Cecil B. DeMille
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- August 12, 1881
- Died
- January 21, 1959
- Birthplace
- Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA
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.
Filmography
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age 2021
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent 2020
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II 2020
as Self
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle 2020
as Self (archive footage)
Hail Satan? 2019
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic 2019
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille 2016
as Self
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe 2012
as Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema 2007
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of The Ten Commandments 2003
as Self
The Casting Couch 1995
Actor
- All-Time Movie Greats
All-Time Movie Greats 1988
as Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s 1984
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage 1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Showbiz Ballyhoo 1982
as Self (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood 1976
as Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? 1975
as Self (archive footage)
The Buccaneer 1958
as Presenter of Prologue, Executive Producer, Producer
The Buster Keaton Story 1957
as Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
The Ten Commandments 1956
as Narrator (uncredited), Producer, Director
The War of the Worlds 1953
Executive Producer
Son of Paleface 1952
as Photographer (uncredited)
The Greatest Show on Earth 1952
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
The Fallbrook Story 1952
as Self, Introduction
Sunset Boulevard 1950
as Cecil B. DeMille
Samson and Delilah 1949
as Narrator (uncredited), Director, Producer
Unconquered 1947
as Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
Variety Girl 1947
as Cecil B. DeMille
Jens Mons in America 1947
as Self (uncredited)
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary 1945
as Self
The Story of Dr. Wassell 1944
as Voice of Narrator (uncredited), Director, Producer
Reap the Wild Wind 1942
as Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
Star Spangled Rhythm 1942
as Cecil B. DeMille
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) 1942
as Self
North West Mounted Police 1940
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
The Movies March On 1939
as Self (archive footage)
Land of Liberty 1939
Editor
Union Pacific 1939
Director, Producer
The Buccaneer 1938
Director, Producer
The Plainsman 1936
Director, Producer
Hollywood Extra Girl 1935
as Cecil B. DeMille
The Crusades 1935
Director
Cleopatra 1934
Director, Producer
Four Frightened People 1934
Director, Producer
- The Hollywood You Never See
The Hollywood You Never See 1934
as Self
Hollywood on Parade No. B-5 1933
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
This Day and Age 1933
Director, Producer
The Sign of the Cross 1932
Director, Producer
The Squaw Man 1931
Director
Madam Satan 1930
as Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited), Director, Producer
Estrellados 1930
as Self (Guest Appearance)
Free and Easy 1930
as Director Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
Dynamite 1929
Director
The Godless Girl 1928
Director, Producer
Let 'Er Go Gallegher 1928
Executive Producer
The Circus: Premiere 1928
as Self
The Angel of Broadway 1927
Producer
The Fighting Eagle 1927
Producer
Life in Hollywood No. 1 1927
as Self
Vanity 1927
Producer
The King of Kings 1927
Director, Producer
White Gold 1927
Producer
Life in Hollywood 1927
as Self
The Cruise of the Jasper B 1926
Producer
The Volga Boatman 1926
Director, Producer
Silence 1926
Producer
Whispering Smith 1926
Producer
Red Dice 1926
Presenter
The Wedding Song 1925
Producer
The Road to Yesterday 1925
Director
The Dressmaker from Paris 1925
Supervising Producer
The Golden Bed 1925
Director
Feet of Clay 1924
Director, Producer
Triumph 1924
Producer, Director
The Ten Commandments 1923
Director, Producer
Adam's Rib 1923
Director, Producer
Hollywood 1923
as Cecil B. DeMille
Manslaughter 1922
Director
A Trip to Paramountown 1922
as Self
Saturday Night 1922
Director, Producer
Fool's Paradise 1921
Director
The Affairs of Anatol 1921
Director
Forbidden Fruit 1921
Director, Producer, Story
- The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel
The Affairs of Anatol - Promo Reel 1921
as As himself, Director
Something to Think About 1920
Director, Producer
Why Change Your Wife? 1920
Director, Producer
Male and Female 1919
Director, Producer
For Better, for Worse 1919
Director
Don't Change Your Husband 1919
Director
The Squaw Man 1918
Director
Till I Come Back to You 1918
Director
We Can't Have Everything 1918
Editor, Director
Old Wives for New 1918
Director, Editor, Producer
The Whispering Chorus 1918
Director
The Devil Stone 1917
Director
Nan of Music Mountain 1917
Director
The Woman God Forgot 1917
Director, Producer, Editor
The Little American 1917
Director, Producer, Editor, Writer
A Romance of the Redwoods 1917
Director, Writer, Producer, Editor
Lost and Won 1917
Producer
Betty to the Rescue 1917
General Manager
Joan the Woman 1916
Director, Editor, Producer
The Dream Girl 1916
Director
Maria Rosa 1916
Director
The Heart of Nora Flynn 1916
Director
The Love Mask 1916
Writer
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine 1916
Story, Director, Producer
The Golden Chance 1915
Director, Story, Producer, Editor
Temptation 1915
Editor, Director
The Cheat 1915
Editor, Director, Producer
Chimmie Fadden Out West 1915
Director, Producer, Editor, Writer
Carmen 1915
Director, Producer, Editor
- Kindling
Kindling 1915
Writer, Producer, Director
Chimmie Fadden 1915
Writer, Producer, Director, Editor
The Arab 1915
Producer, Director, Writer
The Wild Goose Chase 1915
Director
The Captive 1915
Director, Writer, Producer, Editor
The Unafraid 1915
Story, Director
The Warrens of Virginia 1915
Director, Producer
After Five 1915
Director
The Girl of the Golden West 1915
Producer, Director, Writer, Editor
The Ghost Breaker 1914
Producer, Writer, Director
The Circus Man 1914
Writer
The Rose of the Rancho 1914
Editor, Director, Writer
The Man From Home 1914
Editor, Director, Writer, Producer
Ready Money 1914
Writer
What's His Name 1914
Writer, Director, Editor, Producer
The Virginian 1914
Director, Editor
The Call of the North 1914
Director
- The Man on the Box
The Man on the Box 1914
Director
The Only Son 1914
Director
- Lord Chumley
Lord Chumley 1914
Theatre Play
The Master Mind 1914
Director
Brewster's Millions 1914
Director, Producer
The Squaw Man 1914
as Faro Dealer, Producer, Director, Writer
Credits from TMDB.