Cecil B. DeMille passed away January 21, 1959, from a heart condition. Of his seventy films, five revolved around stories of the Bible and the New Testament; however many others, while not direct retellings of Biblical stories, had themes of faith and religious fanaticism in films such as The Crusades and The Road to Yesterday. Full name. [84] Throughout his career, DeMille would frequently remake his own films. [140][note 8] While concurrently filmmaking, he served in World War II at the age of sixty as his neighborhood air-raid warden. However, one word is especially appropriate. The film was considered a "masterpiece" and surpassed the quality of other sound films of the time. In March 1938, he underwent a major emergency prostatectomy. The film was produced on a large budget of $600,000, the most expensive production at Paramount. [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". [248], According to Sam Goldwyn, critics did not like DeMille's films, but the audiences did and "they have the final word". He is particularly remembered for his 1956 film "The Ten Commandments", but made over 70 films throughout his long career. Moreover, DeMille's epics inspired directors such as Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and George Stevens to try producing epics. He joined the Producers Distributing Corporation. [161] Post-production lasted a year and the film premiered in Salt Lake City. Next, he would work with writers to develop the story that he was envisioning. [296] During the Apollo 11 mission, Buzz Aldrin refers to himself in one instance as "Cecil B. DeAldrin", as a humorous nod to DeMille. [63] The Lasky Company wanted to attract high-class audiences to their films so they began producing films from literary works. Billy Jim Hawkins . [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". [146][note 10] DeMille's subsequent film Unconquered (1947) had the longest running time (146 minutes), longest filming schedule (102 days) and largest budget of $5million. However, he would never again vote for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. Martin Scorsese recalled that DeMille had the skill to maintain control of not only the lead actors in a frame but the many extras in the frame as well. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". He donated. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. DeMille did not believe a large movie set was the place to discuss minor character or line issues. [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. Beatrice DeMille's family was not in attendance, and Simon Louvish suggests that this was to conceal DeMille's partial Jewish heritage. Sons-and daughters-in-law were required to call him "Mr. DeMille", and Richard deMille never recalled hugging his father, claiming he received handshakes instead. Produced in eight weeks without exceeding budget, the film was financially successful. [84] Goldwyn was later fired from Famous Players-Lasky due to frequent clashes with Lasky, DeMille, and finally Zukor. Married Life. [130] He resigned from the Lux Radio Show because he refused to pay a dollar to the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) because he did not believe that any organization had the right to "levy a compulsory assessment upon any member. Still, it was a huge success at the box office. retrieved. [301][302], Cecil B. DeMille received many awards and honors, especially later in his career. [287][288] The Lasky-DeMille Barn was dedicated as a California historical landmark in a ceremony on December 27, 1956; DeMille was the keynote speaker. DeMille, Cecil B. [72] DeMille's next project was to aid Oscar Apfel and directing Brewster's Millions, which was wildly successful. [44], DeMille performed on stage with actors whom he would later direct in films: Charlotte Walker, Mary Pickford, and Pedro de Cordoba. He debuted as an actor on February 21, 1900, in the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. [59] Lasky and DeMille were said to have sketched out the organization of the company on the back of a restaurant menu. Here we have a man who made a film praising the Jewish people, that tells of Samson, one of the legends of our Scripture. [28] This was the first of few film collaborations with his brother William. Credits. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. cause of death. William deMille would later convert from theater to Hollywood and would spend the rest of his career as a film director. We should get down on our knees to Cecil and say "Thank you! [117] He also popularized the camera crane. 1. [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. [130] From 1936 to 1945, he produced, hosted, and directed all shows with the occasional exception of a guest director. [105] Consequently, DeMille left Paramount in 1924 despite having helped establish it. "[266] Producer David O. Selznick wrote: "There has appeared only one Cecil B. DeMille. However, others interpreted DeMille's work as visually impressive, thrilling, and nostalgic. Still, the members unanimously approved it. When the AFRA expanded to television, DeMille was banned from television appearances. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. [100] Consequently, Beatrice deMille introduced the Famous Players-Lasky to Wilfred Buckland, who DeMille had known from his time at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and he became DeMille's art director. View the latest Cecil B. DeMille photos. DeMille also produced and directed plays. 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. Few words can describe the monumental Cecil B. DeMille. To diseased proportions. Cecil Blount DeMille. [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. [10] He worked as a playwright, administrator, and faculty member during the early years of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, established in New York City in 1884. Eddie Murphy is going to the Golden Globes. [204] As DeMille's career progressed, he increasingly relied on artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck's concept, costume, and storyboard art. [240] Moreover, before his religious-themed films, many of his silent era films revolved around "husband-and-wife-divorce-and-remarry satires", considerably more adult-themed. [67], On December 12, 1913, DeMille, his cast, and crew boarded a Southern Pacific train bound for Flagstaff via New Orleans. Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. They screened four of his films at Christ Church, where DeMille and his family attended church when they lived there. DeMille wanted to film in Canada; however, due to budget constraints, the film was instead shot in Oregon and Hollywood. [255] Andrew Sarris, a leading proponent of the auteur theory, ranked DeMille highly as an auteur in the "Far Side of Paradise", just below the "Pantheon". "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. [309][310][note 17] For his contribution to the motion picture and radio industry, DeMille has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This occurred with Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah. [81] The most successful films during the beginning of the Lasky Company were Brewster's Millions (co-directed by DeMille), Rose of the Rancho, and The Ghost Breaker. DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. [citation needed] He was known as anti-union and worked to prevent unionizing of film production studios. [227], Cecil B. DeMille's film production career evolved from critically significant silent films to financially significant sound films. [9] DeMille's father was also an English teacher at Columbia College (now Columbia University). Cause of death. [101], After five years and thirty hit films, DeMille became the American film industry's most successful director. 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. [156] Fifty-two of his features are silent films. [247] Adjusted for inflation, DeMille's remake of The Ten Commandments is the eighth highest-grossing film in the world. Alfred Hitchcock cited DeMille's 1921 film Forbidden Fruit as an influence of his work and one of his top ten favorite films. In the audience was Charles Frohman who would cast DeMille in his play Hearts are Trumps, DeMille's Broadway debut. 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. Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1873 July 17, 1960) actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil Blount DeMille. More Facts. Despite his loss, DeMille continued to lobby for the TaftHartley Act, which passed. De Mille daughter dies. [118] His first three sound films were produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S., United States, is Film Director, Producer. [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. A Biblical epic with sex, it was a characteristically DeMille film. DeMille plays himself in the film. He initially sought out William deMille. [109] Eight of his films were "epics" with five of those classified as "Biblical". Mature refused to wrestle Jackie the Lion, even though DeMille had just tussled with the lion, proving that he was tame. [34], They were sexually incompatible; according to DeMille, Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and evil passions. Henry was a tall, red-headed student. 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. (He would later cast her in The Ten Commandments.) However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. 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. [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. In 1923, DeMille released a modern melodrama The Ten Commandments which was a significant change from his previous stint of irreligious films. He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. 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. [124] DeMille followed this epic uncharacteristically with two dramas released in 1933 and 1934. Cecil B. DeMille was a master of spectacle. He is from USA. [283] In response to the claims, DeMille donated some of the profits from The King of Kings to charity. He was disliked by many inside and outside of the film industry for his cold and controlling reputation. Self - The Real FBI Story (2017) . He bought the rights to the novel in 1925, but abandoned the project in pre-production. 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. [274] DeMille has influenced the careers of many modern directors. Self - Actor, The F.B.I. [243] In relation to his own interests and sexual preferences, sadomasochism was a minor theme present in some of his films. His overriding spirit . [53] Another DeMille-Lasky production that opened in January 1912 was The Antique Girl. They also learned that other filmmakers were successfully shooting in Los Angeles, even in winter. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . [251] Director Ridley Scott has been called "the Cecil B. DeMille of the digital era" due to his classical and medieval epics. [187] It is difficult to typify DeMille's films into one specific genre. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. that DeMille found his greatest inspiration. 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. [249] Similarly, scholar David Blanke, argued that DeMille had lost the respect of his colleagues and film critics by his late film career. Cecil B. DeMille Net Worth: Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director and producer who had a net worth equal to $50 million at the time of his death after adjusting for . DeMille purchased the home in 1916 for $27,893 (Yes, five digits) and lived there with his family until his death in 1959. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. 1956 theater brochure imported from Wikimedia project. These films represent those which DeMille produced or assisted in directing, credited or uncredited. [29] He fled the school to join the SpanishAmerican War, but failed to meet the age requirement. [127] However, according to DeMille himself, he was not anti-union and belonged to a few unions himself. is the 10th plague, in which the Angel of Death is imagined as a thick . Adopted son of Cecil B. DeMille and Constance DeMille. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. 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 . In the early 1950s, DeMille was recruited by Allen Dulles and Frank Wisner to serve on the board of the anti-communist National Committee for a Free Europe, the public face of the organization that oversaw the Radio Free Europe service. [337], Charles Frohman, Constance Adams, and David Belasco, Scandalous dramas, Biblical epics, and departure from Paramount, There are several variants of DeMille's surname. [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. Zukor became president with Lasky as the vice president. [238] Although he is known for his later "spectacular" films, his early films are held in high regard by critics and film historians. Charlie Chaplin lived next door for a time, and after he moved, DeMille purchased the other house and combined the estates. DeMille served as executive producer, overseeing producer Henry Wilcoxon. Find out about Cecil B DeMille's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! On January 8, 1893, at age 40, Henry de Mille died suddenly from typhoid fever, leaving Beatrice with three children. Occupations. [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. [228] In order to attract a high-class audience, DeMille based many of his early films on stage melodramas, novels, and short stories. [52] The collaboration of DeMille and Lasky produced a successful musical called California which opened in New York in January 1912. [231] Cecil B. DeMille has influenced the work of several well-known directors. The United States Supreme Court declined to review his case. Then, he would help writers construct a script. DeMille directed The King of Kings (1927), a biography of Jesus, which gained approval for its sensitivity and reached more than 800million viewers. [49] DeMille had a daughter, Cecilia, on November 5, 1908, who would be his only biological child. finding aid. Ben Gabbe/Getty. Now he wants to make the life of Moses. [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. The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. Cause of Death: Heart Attack. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . [279][280] DeMille received more than a dozen awards from Christian and Jewish religious and cultural groups, including B'nai B'rith. Hijo del dramaturgo Henry Churchill DeMille, en cuyas obras particip durante su infancia y primera adolescencia, curs . Early Life 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. Notably, DeMille had cinematographer John P. Fulton create the parting of the Red Sea scene in his 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which was one of the most expensive special effects in film history, and has been called by Steven Spielberg "the greatest special effect in film history". [126] DeMille was a conservative Republican activist, becoming more conservative as he aged. She had a Southern drawl which she never lost. He directed 70 feature films, beginning in the silent era . Cecil B. Demille papers (English) type of reference. [112] He was also a real estate speculator,[113] an underwriter of political campaigns, and vice president of Bank of America. The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. Cause of death: Heart failure: Nationality: American: Occupation: Producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor: Years active: 1913-1959: Spouse(s) Constance Adams . The October 2002 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine saluted Paramount's ninetieth Anniversary by writing: "Somewhere Cecil B. DeMille is smiling.". His films were distinguished by their epic . [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. Cause of Death: Heart failure. The Squaw Man (1914), co-directed by Oscar Apfel, was a sensation and it established the Lasky Company. The Ten Commandments, filmed here at the Guadeloupe sand dunes, 150 miles from Hollywood. [184] While working in theatre, DeMille used real fruit trees in his play California as influenced by Belasco. [18] DeMille and William collaborated on The Genius, The Royal Mounted, and After Five. [72] DeMille adapted Belasco's dramatic lighting techniques to film technology, mimicking moonlight with U.S. cinema's first attempts at "motivated lighting" in The Warrens of Virginia. [72] He made his first film run sixty minutes, as long as a short play. William deMille reluctantly became a story editor. 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. [207] Costume designer Dorothy Jeakins, who worked with DeMille on The Ten Commandments (1956), said that he was skilled in humiliating people. [300] In 1963, the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation donated the "Paradise" ranch to the Hathaway Foundation, which cares for emotionally disturbed and abused children. [321]:2123. 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. He called this place, "Paradise", declaring it a wildlife sanctuary; no shooting of animals was allowed besides snakes. Derided then . This allowed for the rapid production of his films in the early years of the Lasky Company. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. DeMille's trademark scenes included bathtubs, lion attacks, and Roman orgies. [290][note 16] Donated by the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation in 2004, the moving image collection of Cecil B. DeMille is held at the Academy Film Archive and includes home movies, outtakes, and never-before-seen test footage. [129] DeMille also liked Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, finding him charismatic, tenacious, and intelligent and agreeing with Roosevelt's abhorrence of Prohibition. Biography. He suffered from a post-surgery infection from which he nearly did not recover, citing streptomycin as his saving grace. DeMille discovered the possibilities of the "bathroom" or "boudoir" in film without being "vulgar" or "cheap". [164] Although DeMille completed the film, his health was diminished by several more heart attacks. [133] He began presenting speeches across the United States for the next few years. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. . [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. [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. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. [191] DeMille was the first director to connect art to filmmaking; he created the title of "art director" on the film set. He was so eager to produce the film, that he hadn't yet read the novel. Let's take a look back at 20 of his greatest movies, ranked worst to best. Male. 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 Paramount Pictures 1956 release of the Academy Award-winning, Cecil B. DeMille-directed epic and international success, "The Ten Commandments," is more than likely the most famous religious-drama of all time. [242] Another common theme in DeMille's films is the reversal of fortune and the portrayal of the rich and the poor, including the war of the classes and man versus society conflicts such as in The Golden Chance and The Cheat. Eventually, the Guard was enlarged to a battalion and recruited soldiers from other film studios. 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. Sarris added that despite the influence of styles of contemporary directors throughout his career, DeMille's style remained unchanged. Cause of Death. [245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. 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. Consequently, he formed the DeMille Foundation for Political Freedom in order to campaign for the right to work. Profile of the Hollywood directing legend who became known for his "spectaculars." Learn how DeMille helped establish Hollywood as the movie-making capital o. [208] DeMille had an authoritarian persona on set; he required absolute attention from the cast and crew. [68] He continued to Los Angeles. Cecil B. DeMille. It was produced with a large budget and contained many special effects including an electronically operated giant squid. DeMille had adopted him to avoid revealing the affairs to William's wife. [169] DeMille attended the Santa Barbara premiere of The Buccaneer in December 1958. The Ten Commandments gave the director a chance to play God, to film miracles. This prohibited denying anyone the right to work if they refuse to pay a political assessment, however, the law did not apply retroactively. Compared to other directors, few film scholars have taken the time to academically analyze his films and style. [168] Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film The Buccaneer was a disappointment. Date of birth. DeMille also was planning a film about the space race as well as another biblical epic about the Book of Revelation. [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. Groesbeck's art was circulated on set to give actors and crew members a better understanding of DeMille's vision. Cecil B. DeMille began his career as an actor on the stage in the theatrical company of Charles Frohman in 1900. The Tikah still made a few trade canoes into the early 20th Century. The project was later completed by DeMille's former assistant director. Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director, producer, and actor. He volunteered for the Intelligence Office during World War II as well. imported from Wikimedia project. [261][262] He was known for his unique, working wardrobe which included riding boots, riding pants, and soft, open necked shirts. DeMille had considered making the film himself. [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. Consequently, the film was never made. [89] DeMille was maintained as director-general and Goldwyn became chairman of the board. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. [168] In the months before his death, DeMille was researching a film biography of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement. Cecil B. DeMille: Film director from the United States (1881 - 1959), Actor, Writer, Film producer, Film director, Film editor, Screenwriter, Playwright, Stage actor .
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