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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0001124
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q72267
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Filmography (Movies)
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
Character:Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Release Date:07/05/2021
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Character:Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Release Date:02/12/2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II
Character:Self
Release Date:05/05/2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:18/02/2020
Hail Satan?
Character:Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Release Date:17/04/2019
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Character:Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Release Date:14/04/2019
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Character:Self
Release Date:11/02/2016
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:15/05/2012
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:23/05/2007
The Making of The Ten Commandments
Character:Self
Release Date:23/09/2003
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1984
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:25/02/1983
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:05/05/1982
Hooray for Hollywood
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:01/01/1976
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:06/08/1975
The Buster Keaton Story
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:01/05/1957
The Ten Commandments
Character:Narrator (uncredited)
Release Date:05/10/1956
Son of Paleface
Character:Photographer (uncredited)
Release Date:14/07/1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
Character:Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:16/02/1952
The Fallbrook Story
Character:Self, Introduction
Release Date:01/01/1952
Sunset Boulevard
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:10/08/1950
Samson and Delilah
Character:Narrator (uncredited)
Release Date:21/12/1949
Unconquered
Character:Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:10/10/1947
Variety Girl
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:29/08/1947
Jens Mons in America
Character:Self (uncredited)
Release Date:24/03/1947
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
Character:Self
Release Date:06/09/1945
The Story of Dr. Wassell
Character:Voice of Narrator (uncredited)
Release Date:04/07/1944
Reap the Wild Wind
Character:Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:26/03/1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:05/03/1942
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Character:Self
Release Date:01/01/1942
North West Mounted Police
Character:Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:22/10/1940
The Movies March On
Character:Self (archive footage)
Release Date:03/07/1939
Hollywood Extra Girl
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:22/08/1935
The Hollywood You Never See
Character:Self
Release Date:20/01/1934
Hollywood on Parade No. B-5
Character:Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Release Date:01/12/1933
Madam Satan
Character:Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)
Release Date:20/09/1930
Estrellados
Character:Self (Guest Appearance)
Release Date:07/07/1930
Free and Easy
Character:Director Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
Release Date:22/03/1930
The Circus: Premiere
Character:Self
Release Date:13/01/1928
Life in Hollywood No. 1
Character:Self
Release Date:25/08/1927
Hollywood
Character:Cecil B. DeMille
Release Date:19/08/1923
A Trip to Paramountown
Character:Self
Release Date:10/07/1922
The Squaw Man
Character:Faro Dealer
Release Date:15/02/1914
Television Appearances
Images
