Image of Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil Blount DeMille was 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.


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Born:
Aug 12, 1881 In Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
48
First Appeared:
In the movie A Trip to Paramountown 1922-07-10
Latest Project:
Movie Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age 2021-05-07
Known For
Poster of The Oscars
Filmography
Movie Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) 2021-05-07
Movie Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle Self 2020-02-18
Movie Yul Brynner, the Magnificent Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) 2020-12-02
Movie Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II Self 2020-05-05
Movie Sword-and-Sandal Self (archive footage) 2019-04-14
Movie Hail Satan? Self - Filmmaker (archive footage) 2019-04-17
Movie The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille Self 2016-02-11
Movie And the Oscar Goes To... Self (archive footage) 2014-02-01
Movie Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema Self (archive footage) 2007-05-23
Movie The Casting Couch (archive footage) 1995-01-01
Movie Going Hollywood: The '30s Self (archive footage) 1984-01-01
Movie Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1983-02-25
Movie Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Self (archive footage) 1975-08-06
Series Spécial cinéma Self (archive footage) 1974-09-25
Movie Hollywood Without Make-Up Self (archive footage) 1963-07-01
Movie The Buster Keaton Story Cecil B. DeMille 1957-05-01
Series Cinépanorama Self 1956-02-04
Movie The Ten Commandments Narrator (uncredited) 1956-10-05
Series The Oscars Unknown 1953-03-19
Movie The Greatest Show on Earth Narrator (voice) (uncredited) 1952-02-16
Movie The Fallbrook Story Self, Introduction 1952-01-01
Movie Son of Paleface Photographer (uncredited) 1952-07-14
Series This Is Your Life Self 1952-10-01
Series What's My Line? Self - Mystery Guest 1950-02-02
Movie Sunset Boulevard Cecil B. DeMille 1950-08-10
Movie Samson and Delilah Narrator (uncredited) 1949-12-21
Series The Ed Sullivan Show Self 1948-06-20
Movie Jens Mons in America Self (uncredited) 1947-03-24
Movie Unconquered Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited) 1947-10-10
Movie Variety Girl Cecil B. DeMille 1947-08-29
Movie Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary Self 1945-09-06
Movie The Story of Dr. Wassell Voice of Narrator (uncredited) 1944-07-04
Movie Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) Self 1942-01-01
Movie Star Spangled Rhythm Cecil B. DeMille 1942-03-05
Movie Reap the Wild Wind Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited) 1942-03-26
Movie North West Mounted Police Narrator (voice) (uncredited) 1940-10-22
Movie The Movies March On Self (archive footage) 1939-07-03
Movie The Last Train from Madrid Unknown 1937-06-11
Movie Hollywood Extra Girl Cecil B. DeMille 1935-08-22
Movie The Hollywood You Never See Self 1934-01-20
Movie Hollywood on Parade No. B-5 Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1933-12-01
Movie Free and Easy Director Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited) 1930-03-22
Movie Estrellados Self (Guest Appearance) 1930-07-07
Movie Madam Satan Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited) 1930-09-20
Movie The Circus: Premiere Self 1928-01-13
Movie Life in Hollywood No. 1 Self 1927-08-25
Movie Hollywood Cecil B. DeMille 1923-08-19
Movie A Trip to Paramountown Self 1922-07-10