He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. Golden Globes 1953 - Best Director and Best . According to Simon Louvish, these films reflected DeMille's inner thoughts and opinions about marriage and human sexuality. The star was being honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award, which was presented to her by Reese Witherspoon, her co-star in the upcoming Disney film A Wrinkle in Time. Cecil B. DeMille Born: 1881-08-12, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA Education: NY Academy of Dramatic Arts Ethnicity: Caucasian Death Date:-0001-11-30 . [62] They offered Farnum a choice to have a quarter stock in the company (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. Alternative names DeMille, Cecil Blount Short description Film director: Date of birth August 12, 1881 Place of birth [113][295] The former film building at Chapman University in Orange, California, is named in honor of DeMille. . DeMille directed The King of Kings (1927), a biography of Jesus, which gained approval for its sensitivity and reached more than 800million viewers. [274] DeMille has influenced the careers of many modern directors. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. 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. [180] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Hijo del dramaturgo Henry Churchill DeMille, en cuyas obras particip durante su infancia y primera adolescencia, curs . 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. Next, he would work with writers to develop the story that he was envisioning. The continued success of his productions led to the founding of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor. Sitting in an IMAX Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film, The Buccaneer was a disappointment. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. He went before the Paramount board of directors, which was mostly Jewish-American. Zukor became president with Lasky as the vice president. [275] Scorsese said he had viewed The Ten Commandments forty or fifty times. [41] DeMille and his brother at times worked with the legendary impresario David Belasco, who had been a friend and collaborator of their father. [225][226] DeMille was credited by actor Edward G. Robinson with saving his career following his eclipse in the Hollywood blacklist. [89] DeMille was maintained as director-general and Goldwyn became chairman of the board. Full name. He adapted several of Belasco's screenplays into film. [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". Alfred Hitchcock cited DeMille's 1921 film Forbidden Fruit as an influence of his work and one of his top ten favorite films. [169] DeMille attended the Santa Barbara premiere of The Buccaneer in December 1958. [232] In the early age of cinema, DeMille differentiated the Lasky Company from other production companies due to the use of dramatic, low-key lighting they called "Lasky lighting" and marketed as "Rembrandt lighting" to appeal to the public. DeMille liked to sail and dive; he had several boats throughout his lifetime. He was entombed at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever). DeMille also was planning a film about the space race as well as another biblical epic about the Book of Revelation. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. Beatrice became a play broker and author's agent, influencing DeMille's early life and career. In this way, the characters' thoughts and desires are the visual focus rather than the circumstances regarding the physical scene. [5] DeMille was named after his grandmothers Cecelia Wolff and Margarete Blount. Furthermore, DeMille's film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Story. [27] Before Henry deMille's death, Beatrice had "enthusiastically supported" her husband's theatrical aspirations. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. DeMille told the actor that he was "one hundred percent yellow". [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. She was born in Canada to a Scottish schoolteacher, Edward Gabriel Lester, and his Italian-Swiss wife, Cecile Bianca Bertha (Colani) Lester. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. His family's, DeMille's niece and William deMille's daughter. "[266] Producer David O. Selznick wrote: "There has appeared only one Cecil B. DeMille. Long before he made his first sound picture, DeMille had become a cinema . 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. [160] The Exodus scene was filmed on-site in Egypt with the use of four Technicolor-VistaVision camera filming 12,000 people. His tentative plan was to shoot a film in Arizona, but he felt that Arizona did not typify the Western look they were searching for. Robin Williams, 2005. 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. DeMille was painstakingly attentive to details on set and was as critical of himself as he was of his crew. [271] DeMille was immortalized in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson spoke the line: "All right, Mr. DeMille. "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. [102] Many of his films featured scenes in two-color Technicolor. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. [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. However, Sam Goldwyn realized that if they called it "Rembrandt" lighting, the audience would pay double the price. Sarris added that despite the influence of styles of contemporary directors throughout his career, DeMille's style remained unchanged. View the latest Cecil B. DeMille photos. Name Constance DeMille Cause of death pneumonia: Born April 27, 1874 . [33] They had met in a theater in Washington D.C. while they were both acting in Hearts Are Trumps. Cecil B. DeMille real name: Cecil Blount DeMille Height: 5'11''(in feet & inches) 1.8034(m) 180.34(cm) , Birthdate(Birthday): August 12, 1881 , Age on January 21, 1959 (Death date): 77 Years 5 Months 9 Days Profession: Movies (Director), Also working as: Producer, Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Actor, Father: Henry Churchill de Mille, Mother: Matilda Beatrice deMille, Married: Yes, Children: Yes [40], His brother William was establishing himself as a playwright and sometimes invited him to collaborate. [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. Gender. 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. He is from USA. [213] DeMille did receive help in his films, notably from Alvin Wyckoff who shot forty-three of DeMille's films;[80] brother William deMille who would occasionally serve as his screenwriter;[82] and Jeanie Macpherson, who served as DeMille's exclusive screenwriter for fifteen years;[214] and Eddie Salven, DeMille's favorite assistant director. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. [91] Although DeMille considered enlisting in World War I, he stayed in the United States and made films. [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. Beatrice DeMille's family was not in attendance, and Simon Louvish suggests that this was to conceal DeMille's partial Jewish heritage. 77. Charlie Chaplin lived next door for a time, and after he moved, DeMille purchased the other house and combined the estates. [172], DeMille received two Academy Awards: an Honorary Award for "37 years of brilliant showmanship" in 1950[313] and a Best Picture award in 1953 for The Greatest Show on Earth. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. They screened four of his films at Christ Church, where DeMille and his family attended church when they lived there. He directed 70 feature films, beginning in the silent era . His last and best known film, The Ten Commandments (1956), also a Best Picture Academy Award nominee, is currently the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation. 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 . Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. 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 . [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. [22] Agnes would die on February 11, 1894, at the age of three from spinal meningitis. Consequently, he focused his efforts on his films' visuals. 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. They struggled to adapt the play from the stage to the set. [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. [279][280] DeMille received more than a dozen awards from Christian and Jewish religious and cultural groups, including B'nai B'rith. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. [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. [28] On Henry DeMille's deathbed, he told his wife that he did not want his sons to become playwrights. date of death. Birthplace: Ashfield, MA Location of death: Hollywood, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Bu. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. [207] Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins, who worked with DeMille on The Ten Commandments (1956), said that he was skilled in humiliating people. [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". But they have inspired cutting edge directors including Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. [115] In 1916, DeMille purchased a mansion in Hollywood. [78] In December 1914, Constance Adams brought home John DeMille, a fifteen-month-old, whom the couple legally adopted three years later. [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. [149][150] DeMille signed a contract with Prentice Hall publishers in August 1953 to publish an autobiography. He began his career with reserved yet brilliant melodramas; from there, his style developed into marital comedies with outrageously melodramatic plots. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. William deMille reluctantly became a story editor. DeMille achieved international recognition for his unique use of lighting and color tint in his film The Cheat. people have heard of the Ten Commandments. [15], DeMille was a brave and confident child. As DeMille continued to rely on Groesbeck, the nervous energy of his early films transformed into more steady compositions of his later films. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. Cecil Blount DeMille. Despite its quick turnaround, the film was fairly successful. 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. He was a Freemason who remained a member of Prince of Orange Lodge #16 in New York . The picture of her husband was taken in 1916, the year they bought the house, when he was 35 and an increasingly active and . [168] DeMille was unable to attend the Los Angeles premiere of The Buccaneer. I'm ready for my close-up." Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. Moreover, DeMille's epics inspired directors such as Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and George Stevens to try producing epics. [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. [304] Additionally, in 1958, he received an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Temple University. [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. [218][219] DeMille cast some of his performers repeatedly, including: Henry Wilcoxon,[220] Julia Faye, Joseph Schildkraut,[221] Ian Keith,[222] Charles Bickford,[223] Theodore Roberts, Akim Tamiroff[224] and William Boyd. Once there, he chose not to shoot in Edendale, where many studios were, but in Hollywood. During the French New Wave, critics began to categorize certain filmmakers as auteurs such as Howard Hawks, John Ford, and Raoul Walsh. [130] While DeMille was host, the show had forty million weekly listeners, gaining DeMille an annual salary of $100,000. [307] In the same ceremony, DeMille received a nomination from Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for The Greatest Show on Earth. [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. Cecil B. DeMille, in full Cecil Blount DeMille, (born August 12, 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S.died January 21, 1959, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California), American motion-picture producer-director whose use of spectacle attracted vast audiences and made him a dominant figure in Hollywood for almost five decades. DeMille, Cecil B. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. This Day and Age and Four Frightened People were box office disappointments, though Four Frightened People received good reviews. This prohibited denying anyone the right to work if they refuse to pay a political assessment, however, the law did not apply retroactively. Film Director. [31] In 1901, DeMille starred in productions of A Repentance, To Have and to Hold, and Are You a Mason? [38], In 1902, he played a small part in Hamlet. Immediate Family: Biological son of Gus Gonzales and Ada Piper. [82] Additionally, because of DeMille's cordiality after the Peter Grimm incident, DeMille was able to rekindle his partnership with Belasco. Chromium is a mineral that is found in a number of foods, such as meat, vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts. Finally, he would leave the script with artists and allow them to create artistic depictions and renderings of each scene. Produced in eight weeks without exceeding budget, the film was financially successful. [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. Cecil B. Demille papers (English) type of reference. Cecil B. DeMille. In addition to winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field, Sidney also received a BAFTA award for The Defiant Ones, a Golden Globe for Lilies of the Field, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, among other awards and nominations. [191] DeMille was the first director to connect art to filmmaking; he created the title of "art director" on the film set. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. . In March 1938, he underwent a major emergency prostatectomy. Cecil B DeMille Bio Details. 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). However, Beatrice introduced Lasky to DeMille instead. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. The Ten Commandments gave the director a chance to play God, to film miracles. 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. 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. She had a Southern drawl which she never lost. [132] DeMille would never again work on radio. vigilantes and fulminating fanatics suffering flock shock and who wanted to shut down 1920s Hollywood because of the cause clbre scandals . [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. . Self - Actor, The F.B.I. He was disliked by many inside and outside of the film industry for his cold and controlling reputation. [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. However, others interpreted DeMille's work as visually impressive, thrilling, and nostalgic. However, his earlier films The Captive, Kindling, Carmen, and The Whispering Chorus are more serious films. [153] Besides filmmaking and finishing his autobiography, DeMille was involved in other projects. Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. Director John Huston intensely disliked both DeMille and his films. 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. 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. [241] Religion was a theme that DeMille returned to throughout his career. [39] Another unperformed play he wrote was Son of the Winds, a mythological Native American story. 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). Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. Cecil was 77 years old at the time of death. [317], Two of DeMille's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Cheat (1915) and The Ten Commandments (1956). Eventually, he became manager of the agency and later, a junior partner with his mother. This concerned the executives at Paramount; however, the film turned out to be the studio's highest-grossing film. [123] The Sign of the Cross was the first film to integrate all cinematic techniques. [142] Jeanie MacPherson would work as a scriptwriter for many of DeMille's films. He was the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was named in his honor. He was so eager to produce the film, that he hadn't yet read the novel. He called this place, "Paradise", declaring it a wildlife sanctuary; no shooting of animals was allowed besides snakes. Maude Fealy would appear as the featured actress in several productions that summer and would develop a lasting friendship with DeMille. [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". Cause of death. is the 10th plague, in which the Angel of Death is imagined as a thick . However, DeMille's second remake at MGM in 1931 would be a failure. 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. [59] Lasky and DeMille were said to have sketched out the organization of the company on the back of a restaurant menu. [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. [309][310][note 17] For his contribution to the motion picture and radio industry, DeMille has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Born in 1881, DeMille made his directorial debut with "The Squaw Man" (1914), a story he remade in 1918 and 1931 . [132], DeMille sued the union for reinstatement but lost. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. 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. . [88] On July 19, 1916, the Jesse Lasky Feature Play Company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company, becoming Famous Players-Lasky. "[132] Consequently, he had to resign from the radio show. [140][note 8] While concurrently filmmaking, he served in World War II at the age of sixty as his neighborhood air-raid warden. [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. DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood. [72] He made his first film run sixty minutes, as long as a short play. In the audience was Charles Frohman who would cast DeMille in his play Hearts are Trumps, DeMille's Broadway debut. [62] When William found out that DeMille had begun working in the motion picture industry, he wrote DeMille a letter, disappointed that he was willing "to throw away [his] future" when he was "born and raised in the finest traditions of the theater". [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. [80] The first few years of the Lasky Company were spent in making films nonstop, literally writing the language of film. Death: December 20, 1982 (68) Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. He debuted as an actor on February 21, 1900, in the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater. [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. [155], We have just lived through a war where our people were systematically executed. 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 September 17, 1914. The sets and effects were so realistic that 30 extras needed to be hospitalized due to a scene with fireballs and flaming arrows. [47] DeMille sometimes worked with the director E.H. Sothern, who influenced DeMille's later perfectionism in his work. 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. Radford, Bill. Henry was a tall, red-headed student. [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. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S., United States, is Film Director, Producer. Let's take a look back at 20 of his greatest movies, ranked worst to best. [170] DeMille's autobiography was mostly completed by the time DeMille died and was published in November 1959. [156] DeMille did not have an exact budget proposal for the project,[158] and it promised to be the most costly in U.S. film history. Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director, producer, and actor. He attempted to create a guild of a half a dozen directors with the same creative desires called the Director's Guild. Here we have a man who made a film praising the Jewish people, that tells of Samson, one of the legends of our Scripture. She would die one year later. Cecil B. DeMille didn't make the kind of movies that wind up in French film festivals. 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. [296] During the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin refers to himself in one instance as "Cecil B. DeAldrin", as a humorous nod to DeMille. [187] It is difficult to typify DeMille's films into one specific genre. [298][299], DeMille's legacy is maintained by his granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley who serves as the president of the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation, which strives to support higher education, child welfare, and film in Southern California. DeMille served as executive producer but could not improve Quinn's style of direction. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. A lasting memory for DeMille was a lunch with his father and actor Edwin Booth. 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 ).