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Cecil B. DeMille
Producer, Director, Actor, Editor, Writer, Additional Credits
Born August 12, 1881Died January 21, 1959 (77 years)
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.
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
| 2021 | Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age · as Self - Filmmaker (archive Footage) |
| 2020 | Les mille et une vies de Yul Brynner · as Self - Filmmaker (archive Footage) |
| 2020 | Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2019 | John Ford: The Man Who Invented America · as Self |
| 2019 | Hail Satan? · as Self - Filmmaker (archive Footage) |
| 2018 | Gladiateur, glaive et fantasmes · as Self - Filmmaker (archive Footage) |
| 2016 | |
| 2014 | And the Oscar Goes to... · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2009 | |
| 2008 | Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies · as Self |
| 2007 | Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2004 | Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic · as Self |
| 2003 | Sex at 24 Frames Per Second · as Self |
| 2000 | |
| 2000 | Central Casting · as Self |
| 1998 | The Best of Hollywood · as Self |
| 1996 | Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life · as Self - Addresses Extras |
| 1994 | The Bible According to Hollywood · as Self |
| 1984 | Going Hollywood: The '30s · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 1983 | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage · as Self (archive Footage) (uncredited) |
| 1982 | Hooray for Hollywood · as Self |
| 1975 | Brother Can You Spare a Dime · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 1963 | Hollywood Without Make-Up · as Self |
| 1957 | The Buster Keaton Story · as Cecil B. Demille |
| 1956 | Cinépanorama (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1954 | The 26th Annual Academy Awards · as Self - Presenter |
| 1953 | The 25th Annual Academy Awards · as Self - Winner |
| 1950 | This Is Your Life (US) (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1950 | Sunset Boulevard · as Cecil B. Demille |
| 1950 | What's My Line? (TV Series) · as Self - Mystery Guest |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1947 | Unconquered · as Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Variety Girl · as Cecil B. Demille |
| 1947 | Jens Mansson in America · as Self (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Star Spangled Rhythm · as Cecil B. Demille |
| 1939 | The Movies March On · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 1930 | Estrellados · as Self (guest Appearance) |
| 1923 | Hollywood · as Cecil B. Demille |