Known For
Directing
Born
Aug 12, 1881
Died
Jan 21, 1959
Place of Birth
Ashfield, États-Unis
Credits
141 titles
Cecil B. DeMille
Biography
Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker, known as a founder of the Hollywood motion-picture industry, one of the most commercially successful producer-directors of his time, and one of the most influential filmmakers in history. Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. Cecil B. DeMille is synonymous with religious epics: The King of Kings, Samson and Delilah, and The Ten Commandments (1956). He blended spectacle, sex, and spellbinding narrative to convey a message of faith. It was DeMille who created the image of the omnipotent director, megaphone in hand, wearing boots and a visored cap. DeMille gave Hollywood numerous stars: Wallace Reid, Gloria Swanson, William (“Hopalong Cassidy”) Boyd, Claudette Colbert, Robert Preston, Jean Arthur, and Charlton Heston. DeMille created the posts of studio story editor, art director, and concept artist. He was one of the first to use theatrical lighting on a movie set. In the late 1920s, when Hollywood converted to sound films, DeMille defied the sound experts, liberating the camera from a confining booth, and implementing the microphone boom. DeMille’s authority extended beyond the confines of his studio. He was a power in aviation, banking, politics, and real estate. In the 1930s, his fame as a filmmaker was surpassed by his fame as a radio star. He was a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an institution from which he eventually won two awards. In 1953 his film The Greatest Show on Earth won the Award for Best Picture of 1952; and he was presented with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. DeMille’s influence on world culture is incalculable, but there are estimates and milestones. His biography of Jesus Christ, The King of Kings, was a silent film, but because of a unique distribution arrangement, it was eventually seen by 800 million viewers. Samson and Delilah (1949) and The Ten Commandments (1956) are still listed with the top ten all-time box-office champions. They continue to generate revenue and provoke thought.
Known For
Filmography
The U.S. and the Holocaust
Self (archive footage)
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II
Self
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle
Self (archive footage)
Hail Satan?
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Self
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
The Making of The Ten Commandments
Self
The Casting Couch
All-Time Movie Greats
Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
Spécial cinéma
Self (archive footage)
The Buccaneer
Presenter of Prologue
The Buster Keaton Story
Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
The Ten Commandments
Narrator (uncredited)
Cinépanorama
Self
The War of the Worlds
Executive Producer
This Is Your Life
Self
Son of Paleface
Photographer (uncredited)
The Greatest Show on Earth
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
The Fallbrook Story
Self, Introduction
Sunset Boulevard
Cecil B. DeMille
What's My Line?
Self
Samson and Delilah
Narrator (uncredited)
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
Unconquered
Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Variety Girl
Cecil B. DeMille
Jens Mons in America
Self (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
Self
The Story of Dr. Wassell
Voice of Narrator (uncredited)
Reap the Wild Wind
Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
Cecil B. DeMille
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Self
North West Mounted Police
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
The Movies March On
Self (archive footage)
Land of Liberty
Editor
Union Pacific
Director
The Buccaneer
Director
The Plainsman
Director
Hollywood Extra Girl
Cecil B. DeMille
The Crusades
Director
Cleopatra
Director
Four Frightened People
Director