Heart Ailment. Cecil DeMille's famous niece was named for her. In 1923, DeMille released a modern melodrama The Ten Commandments which was a significant change from his previous stint of irreligious films. [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 . He stands as one among the famous individuals for he was a creative filmmaker. This was, according to DeMille, the lowest point of his career. A lasting memory for DeMille was a lunch with his father and actor Edwin Booth. [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. [241] Religion was a theme that DeMille returned to throughout his career. 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 return was approved by Zukor under the condition that DeMille not exceed his production budget of $650,000 for The Sign of the Cross. He suffered from a post-surgery infection from which he nearly did not recover, citing streptomycin as his saving grace. This occurred with Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah. He was disliked by many inside and outside of the film industry for his cold and controlling reputation. December 26, 2014 at 3:45 p.m. As the keeper of her grandfather Cecil B. DeMille's legacy, Cecilia de Mille Presley is used to fielding calls from people who want to ask her questions, recruit . William deMille reluctantly became a story editor. His art was even shown at Paramount meetings when pitching new films. [10], Cecil B. DeMille's mother, Beatrice, a literary agent and scriptwriter, was the daughter of German Jews. Here we have a man who made a film praising the Jewish people, that tells of Samson, one of the legends of our Scripture. [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. Barbara Stanwyck. [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". It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. For More Information . Oscars 1950 - Honorary Award. He produced many flops. [39] In the summer of 1905 DeMille joined the stock cast at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. [225][226] DeMille was credited by actor Edward G. Robinson with saving his career following his eclipse in the Hollywood blacklist. Carl Laemmle anniversary 1931.JPG 1,473 1,161; 359 KB. 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 . [31] In 1901, DeMille starred in productions of A Repentance, To Have and to Hold, and Are You a Mason? [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. "[265] Said fellow director William Wellman: "Directorially, I think his pictures were the most horrible things I've ever seen in my life. Death: December 20, 1982 (68) Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. Cause of death. Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. Cemetery Name: Hollywood Forever Cemetery. 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. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. Credits. DeMille would stick to his large-budget spectaculars for the rest of his career. LOS ANGELES -- Cecilia de Mille Harper, daughter of pioneer film-director Cecil B. de Mille and one of the first child movie actresses, has died after a long battle with . [11] Henry deMille frequently collaborated with David Belasco in playwriting;[12] their best-known collaborations included "The Wife", "Lord Chumley", "The Charity Ball", and "Men and Women". 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. Robin Williams, 2005. Consequently, DeMille's television and radio appearance ban lasted for the remainder of his life, though he was permitted to appear on radio or television to publicize a movie. Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. [114] He was additionally vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles where he approved loans for other filmmakers. Covers. [228] In order to attract a high-class audience, DeMille based many of his early films on stage melodramas, novels, and short stories. 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. 1 reference. He is from USA. Cecil B. Demille papers (English) type of reference. He is particularly remembered for his 1956 film "The Ten Commandments", but made over 70 films throughout his long career. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. Explore Cecil B. DeMille's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. Legendary producer-director Cecil B. DeMille, (1) affectionately known as C.B., was a seminal cofounder of Hollywood and a progenitor of Paramount studio who became a mega-star of . "A dreadful showoff. [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. [169] DeMille attended the Santa Barbara premiere of The Buccaneer in December 1958. [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. [130] While DeMille was host, the show had forty million weekly listeners, gaining DeMille an annual salary of $100,000. [120] After his contract ended at MGM, he left, but no production studios would hire him. Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. [37] Despite his reputation for extramarital affairs, DeMille did not like to have affairs with his stars, as he believed it would cause him to lose control as a director. [129] DeMille also liked Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, finding him charismatic, tenacious, and intelligent and agreeing with Roosevelt's abhorrence of Prohibition. [261][262] He was known for his unique, working wardrobe which included riding boots, riding pants, and soft, open necked shirts. [278] As one of the establishing members of Paramount Pictures and co-founder of Hollywood, DeMille had a role in the development of the film industry. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. [251] Director Ridley Scott has been called "the Cecil B. DeMille of the digital era" due to his classical and medieval epics. [43] DeMille was credited with creating the premise of Belasco's The Return of Peter Grimm. In addition to his Best Picture Awards, he received an Academy Honorary Award for his film contributions, the Palme d'Or (posthumously) for Union Pacific (1939), a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. [275] Scorsese said he had viewed The Ten Commandments forty or fifty times. [272] DeMille's reputation had a renaissance in the 2010s. Compared to other directors, few film scholars have taken the time to academically analyze his films and style. DeMille had considered making the film himself. . He bought the rights to the novel in 1925, but abandoned the project in pre-production. She would die one year later. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. DeMille traveled abroad to find employment until he was offered a deal at Paramount. The Warrens of Virginia (1915) $500 /week. Alternative names DeMille, Cecil Blount Short description Film director: Date of birth August 12, 1881 Place of birth [149][150] DeMille signed a contract with Prentice Hall publishers in August 1953 to publish an autobiography. We should get down on our knees to Cecil and say "Thank you! The play was successful, and DeMille was distraught that his childhood idol had plagiarized his work. Henry, a . 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. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker. In the silent era, he was renowned for Male and Female (1919), Manslaughter (1922), The Volga Boatman (1926), and The Godless Girl (1928). [123] The Sign of the Cross was the first film to integrate all cinematic techniques. This was the first feature-length film made in Hollywood. [10] At the military college, even though his grades were average, he reportedly excelled in personal conduct. Cecil B. DeMille American film director (1881-1959) . We have estimated Cecil B. DeMille's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. *mother - Ashkenazi Jewish. Once there, he chose not to shoot in Edendale, where many studios were, but in Hollywood. While visually appealing, this made the films appear more old-fashioned. [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. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. [52] The collaboration of DeMille and Lasky produced a successful musical called California which opened in New York in January 1912. [62] They offered Farnum a choice to have a quarter stock in the company (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. He adapted several of Belasco's screenplays into film. He related a story that he maintained his self-control when Gloria Swanson sat on his lap, refusing to touch her. "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . [41] His first play was The Pretender-A Play in a Prologue and 4 Acts set in seventeenth century Russia. [271] DeMille was immortalized in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson spoke the line: "All right, Mr. DeMille. [59] Lasky and DeMille were said to have sketched out the organization of the company on the back of a restaurant menu. 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. [47] DeMille sometimes worked with the director E.H. Sothern, who influenced DeMille's later perfectionism in his work. DeMille himself directed twenty films by 1915. DeMille wanted to film in Canada; however, due to budget constraints, the film was instead shot in Oregon and Hollywood. Eventually, he became manager of the agency and later, a junior partner with his mother. education: American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, Pennsylvania Military College. They took time off weekly from film production to practice military drills. [206] Bernstein recalled that DeMille would scream, yell, or flatter, whatever it took to achieve the perfection he required in his films. [109] Eight of his films were "epics" with five of those classified as "Biblical". [46] Life was difficult for DeMille and his wife as traveling actors; however, traveling allowed him to experience part of the United States he had not yet seen. Consequently, he focused his efforts on his films' visuals. DeMille filming the "big Indian raid" of Call of the North. Birth place. Moreover, DeMille was audited by the Internal Revenue Service due to issues with his production company. Age. [84] His specific use of lighting, influenced by his mentor David Belasco, was for the purpose of creating "striking images" and heightening "dramatic situations". Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. DeMille left a physical legacy in 1923 when, on completing The Ten Commandments, he buried the Egyptian sets in the sand dunes of Guadalupe. imported from Wikimedia project. [5] DeMille was named after his grandmothers Cecelia Wolff and Margarete Blount. [73] Furthermore, DeMille influenced about half of Spielberg's films, including War of the Worlds. [84] Throughout his career, DeMille would frequently remake his own films. Cecil Blount deMille, 12 th August 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S. Ethnnicity: *father - English, small amounts of Scottish and Dutch, distant Belgian Flemish, remote Welsh. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. Famous Players-Lasky donated the films. [268] DeMille appeared as himself in numerous films, including the MGM comedy Free and Easy. The gathering drew 93,000, with short speeches by, While the film was a huge success, DeMille regretted that he could not share the success with his wife who had developed, The estate cycled through several different homeowners for the next 30 years until it was bought by American actress. With this year's Oscar nominations soon to be announced, we take a look back at his cinematic extraganzas. [171], Cecil B. DeMille suffered a series of heart attacks from June 1958 to January 1959,[168] and died on January 21, 1959, following an attack. . . Full name. However, Beatrice introduced Lasky to DeMille instead. [134] William Keighley was his replacement. 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. He also toured with the Standard Opera Company, but there are few records to indicate DeMille's singing ability. [189] In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, both DeMille's Samson and Delilah and 1923 version of The Ten Commandments received votes, but did not make the top 100 films. He was the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was named in his honor. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. Cecil B DeMille announced that his next production would be his biggest and most ambitious to date. [85][86] In addition to his Paradise, DeMille purchased a yacht in 1921 which he called The Seaward. Work period (start) 1899; Work period (end) 1959; Country of citizenship: [51] In 1911, DeMille became acquainted with vaudeville producer Jesse Lasky when Lasky was searching for a writer for his new musical. [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. Cause of death: Heart failure: Nationality: American: Occupation: Producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor: Years active: 1913-1959: Spouse(s) Constance Adams . Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. [321]:2123. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. [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. Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1873 July 17, 1960) actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil Blount DeMille. However, throughout his career, he filmed comedies, periodic and contemporary romances, dramas, fantasies, propaganda, Biblical spectacles, musical comedies, suspense, and war films. This allowed for the rapid production of his films in the early years of the Lasky Company. [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. 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.' . [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. Adams was 29 years old at the time of their marriage, eight years older than DeMille. [57] Having become disinterested in working in theatre, DeMille's passion for film was ignited when he watched the 1912 French film Les Amours de la reine lisabeth. [233] DeMille's 1956 version of The Ten Commandments, according to director Martin Scorsese, is renowned for its level of production and the care and detail that went into creating the film. 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 film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. "He was a thoroughly bad director," Huston said. [84] While on a European vacation in 1921, DeMille contracted rheumatic fever in Paris. The first 24 of his silent films were made in the first three years of his career (1913-1916). [18] DeMille and William collaborated on The Genius, The Royal Mounted, and After Five. [36] One of DeMille's affairs was with his screenwriter Jeanie MacPherson. 1. [89] DeMille was maintained as director-general and Goldwyn became chairman of the board. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. The film was considered a "masterpiece" and surpassed the quality of other sound films of the time. 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. 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. [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. Work period (start) . 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 . [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". DeMille directed The King of Kings (1927), a biography of Jesus, which gained approval for its sensitivity and reached more than 800million viewers. 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 However, the films of his silent era were often thematically different from the films of his sound era. 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. Director John Huston intensely disliked both DeMille and his films. [29] He fled the school to join the SpanishAmerican War, but failed to meet the age requirement. 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. Biography - A Short WikiDirector of the epic 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which featured Charlton Heston as Moses. Cecil Blount DeMille. The selection is made by the HFPA's board of . The Tikah still made a few trade canoes into the early 20th Century. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Cecil B. DeMille. He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director who had been a director with the Edison Company. Self - The Real FBI Story (2017) . [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. [117] He also popularized the camera crane. Early Life It was commercially very successful. [72] DeMille's next project was to aid Oscar Apfel and directing Brewster's Millions, which was wildly successful. [320], Filmography obtained from Fifty Hollywood Directors. [16] He gained his love of theater while watching his father and Belasco rehearse their plays. Frequent actors and actresses on the show included Barbara Stanwyck, Claudette Colbert, Loretta Young, Don Ameche, and Fred MacMurray. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. Here is all you want to know, and more! "[266] Producer David O. Selznick wrote: "There has appeared only one Cecil B. DeMille. (TV Special) Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient 1963-1964 Password (TV Series) Self - Celebrity Contestant / Self - James Stewart vs . Finally, he would leave the script with artists and allow them to create artistic depictions and renderings of each scene. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. Although he is one of the most commercially successful film directors of all time, Cecil B. DeMille has for a long time been considered at best a director of . [105] Consequently, DeMille left Paramount in 1924 despite having helped establish it. On January 8, 1893, at age 40, Henry de Mille died suddenly from typhoid fever, leaving Beatrice with three children. Terrible. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. 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. [9] DeMille's father was also an English teacher at Columbia College (now Columbia University). [161] Post-production lasted a year and the film premiered in Salt Lake City. The 1956 film was a partial remake of an earlier silent . He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. [256] Meanwhile, Sumiko Higashi sees DeMille as "not only a figure who was shaped and influenced by the forces of his era but as a filmmaker who left his own signature on the culture industry. Billy Jim Hawkins . He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. [68] He continued to Los Angeles. [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". Sunset Blvd. Further illustrated by his home life, DeMille required formality and politeness at home. [102] Many of his films featured scenes in two-color Technicolor. [281] However, not everyone received DeMille's religious films favorably. He graduated in 1900, and for graduation, his performance was the play The Arcady Trail. [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. Many of these displays were thought to be staged, however, as an exercise in discipline. . [130] From 1936 to 1945, he produced, hosted, and directed all shows with the occasional exception of a guest director. William had been a successful playwright, but DeMille was suffering from the failure of his plays The Royal Mounted and The Genius. Right here at FameChain. [175][176] His personal will drew a line between Cecilia and his three adopted children, with Cecilia receiving a majority of DeMille's inheritance and estate. 1. [69] DeMille rented a barn to function as their film studio. They continued filming in 1955 in Paris and Hollywood on 30 different sound stages. Consequently, his mother hired him for her agency The DeMille Play Company and taught him how to be an agent and a playwright. DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood.
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