Cecil Blount DeMille | Encyclopedia.com Cecil B. DeMille Death Fact Check, Birthday & Date of Death [8] Henry de Mille, whose ancestors were of English and Dutch-Belgian descent, was a North Carolina-born dramatist, actor, and lay reader in the Episcopal Church. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. [41] However, none of these were very successful; William deMille was most successful when he worked alone. Any problems on the set were often fixed by writers in the office rather than on the set. Cecil B. DeMille's granddaughter writes new book DeMille had adopted him to avoid revealing the affairs to William's wife. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. [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. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. DeMille". [231] Cecil B. DeMille has influenced the work of several well-known directors. He also toured with the Standard Opera Company, but there are few records to indicate DeMille's singing ability. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. [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. [70] Filming began on December 29, 1913, and lasted three weeks. Additionally, he often starred in prologues and special trailers that he created for his films, having an opportunity to personally address the audience. [337], Charles Frohman, Constance Adams, and David Belasco, Scandalous dramas, Biblical epics, and departure from Paramount, There are several variants of DeMille's surname. He related a story that he maintained his self-control when Gloria Swanson sat on his lap, refusing to touch her. He began his career with reserved yet brilliant melodramas; from there, his style developed into marital comedies with outrageously melodramatic plots. [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. Consequently, his mother hired him for her agency The DeMille Play Company and taught him how to be an agent and a playwright. 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. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . Learning of the Eagles' work and keen to promote his film with their cause the director encouraged the group to donate carved stone tablets . [118] His first three sound films were produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [41] His first play was The Pretender-A Play in a Prologue and 4 Acts set in seventeenth century Russia. 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. DeMille was painstakingly attentive to details on set and was as critical of himself as he was of his crew. His films were distinguished by their epic . He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. Carl Laemmle anniversary 1931.JPG 1,473 1,161; 359 KB. DeMille directed The King of Kings (1927), a biography of Jesus, which gained approval for its sensitivity and reached more than 800million viewers. Cecil Blount DeMille (/ssl dml/; August 12, 1881 January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. However, he did take a few months to set up a movie theater for the French front. A deficiency in chromium may cause high blood sugar; however, deficiency is very rare. In his first instance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), only waiting four years from the 1914 original. While he is known as DeMille (his nom d'oeuvre), his family name was Dutch and is usually spelled "de Mil". Further illustrated by his home life, DeMille required formality and politeness at home. A dark, exotic beauty, Katherine DeMille was a fascinating screen presence in the 1930s and 1940s. [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. [201], DeMille experimented in his early films with photographic light and shade which created dramatic shadows instead of glare. Constance Adams DeMille - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia Death: December 20, 1982 (68) Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. His first three films were Westerns, and he filmed many Westerns throughout his career. Cecil B DeMille & Unknown Married, Children, Joint Family Tree He had a band of assistants who catered to his needs. Cause of death. 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. DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. Spanish Wikipedia. [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. 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 [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. In that respect, he was better than any of us. 1 reference. [321]:2123. [102] Many of his films featured scenes in two-color Technicolor. Step Inside Cecil B. De Mille's House in Los Angeles "[266] Producer David O. Selznick wrote: "There has appeared only one Cecil B. DeMille. [132] [note 7], In 1939, DeMille's Union Pacific was successful through DeMille's collaboration with the Union Pacific Railroad. 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 . Cecil B. DeMille: Hollywood Directing Legend | Full Documentary is the 10th plague, in which the Angel of Death is imagined as a thick . Cecil B. DeMille | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica For More Information . Cecil B DeMille, Call of the North & Tikah People - aka Tiger Indians [60] In addition to directing, DeMille was the supervisor and consultant for the first year of films made by the Lasky Feature Play Company. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. [320], Filmography obtained from Fifty Hollywood Directors. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. Adopted son of Cecil B. DeMille and Constance DeMille. [6] He was the second of three children of Henry Churchill de Mille (September 4, 1853 February 10, 1893) and his wife Matilda Beatrice deMille (ne Samuel; January 30, 1853 October 8, 1923), known as Beatrice. The play was successful, and DeMille was distraught that his childhood idol had plagiarized his work. Occupations. While visually appealing, this made the films appear more old-fashioned. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. "A dreadful showoff. Perhaps Cecil B. DeMille is more responsible for this than are today's preachers.' 13. Biographer Scott Eyman suggested that this may have been a result of Adams's recent miscarriage. Although less critically revered than D.W. Griffith, DeMille actually played a more important role in . 21 January 1959. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. 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. Cecil B. DeMille American film director (1881-1959) . [138] Audiences liked its highly saturated color, so DeMille made no further black-and-white features. [207] Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins, who worked with DeMille on The Ten Commandments (1956), said that he was skilled in humiliating people. Cecil B. DeMille Biography - life, family, children, story, death Derided then . He worked with visual technicians, editors, art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, and set carpenters in order to perfect the visual aspects of his films. 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. Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. [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. [36][note 6], Film started becoming more sophisticated and the subsequent films of the Lasky company were criticized for primitive and unrealistic set design. Cecil B. DeMille Winners Through the Years at the Golden Globes - Peoplemag "[35] DeMille had more violent sexual preferences and fetishes than his wife. Heart Ailment. [164] Although DeMille completed the film, his health was diminished by several more heart attacks. This prohibited denying anyone the right to work if they refuse to pay a political assessment, however, the law did not apply retroactively. The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. This concerned the executives at Paramount; however, the film turned out to be the studio's highest-grossing film. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. [231][note 14] The Ten Commandments inspired DreamWorks Animation's later film about Moses, The Prince of Egypt. Cecil B. DeMille movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. [123] The Sign of the Cross was the first film to integrate all cinematic techniques. [261][262] He was known for his unique, working wardrobe which included riding boots, riding pants, and soft, open necked shirts. [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". Biography. [309][310][note 17] For his contribution to the motion picture and radio industry, DeMille has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. Host Scott . [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. 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. She would die one year later. DeMille plays himself in the film. Immediate Family: Biological son of Gus Gonzales and Ada Piper. [190], DeMille's filmmaking process always began with extensive research. Cecil B. DeMille photo shoot. Story 2018 . [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. [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. Born in 1881, DeMille made his directorial debut with "The Squaw Man" (1914), a story he remade in 1918 and 1931 . [28] This was the first of few film collaborations with his brother William. Long before he made his first sound picture, DeMille had become a cinema . Director John Huston intensely disliked both DeMille and his films. However, Beatrice introduced Lasky to DeMille instead. [144], In 1942, DeMille released Paramount's most successful film, Reap the Wild Wind. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. The Buccaneer - Cecil B. DeMille The school closed, and Beatrice filed for bankruptcy. Find out about Cecil B DeMille's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! Date of birth. Golden Globes 1953 - Best Director and Best . He volunteered for the Intelligence Office during World War II as well. 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. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. [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. "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. Robin Williams won the Cecil B. DeMille Awards in 2005. "A Digger, A Director and A Practical Joker". Here, he parts the Red Sea. Birth of Hollywood: Season 1, Episode 2 script | Subs like Script He received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director for his circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which won both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama. DeMille lent Roosevelt a car for his campaign for the 1932 United States presidential election and voted for him. Pioneering film director. DeMille told the actor that he was "one hundred percent yellow". [268] DeMille appeared as himself in numerous films, including the MGM comedy Free and Easy. However, throughout his career, he filmed comedies, periodic and contemporary romances, dramas, fantasies, propaganda, Biblical spectacles, musical comedies, suspense, and war films. [5] On September 1, 1881, the family returned with the newborn DeMille to their flat in New York. [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". [116], When "talking pictures" were invented in 1928, Cecil B. DeMille made a successful transition, offering his own innovations to the painful process; he devised a microphone boom and a soundproof camera blimp. Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. [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. However, the films of his silent era were often thematically different from the films of his sound era. [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. 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. Cause of death. The October 2002 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine saluted Paramount's ninetieth Anniversary by writing: "Somewhere Cecil B. DeMille is smiling.". 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. 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. The legendary producer-director Cecil B. DeMille was a master of the American biblical epic who shaped the public's perceptions of Judeo-Christianity in his role as Hollywood's Sunday school teacher. [86] A large collection of DeMille's materials including scripts, storyboards, and films resides at Brigham Young University in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. (Cecil Blount De Mille o DeMille; Ashfield, 1881 - Hollywood, 1959) Productor y director de cine estadounidense recordado especialmente por sus superproducciones de epopeyas histricas y religiosas. Early Life His daughter Cecilia took over as director as DeMille sat behind the camera with Loyal Griggs as the cinematographer.
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