Cast
Cecil B. DeMille
Directing
Cast
Cecil B. DeMille
Known for
Directing
Born
1881-08-12
From
Ashfield, États-Unis
Died
1959-01-21
Also known as Cecil Blount de Mille, Cecil Blount DeMille
Biography
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.
★7.8
MOVIE1956
The Ten Commandments
as Narrator (uncredited)
★8.3
MOVIE1950
Sunset Boulevard
as Cecil B. DeMille
★6.6
MOVIE1949
Samson and Delilah
as Narrator (uncredited)
★6.4
MOVIE1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
★6.5
MOVIE1947
Unconquered
as Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
★6.4
MOVIE1940
North West Mounted Police
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
★7.9
MOVIE2021
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
★6.5
MOVIE1958
The Buccaneer
as Presenter of Prologue
★6.4
MOVIE1942
Reap the Wild Wind
as Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited)
★7.0
MOVIE2019
Hail Satan?
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
★6.5
MOVIE1947
Variety Girl
as Cecil B. DeMille
★5.9
MOVIE1930
Madam Satan
as Radio Newscaster (voice) (uncredited)
★6.4
MOVIE1944
The Story of Dr. Wassell
as Voice of Narrator (uncredited)
★7.0
MOVIE1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
★6.3
MOVIE1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as Self (archive footage)
★7.0
MOVIE2019
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
★6.2
MOVIE1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Cecil B. DeMille
★7.5
MOVIE1935
Hollywood Extra Girl
as Cecil B. DeMille
★6.4
MOVIE1952
Son of Paleface
as Photographer (uncredited)
★4.3
MOVIE2007
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
★9.0
MOVIE1923
Hollywood
as Cecil B. DeMille
★7.0
MOVIE1930
Estrellados
as Self (Guest Appearance)
★8.3
MOVIE1995
The Casting Couch
MOVIE1942
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
as Self
★8.0
MOVIE1976
Hooray for Hollywood
as Self (archive footage)
★6.2
MOVIE1930
Free and Easy
as Director Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
★9.0
MOVIE1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as Self (archive footage)
★7.5
MOVIE2020
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
★7.2
MOVIE2012
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
as Self (archive footage)
★10.0
MOVIE1945
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
as Self
MOVIE1933
Hollywood on Parade No. B-5
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
MOVIE1952
The Fallbrook Story
as Self, Introduction
★6.0
MOVIE1914
The Squaw Man
as Faro Dealer
★5.2
MOVIE1957
The Buster Keaton Story
as Cecil B. DeMille
★8.0
MOVIE2003
The Making of The Ten Commandments
as Self
★8.0
MOVIE2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II
as Self
★7.8
MOVIE1922
A Trip to Paramountown
as Self
★5.0
MOVIE1947
Jens Mons in America
as Self (uncredited)
MOVIE1982
Showbiz Ballyhoo
as Self (archive footage)
★6.2
MOVIE2016
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
as Self
★9.0
MOVIE1934
The Hollywood You Never See
as Self
★5.4
MOVIE1928
The Circus: Premiere
as Self
★9.5
MOVIE2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle
as Self (archive footage)
★5.3
MOVIE1939
The Movies March On
as Self (archive footage)
MOVIE1927
Life in Hollywood No. 1
as Self