the early 20th Century. imported from Wikimedia project. But they have inspired cutting edge directors including Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. DeMille liked to sail and dive; he had several boats throughout his lifetime. Cecil Blount DeMille was a founder of the Hollywood motion-picture industry, one of the most commercially successful producer-directors of his time, and one of the most influential filmmakers in history. William deMille would later convert from theater to Hollywood and would spend the rest of his career as a film director. 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. 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. [289] The Dunes Center in Guadalupe, California contains an exhibition of artifacts uncovered in the desert near Guadalupe from DeMille's set of his 1923 version of The Ten Commandments, known as the "Lost City of Cecil B. However, Sam Goldwyn realized that if they called it "Rembrandt" lighting, the audience would pay double the price. [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. Then, he would help writers construct a script. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. [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. [300] In 1963, the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation donated the "Paradise" ranch to the Hathaway Foundation, which cares for emotionally disturbed and abused children. [28] On Henry DeMille's deathbed, he told his wife that he did not want his sons to become playwrights. [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. 21 January 1959. [179][note 12], DeMille believed his first influences to be his parents, Henry and Beatrice DeMille. [180] His playwright father introduced him to the theater at a young age. In his first instance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), only waiting four years from the 1914 original. Chromium. [209][note 13], DeMille was known for autocratic behavior on the set, singling out and berating extras who were not paying attention. We have estimated Cecil B. DeMille's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 and died in 2000 De Mille Drive, Hollywood, California due to Heart failure due to a series of heart attacks on January 21, 1959. . [117] He also popularized the camera crane. [283] In response to the claims, DeMille donated some of the profits from The King of Kings to charity. [208] DeMille had an authoritarian persona on set; he required absolute attention from the cast and crew. In addition to his use of volatile and abrupt film editing, his lighting and composition were innovative for the time period as filmmakers were primarily concerned with a clear, realistic image. [159] The Ten Commandments, released in 1956, was DeMille's final film. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. He directed 70 feature films, beginning in the silent era . Recent images. According to Simon Louvish, these films reflected DeMille's inner thoughts and opinions about marriage and human sexuality. [275] Scorsese said he had viewed The Ten Commandments forty or fifty times. He debuted as an actor on February 21, 1900, in the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater. [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. [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. DeMille used clips from his own films in Land of Liberty. [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. Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. DeMille developed a plan with his doctor to allow him to continue directing while reducing his physical stress. 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 Captive (1915) $500 /week. The first, for radio contributions, is located at 6240 Hollywood Blvd. - Death and the Maiden (1973) . Derided then . [187] E.H. Sothern's early influence on DeMille's work can be seen in DeMille's perfectionism. [132] DeMille would never again work on radio. Cecil Blount Demille, known as Cecil B. DeMille, was a pioneering film director - in both silent and sound movies.Starting in 1913, he became a dominant force in the Hollywood film industry for 40 years. Film Director. [321]:2123. The play was successful, and DeMille was distraught that his childhood idol had plagiarized his work. [10], Cecil B. DeMille's mother, Beatrice, a literary agent and scriptwriter, was the daughter of German Jews. DeMille's trademark scenes included bathtubs, lion attacks, and Roman orgies. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. [109] Western and frontier American were also themes that DeMille returned to throughout his career. [106] His first film in the new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation, was The Road to Yesterday in 1925. [115] In 1916, DeMille purchased a mansion in Hollywood. Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. He was the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was named in his honor. Cecil B. DeMille American film director (1881-1959) . [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". While visually appealing, this made the films appear more old-fashioned. [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. 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 traveled abroad to find employment until he was offered a deal at Paramount. [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. 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. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. Despite the urging of his associate producer, DeMille wanted to return to the set right away. [201], DeMille experimented in his early films with photographic light and shade which created dramatic shadows instead of glare. [261][262] He was known for his unique, working wardrobe which included riding boots, riding pants, and soft, open necked shirts. Friday 12 Aug 1881. [59] Lasky and DeMille were said to have sketched out the organization of the company on the back of a restaurant menu. Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. However, Beatrice introduced Lasky to DeMille instead. 10 June 2021. [148] Again, 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth became Paramount's highest-grossing film to that point. [69] DeMille rented a barn to function as their film studio. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. [60] In addition to directing, DeMille was the supervisor and consultant for the first year of films made by the Lasky Feature Play Company. [204] As DeMille's career progressed, he increasingly relied on artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck's concept, costume, and storyboard art. [194] DeMille was particularly adept at directing and managing large crowds in his films. He claimed he abandoned the project in order to complete a different project, but in reality, it was to preserve his reputation and avoid appearing reactionary. DeMille studied famous paintings that captured the life of Christ and brought them to the screen. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. (He would later cast her in The Ten Commandments.) He produced or directed about 80 movies - including The Ten Commandments (1956), a movie in the 'epic' genre for which he is probably best known today. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. Cecil B DeMille Bio Details. [130] While DeMille was host, the show had forty million weekly listeners, gaining DeMille an annual salary of $100,000. [168] DeMille was unable to attend the Los Angeles premiere of The Buccaneer.
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