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Biography |
| Cecil B. DeMille was a director known around the world. His name above the title was as much a draw as were his stars and he ranks among the many innovative directors of his time. He was one of the few directors who survived the transition from silent to sound films and maintained his popularity throughout his lifetime. | |
He was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts. He was the younger of two sons born to his parents Henry Churchill DeMille and his wife Mathilda Beatrice. Henry taught English at Columbia University, preached sermons from the pulpit and wrote plays. His mother, Mathilda turned their home into a school for girls when her husband died and the tuition paid to send Cecil's brother, William to Columbia University.Cecil was sent to the Pennsylvania Military College. But she is best known for establishing The DeMille Play Company. Cecil ran away from military college to join the recruits
to fight in the Spanish-American War, only to be rejected
since he was too young. His mother then enrolled him
as a student at the Academy of the Dramatic Arts in
New York City after he had shown interest in the theater.
While acting, he met his future His debut as an actor was on February 21, 1900 in a production of Hearts Art Trumps. Cecil collaborated with his brother William on may plays and while doing so he met Jesse L. Lasky with whom he would have a lifelong relationship. After seeing The Great Train Robbery in 1913, DeMille and Lasky were excited about motion pictures and immediately decided to form the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play company. Samuel Goldfish (later Goldwyn) also joined them. They purchased the rights for Edwin Milton Royle's play, The Squaw Man. After deciding that shooting on location in Arizona was not appropriate they decided to go west to the end of the railroad line, Los Angeles.
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wife,
Constance Adams whom he married on August 16, 1902.
DeMille had many other interests which included:
Founder,
1919 Mercury Aviation Company, one of the first |
American
airlines to carry air freight and passengers commercially
on regularly scheduled runs.Vice President and chairman of
motion picture loans for commercial National Trust and Savings
Banks of Los Angeles, which was purchased by Bank of Italy
and later became Bank of America.
President, DeMille Foundation for Political Freedom
President, Motion Picture Relief Fund
Chairman of the Motion Picture Division of the Community
Chest of Los Angeles
On the Board of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and council of Motion Picture Organizations. When sound came, he was ready and able to accept the challenge. His
fourth sound film, The Sign of the Cross, was
truly the beginning of his sound career
and
marked the way for all his future films. Most of his films, from then
on were historic or biblical epics for which he is best known.
During this period, he was also the producer of the Lux Radio Theater
from June 1, 1936 to January 22, 1945. Part of its success was his name
recognition. He left over a dispute regarding Proposition Twelve which
is explained in my Lux Radio Theater section.
For his whole life he continued planning and producing and was working on a
film about the boy scouts when he died. Early in the morning of January 21,
1959, he died at the age of 77. DeMille will be remembered for his historic/biblical
epics, but I hope he will also be known for the innovations he provided to
the film industry.
See more biographical
information about DeMille at: Internet Movie Database |
Webmaster: Lynn Dougherty
This Cecil B. DeMille site published:
September 1, 2000
Last Update: June27, 2006
