John Blount DeMille (1914 - 1982) - Genealogy - geni family tree Story 2018 . At least one DeMille film can represent each film genre. Cecil B. DeMille Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com Noisy and bright, it was not well-liked by critics, but was a favorite among audiences. This Day and Age and Four Frightened People were box office disappointments, though Four Frightened People received good reviews. [132] DeMille would never again work on radio. [111], The immense popularity of DeMille's silent films enabled him to branch out into other areas. [139] DeMille was anti-communist and abandoned a project in 1940 to film Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls due to its communist themes despite the fact he had already paid $100,000 for the rights to the novel. [71] Apfel filmed most of The Squaw Man due to DeMille's inexperience; however, DeMille learned quickly and was particularly adept at impromptu screenwriting as necessary. 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). He said he was rather against union leaders such as Walter Reuther and Harry Bridges whom he compared to dictators. Despite its quick turnaround, the film was fairly successful. However, he did take a few months to set up a movie theater for the French front. Hijo del dramaturgo Henry Churchill DeMille, en cuyas obras particip durante su infancia y primera adolescencia, curs . Cecil B. DeMille (Filmmaker and Director) - On This Day Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. [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. "A dreadful showoff. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". [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. DeMille himself directed twenty films by 1915. Born in 1881, DeMille made his directorial debut with "The Squaw Man" (1914), a story he remade in 1918 and 1931 . Heart Ailment. [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. Adams was 29 years old at the time of their marriage, eight years older than DeMille. Consequently, he focused his efforts on his films' visuals. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. 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 . Immediate Family: Biological son of Gus Gonzales and Ada Piper. In this way, the characters' thoughts and desires are the visual focus rather than the circumstances regarding the physical scene. [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. [316] DeMille's Union Pacific received a Palme d'Or in retrospect at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. [248], According to Sam Goldwyn, critics did not like DeMille's films, but the audiences did and "they have the final word". It was produced with a large budget and contained many special effects including an electronically operated giant squid. . [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. Constance was born the daughter of Judge Frederic Adams, New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, and Ella Adams, Frederics first wife. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. [109] Considered at the time to be the most successful Christian film of the silent era, DeMille calculated that it had been viewed over 800 million times around the world. [78] In December 1914, Constance Adams brought home John DeMille, a fifteen-month-old, whom the couple legally adopted three years later. For More Information . [259] He cultivated the image of the omnipotent director,[260] complete with megaphone, riding crop, and jodhpurs. Cecil B. DeMille The Movie Database (TMDB) 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 was confined to bed and unable to eat. 1 reference. Find out about Cecil B DeMille's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! Cecil B. DeMille Facts for Kids - Kiddle However, DeMille's second remake at MGM in 1931 would be a failure. Date of birth. . [21] DeMille's sister Agnes was born on April 23, 1891; his mother nearly did not survive the birth. [114] He was additionally vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles where he approved loans for other filmmakers. [65] Already $15,000 in debt to Royle for the screenplay of The Squaw Man, Lasky's relatives bought the $5,000 stock to save the Lasky Company from bankruptcy. [10], Cecil B. DeMille's mother, Beatrice, a literary agent and scriptwriter, was the daughter of German Jews. [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. [120] After his contract ended at MGM, he left, but no production studios would hire him. [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. 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. New Bio Gives Cecil B. DeMille His Own Close-Up : NPR 'Ten Commandments' went from film to stone - Chron Cecil B. DeMille, of course, is the legendary filmmaker, director of The Ten Commandments, The King of Kings, Cleopatra, Samson & Delilah, The Greatest Show on Earth, and many more excellent and timeless films. 77. [228] DeMille was often criticized for making his spectacles too colorful and for being too occupied with entertaining the audience rather than accessing the artistic and auteur possibilities that film could provide. [137] Following his surgery and the success of Union Pacific, in 1940, DeMille first used three-strip Technicolor in North West Mounted Police. Angelina Jolie's historic new home matches over-the-top life Eddie Murphy to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2023 Golden Globes [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. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. He was so eager to produce the film, that he hadn't yet read the novel. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. Large gallery of Cecil B. DeMille pics. 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). 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. Cecil B. DeMille. [40], His brother William was establishing himself as a playwright and sometimes invited him to collaborate. [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. [201], DeMille experimented in his early films with photographic light and shade which created dramatic shadows instead of glare. Barbara Stanwyck. September 17, 1914. The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. [41] His first play was The Pretender-A Play in a Prologue and 4 Acts set in seventeenth century Russia. [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. 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. [172] DeMille's funeral was held on January 23 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 and died in 2000 De Mille Drive, Hollywood, California due to Heart failure due to a series of heart attacks on January 21, 1959. . He graduated in 1900, and for graduation, his performance was the play The Arcady Trail. [245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. [32] From 1904 to 1905, DeMille attempted to make a living as a stock theatre actor with his wife Constance. [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. Cecil B. DeMille | The Tombstone Tourist He produced many flops. [182] DeMille noted that his mother had a "high sense of the dramatic" and was determined to continue the artistic legacy of her husband after he died. Henry, a . Moreover, DeMille's epics inspired directors such as Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and George Stevens to try producing epics. [244] Another minor characteristic of DeMille's films include train crashes which can be found in several of his films. However, one word is especially appropriate. He worked with visual technicians, editors, art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, and set carpenters in order to perfect the visual aspects of his films. [44], DeMille performed on stage with actors whom he would later direct in films: Charlotte Walker, Mary Pickford, and Pedro de Cordoba. [80] The first few years of the Lasky Company were spent in making films nonstop, literally writing the language of film. [85][86] In addition to his Paradise, DeMille purchased a yacht in 1921 which he called The Seaward. The selection is made by the HFPA's board of . His wife did not like Paradise, so DeMille often brought his mistresses there with him including actress Julia Faye. Charlie Chaplin lived next door for a time, and after he moved, DeMille purchased the other house and combined the estates. [45] His 1905 performance in The Prince Chap as the Earl of Huntington was well received by audiences. [84] Goldwyn was later fired from Famous Players-Lasky due to frequent clashes with Lasky, DeMille, and finally Zukor. Cecil Blount DeMille. [106] His first film in the new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation, was The Road to Yesterday in 1925. [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". (TV Special) Self - Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient 1963-1964 Password (TV Series) Self - Celebrity Contestant / Self - James Stewart vs . Heart Ailment. [194] DeMille was particularly adept at directing and managing large crowds in his films. [101], After five years and thirty hit films, DeMille became the American film industry's most successful director. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S., United States, is Film Director, Producer. [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. DeMille served as executive producer, overseeing producer Henry Wilcoxon. [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". Cause of Death. The Enigmatic Pop Culture Professional. Julia was born in Richmond, Virginia, of French-American parentage. [62] They offered Farnum a choice to have a quarter stock in the company (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. DeMille also produced and directed plays. [255] Consequently, the name "DeMille" has become synonymous with filmmaking. [148] Again, 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth became Paramount's highest-grossing film to that point. Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. Character actor H. B. Warner was fifty, but looked Thirty was cast as Christ, and gives a gently . [43] DeMille was credited with creating the premise of Belasco's The Return of Peter Grimm. Cecil B DeMille ~ Life Story & Biography with Photos | Videos Biography. Hollywood, California: Paramount Pictures.2011, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 18:28, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, eighth-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation, "Back in the Day - Sept. 18, 1991: De Mille's Pompton Lakes roots recalled", "Anthony Quinn: Colourful Hollywood star who built a career playing ethnic heroes and villains", "Guide to the Richard DeMille Collection", "Cecil DeMille, 77, Pioneer of Movies, Dead in Hollywood", "How a Hollywood Director Almost Launched L.A.'s First Commercial Airline", "Register of the Cecil B. DeMille Archives, 1863-1983", "Financing Hollywood through the Great Depression", "Angelina Jolie Buys Historic Cecil B. DeMille Estate for $24.5 Million", "Sixty years later, The Ten Commandments remains one of the most popular biblical films ever made", "Angelina Jolie Buys Cecil B. DeMille's Estate at Record-Shattering Price", "Christie's East to Auction DeMille Possessions", "New Testament to Genius: Turner's "Cecil B. DeMille", "Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" Brings the World's Greatest Love Story to the Screen", "Hollywood Legend Claudette Colbert Dies", "Charlton Heston: as you won't remember him", "The Deep Focus Typecasting of Joseph Schildkraut as Judas Figure in Four DeMille Films", "A Brief History of Movie Special Effects", "All-Time Box-Office Hits By Decade and Year", "Ridley Scott: from Alien to Exodus, a Cecil B. DeMille for the digital age", "Samson as a Moses-Figure in Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" (1949)", "BFI Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 How the directors and critics voted", "Hollywood Flashback: Cecil B. DeMille Accepted the Golden Globe Named for Him in 1952", "Reel dictators: why despots love directors", "Disp L.A. Case #45: Cecil B. DeMille's Riding Crop", "DeMille's Re-Released 'Commandments'Better Than Ever", "Cecil B. DeMille the greatest filmmaking showman rediscovered! [113][295] The former film building at Chapman University in Orange, California, is named in honor of DeMille. Still, the members unanimously approved it. 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 The surgery caused him to suffer from sexual dysfunction for the rest of his life, according to some family members. [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. Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. DeMille traveled abroad to find employment until he was offered a deal at Paramount. 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. 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. The Ten Commandments: DeMille was here | Manchester Ink Link 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 - Turner Classic Movies He is one of the most extraordinarily able showmen of modern times. [231] Cecil B. DeMille has influenced the work of several well-known directors. [208] DeMille had an authoritarian persona on set; he required absolute attention from the cast and crew. [168] In the months before his death, DeMille was researching a film biography of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement. The Tikah still made a few trade canoes into the early 20th Century. Occupations. Category:Cecil B. DeMille - Wikimedia Commons [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. "He was a thoroughly bad director," Huston said. [272] DeMille's reputation had a renaissance in the 2010s. English Wikipedia. "[132] Consequently, he had to resign from the radio show. [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. View the most popular Cecil B. DeMille pix. Eventually, he became manager of the agency and later, a junior partner with his mother. His silent films included social dramas, comedies, Westerns, farces, morality plays, and historical pageants. [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. This allowed for the rapid production of his films in the early years of the Lasky Company. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. [38], In 1902, he played a small part in Hamlet. Chromium. They struggled to adapt the play from the stage to the set. Oscars 1950 - Honorary Award. [274] DeMille has influenced the careers of many modern directors. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. [170] DeMille's autobiography was mostly completed by the time DeMille died and was published in November 1959. [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. [127] However, according to DeMille himself, he was not anti-union and belonged to a few unions himself. Additionally, he often starred in prologues and special trailers that he created for his films, having an opportunity to personally address the audience. De Mille daughter dies. [5] On September 1, 1881, the family returned with the newborn DeMille to their flat in New York. He volunteered for the Intelligence Office during World War II as well. 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. [39] Another unperformed play he wrote was Son of the Winds, a mythological Native American story. [151] DeMille would reminisce into a voice recorder, the recording would be transcribed, and the information would be organized in the biography based on the topic. William deMille reluctantly became a story editor. [301][302], Cecil B. DeMille received many awards and honors, especially later in his career. Just two years before his death, and shortly after the release of his last film, The Ten Commandments, he delivered a commencement address at Brigham Young University. [133] He began presenting speeches across the United States for the next few years. Cecil B. DeMille and David O. McKay: A Surprising Friendship The other three children were surprised by this, as DeMille did not treat the children differently in life. [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. I'm ready for my close-up." [60] In addition to directing, DeMille was the supervisor and consultant for the first year of films made by the Lasky Feature Play Company. [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. [263] Joseph Henabery recalled that DeMille looked like "a king on a throne surrounded by his court" while directing films on a camera platform. [15], DeMille was a brave and confident child. Eddie Murphy is going to the Golden Globes. imported from Wikimedia project. Memoir of DeMille titled 'The Autobiography of Cecil B. DeMille' was published in 1959. DeMille achieved international recognition for his unique use of lighting and color tint in his film The Cheat. [33] They had met in a theater in Washington D.C. while they were both acting in Hearts Are Trumps. The 5 Best Cecil B. DeMille Movies, Ranked AKA Cecil Blount DeMille. [70] Filming began on December 29, 1913, and lasted three weeks. 5 Supplements You Shouldn't Be Taking If You Have Diabetes, According [180] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Cecil B DeMille Bio Details. [144], In 1942, DeMille released Paramount's most successful film, Reap the Wild Wind. [155], We have just lived through a war where our people were systematically executed. 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. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. [64] The Lasky Company bought the rights to the play The Squaw Man by Edwin Milton Royle and cast Dustin Farnum in the lead role. [147], DeMille's next film, Samson and Delilah in 1949, became Paramount's highest-grossing film up to that time. "[35] DeMille had more violent sexual preferences and fetishes than his wife. He donated. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13million) film in Paramount history. Recent images. He called this place, "Paradise", declaring it a wildlife sanctuary; no shooting of animals was allowed besides snakes. [251] Director Ridley Scott has been called "the Cecil B. DeMille of the digital era" due to his classical and medieval epics. [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. 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 . heart failure. [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. [118] His first three sound films were produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. However, his final films maintained that DeMille was still respected by his audiences. Its interracial love story made it commercially successful and it first publicized Hollywood as the home of the U.S. film industry. [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. 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 William deMille would later convert from theater to Hollywood and would spend the rest of his career as a film director. [110] After the release of DeMille's The Godless Girl, silent films in America became obsolete and DeMille was forced to shoot a shoddy final reel with the new sound production technique. 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. Adopted son of Cecil B. DeMille and Constance DeMille. He adapted several of Belasco's screenplays into film. The Sign of the Cross (1932) is said to be the first sound film to integrate all aspects of cinematic technique. However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. [89] DeMille was maintained as director-general and Goldwyn became chairman of the board. [281] However, not everyone received DeMille's religious films favorably. He later moved to writing and directing stage productions, some with Jesse Lasky, who was then a vaudeville producer. [191] Plot and dialogue were not a strong point of DeMille's films. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. 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.