Directing
Cecil B. DeMille
FR, EN, SV, XX cinema · 135 credits
Born
12 August 1881
Died
21 January 1959 (aged 77)
Birthplace
Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA
Also known as Cecil Blount de Mille · Cecil Blount DeMille
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
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle
as Self (archive footage)
Hail Satan?
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
as Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
All-Time Movie Greats
1988
All-Time Movie Greats
as Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Showbiz Ballyhoo
as Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
The Buccaneer
as Presenter of Prologue, Executive Producer, Producer
The Buster Keaton Story
as Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
The Ten Commandments
as Narrator (uncredited), Director, Producer
The War of the Worlds
Executive Producer
Son of Paleface
as Photographer (uncredited)
The Greatest Show on Earth
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
The Fallbrook Story
as Self, Introduction
Sunset Boulevard
as Cecil B. DeMille
Samson and Delilah
as Narrator (uncredited), Director, Producer
Variety Girl
as Cecil B. DeMille
Jens Mons in America
as Self (uncredited)
Unconquered
as Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
The Story of Dr. Wassell
as Voice of Narrator (uncredited), Director, Producer
Reap the Wild Wind
as Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Cecil B. DeMille
North West Mounted Police
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
The Movies March On
as Self (archive footage)
Union Pacific
Director, Producer
The Buccaneer
Director, Producer
The Plainsman
Director, Producer
Hollywood Extra Girl
as Cecil B. DeMille
The Crusades
Director
Four Frightened People
Director, Producer
Cleopatra
Director, Producer
Hollywood on Parade No. B-5
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
This Day and Age
Director, Producer
The Sign of the Cross
Director, Producer
The Squaw Man
Director
Estrellados
as Self (Guest Appearance)
Free and Easy
as Director Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
Madam Satan
as Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
Dynamite
Director
The Godless Girl
Director, Producer
Let 'Er Go Gallegher
Executive Producer
The King of Kings
Director, Producer
White Gold
Producer
Vanity
Producer
The Fighting Eagle
Producer
The Volga Boatman
Producer, Director
Whispering Smith
Producer
Silence
Producer
Red Dice
Presenter
The Wedding Song
Producer
The Golden Bed
Director
The Dressmaker from Paris
Supervising Producer
Triumph
Producer, Director
Feet of Clay
Director, Producer
Hollywood
as Cecil B. DeMille
The Ten Commandments
Director, Producer
Adam's Rib
Director, Producer
Manslaughter
Director
Saturday Night
Director, Producer
The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel
1921
The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel
as As himself, Director
Forbidden Fruit
Director, Story, Producer
Fool's Paradise
Director
Why Change Your Wife?
Director, Producer
Something to Think About
Director, Producer
Male and Female
Director, Producer
The Squaw Man
Director
Old Wives for New
Director, Producer, Editor
We Can't Have Everything
Director, Editor
A Romance of the Redwoods
Director, Writer, Editor, Producer
The Woman God Forgot
Director, Editor, Producer
The Little American
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
Lost and Won
Producer
Betty to the Rescue
General Manager
Joan the Woman
Director, Editor, Producer
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
Director, Story, Producer
Maria Rosa
Director
The Dream Girl
Director
The Cheat
Editor, Director, Producer
Carmen
Director, Editor, Producer
The Golden Chance
Director, Producer, Editor, Story
The Warrens of Virginia
Director, Producer
The Unafraid
Director, Story
Temptation
Editor, Director
Kindling
1915
Kindling
Producer, Writer, Director
The Captive
Director, Writer, Producer, Editor
The Girl of the Golden West
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
Chimmie Fadden Out West
Director, Writer, Producer, Editor
Chimmie Fadden
Writer, Producer, Editor, Director
The Arab
Director, Writer, Producer
After Five
Director
The Squaw Man
as Faro Dealer, Producer, Director, Writer
Lord Chumley
1914
Lord Chumley
Theatre Play
The Virginian
Director, Editor
The Ghost Breaker
Writer, Director, Producer
Brewster's Millions
Director, Producer
The Rose of the Rancho
Editor, Director, Writer
The Man From Home
Director, Editor, Producer, Writer
What's His Name
Director, Producer, Editor, Writer
The Only Son
Director
