[298][299], DeMille's legacy is maintained by his granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley who serves as the president of the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation, which strives to support higher education, child welfare, and film in Southern California. Once there, he chose not to shoot in Edendale, where many studios were, but in Hollywood. [306] DeMille received a Golden Globe Award for Best Director[314] and was additionally nominated for the Best Director category at the 1953 Academy Awards for the same film. [174] DeMille left his multi-million dollar estate in Los Feliz, Los Angeles in Laughlin Park to his daughter Cecilia because his wife had dementia and was unable to care for an estate. [202] DeMille was unique in using this technique. Here we have a man who made a film praising the Jewish people, that tells of Samson, one of the legends of our Scripture. [84] In 1916, exhausted from three years of nonstop filmmaking, DeMille purchased land in the Angeles National Forest for a ranch which would become his getaway. [121], In 1932, DeMille returned to Paramount at the request of Lasky, bringing with him his own production unit. The Enigmatic Pop Culture Professional. Although this final reel looked so different from the previous eleven reels that it appeared to be from another movie, according to Simon Louvish, the film is one of DeMille's strangest and most "DeMillean" film. [225][226] DeMille was credited by actor Edward G. Robinson with saving his career following his eclipse in the Hollywood blacklist. He was the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was named in his honor. Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12th, in 1881. [165] This film would be his last. [88] On July 19, 1916, the Jesse Lasky Feature Play Company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company, becoming Famous Players-Lasky. Carl Laemmle anniversary 1931.JPG 1,473 1,161; 359 KB. [117] He also popularized the camera crane. people have heard of the Ten Commandments. [188][189] DeMille recalled that one of the most influential plays he saw was Hamlet, directed by Sothern. [41] However, none of these were very successful; William deMille was most successful when he worked alone. The surgery caused him to suffer from sexual dysfunction for the rest of his life, according to some family members. 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. 1. Mrs. DeMille's office and library opened to the music room. [233] DeMille's 1956 version of The Ten Commandments, according to director Martin Scorsese, is renowned for its level of production and the care and detail that went into creating the film. [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. DeMille traveled abroad to find employment until he was offered a deal at Paramount. Consequently, the film was never made. I'm ready for my close-up." In his address, he compares the exodus of the Israelites under Moses's direction to that of the Mormon . The film began production in 1949, Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for use of the title and facilities. Name Constance DeMille Cause of death pneumonia: Born April 27, 1874 . The star was being honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award, which was presented to her by Reese Witherspoon, her co-star in the upcoming Disney film A Wrinkle in Time. Still, the members unanimously approved it. [90], During World War I, the Famous Players-Lasky organized a military company underneath the National Guard called the Home Guard made up of film studio employees with DeMille as captain. His overriding spirit . Billy Jim Hawkins . [18] The family lived in Washington, North Carolina,[19] until Henry built a three-story Victorian-style house for his family in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey; they named this estate "Pamlico". *mother - Ashkenazi Jewish. Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille: The Master of the American Biblical Epic . In addition to his Best Picture Awards, he received an Academy Honorary Award for his film contributions, the Palme d'Or (posthumously) for Union Pacific (1939), a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Full name. [42] DeMille would later adapt Belasco's The Girl of the Golden West, Rose of the Rancho, and The Warrens of Virginia into films. [84] While on a European vacation in 1921, DeMille contracted rheumatic fever in Paris. In other "Talk Shop" columns, DeMille explained that "no stone was left unturned to make the picture absolutely true to the life portrayed" and that he had brought in "eighteen big Tiger Tribe Indians . [78] In December 1914, Constance Adams brought home John DeMille, a fifteen-month-old, whom the couple legally adopted three years later. Cecil B. DeMille Winners Through the Years at the Golden Globes - Peoplemag View Bio. [305] From the film industry, DeMille received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards in 1953,[306] and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America Award the same year. In addition to his use of volatile and abrupt film editing, his lighting and composition were innovative for the time period as filmmakers were primarily concerned with a clear, realistic image. The first 24 of his silent films were made in the first three years of his career (1913-1916). [147], DeMille's next film, Samson and Delilah in 1949, became Paramount's highest-grossing film up to that time. [37] Despite his reputation for extramarital affairs, DeMille did not like to have affairs with his stars, as he believed it would cause him to lose control as a director. Cecil Blount Demille (1881 - 1959) - Genealogy In 1923, DeMille released a modern melodrama The Ten Commandments which was a significant change from his previous stint of irreligious films. English Wikipedia. The actor had 10 Globes nominations and five wins, including a special award for his vocal work on . The legendary comedian, 61, has been confirmed to receive one of the night's highest honors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given as a way to honor "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment," per the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Movie posters. DeMille's trademark scenes included bathtubs, lion attacks, and Roman orgies. In the early 1950s, DeMille was recruited by Allen Dulles and Frank Wisner to serve on the board of the anti-communist National Committee for a Free Europe, the public face of the organization that oversaw the Radio Free Europe service. heart failure. They took time off weekly from film production to practice military drills. [57] Having become disinterested in working in theatre, DeMille's passion for film was ignited when he watched the 1912 French film Les Amours de la reine lisabeth. The Squaw Man (1914), co-directed by Oscar Apfel, was a sensation and it established the Lasky Company. Oscars 1950 - Honorary Award. The play was successful, and DeMille was distraught that his childhood idol had plagiarized his work. If you have diabetes and take insulin or other oral medications aimed to reduce blood sugar, taking chromium may increase the risk of . Biography - Cecil B. DeMille DeMille developed a plan with his doctor to allow him to continue directing while reducing his physical stress. Between 1914 and 1956, he made seventy feature films; all but seven were profitable. Furthermore, DeMille's film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Story. [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974. [71] Apfel filmed most of The Squaw Man due to DeMille's inexperience; however, DeMille learned quickly and was particularly adept at impromptu screenwriting as necessary. [106] His first film in the new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation, was The Road to Yesterday in 1925. [166] [note 11], Due to his frequent heart attacks, DeMille asked his son-in-law, actor Anthony Quinn, to direct a remake of his 1938 film The Buccaneer. 1902-08-16 Filmmaker Cecil B DeMille (21) weds actress . DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. "[35] DeMille had more violent sexual preferences and fetishes than his wife. MGM distributed the film in 1941 and donated profits to World War II relief charities. Cecil B. DeMille Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements Apfel. [36] One of DeMille's affairs was with his screenwriter Jeanie MacPherson. DeMille's Ten Commandments premiered in 1956. The Union Pacific gave DeMille access to historical data, early period trains, and expert crews, adding to the authenticity of the film. (He would later cast her in The Ten Commandments.) However, throughout his career, he filmed comedies, periodic and contemporary romances, dramas, fantasies, propaganda, Biblical spectacles, musical comedies, suspense, and war films. He produced or directed about 80 movies - including The Ten Commandments (1956), a movie in the 'epic' genre for which he is probably best known today. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. They struggled to adapt the play from the stage to the set. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. [207], DeMille made stars of unknown actors: Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Rod La Rocque, William Boyd, Claudette Colbert, and Charlton Heston. Zukor became president with Lasky as the vice president. [32] Publicists wrote that he became an actor in order to learn how direct and produce, but DeMille admitted that he became an actor in order to pay the bills. LOS ANGELES -- Cecilia de Mille Harper, daughter of pioneer film-director Cecil B. de Mille and one of the first child movie actresses, has died after a long battle with . Studio: A Cecil B. DeMille Production Paramount Pictures Premiered: February 4, 1938 Featured Cast: Fredric March, Franciska Gaal, Akim Tamiroff Producer-director: Cecil B. DeMille Screenwriter: Harold Lamb, Edwin Justus Mayer, C. Gardner Sullivan Source: Lyle Saxon's book Lafitte the Pirate Additional writers: Emily Barrye, Grover Jones, Jesse Lasky Jr., Jeanie Macpherson, Preston . From the archive, 22 January 1959: Pioneering film maker Cecil B. deMille dies Even the severest critics of his films had to concede that he was a great showman Cecil B. deMille (1881-1959). [138] Audiences liked its highly saturated color, so DeMille made no further black-and-white features. [162] Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, it grossed over $80million, which surpassed the gross of The Greatest Show on Earth and every other film in history, except for Gone with the Wind. [191] Plot and dialogue were not a strong point of DeMille's films. Scripture Filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille - University of Waterloo The original story Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is about two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, who fall in love and their families' feud ends with death of Romeo and Juliet. [141], In 1942, DeMille worked with Jeanie MacPherson and brother William deMille in order to produce a film called Queen of Queens which was intended to be about Mary, mother of Jesus. DeMille claimed that MacPherson was not a good writer, but she received credit in his films because she gave him many ideas for the screenplays. During the French New Wave, critics began to categorize certain filmmakers as auteurs such as Howard Hawks, John Ford, and Raoul Walsh. Katherine DeMille - Biography - IMDb DeMille's designs, most notably his design of the distinctive cadet parade uniform, won praise from Air Force and Academy leadership, were ultimately adopted, and are still worn by cadets. He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. The Ten Commandments (Documentary: Making Miracles) (Six-Disc Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Cecil B. DeMille / Paramount. [72] DeMille adapted Belasco's dramatic lighting techniques to film technology, mimicking moonlight with U.S. cinema's first attempts at "motivated lighting" in The Warrens of Virginia. Perhaps Cecil B. DeMille is more responsible for this than are today's preachers.' 13. The Ten Commandments gave the director a chance to play God, to film miracles. . DeMille had considered making the film himself. 21 January 1959. Cecil Blount DeMille. Cecil B. DeMille's Glorious & Glamorous Estate - 2000 De Mille Drive [293] Two schools have been named after him: Cecil B. DeMille Middle School, in Long Beach, California, which was closed and demolished in 2010 to make way for a new high school;[294] and Cecil B. DeMille Elementary School in Midway City, California. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and grew up in New York City. Media in category "Cecil B. DeMille" The following 53 files are in this category, out of 53 total. Early life [ edit ] Born in Orange, New Jersey , [1] DeMille was the daughter of Judge Fredrick Adams, [2] New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, [1] and Ella Adams, his first wife. [60] As director-general, DeMille's job was to make the films. Cecil Blount DeMille was a legendary. It opened on December 13, 1985, and features some of DeMille's personal artifacts. wikipedia.en/Katherine_DeMille.md at main chinapedia/wikipedia.en [212] Paulette Goddard's refusal to risk personal injury in a scene involving fire in Unconquered cost her DeMille's favor and a role in The Greatest Show on Earth. Maude Fealy would appear as the featured actress in several productions that summer and would develop a lasting friendship with DeMille. Name in native language: Cecil Blount DeMille: Date of birth: 12 August 1881 Ashfield: Date of death: 21 January 1959 Hollywood: Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hollywood Forever Cemetery; Pseudonym: C.B. [145] After working on Reap the Wild Wind, in 1944, he was the master of ceremonies at the massive rally organized by David O. Selznick in the Los Angeles Coliseum in support of the DeweyBricker ticket as well as Governor Earl Warren of California. His first three films were Westerns, and he filmed many Westerns throughout his career. [15] The two were married on July 1, 1876, despite Beatrice's parents' objections because of the young couple's differing religions; Beatrice converted to Episcopalianism. "Give me any two pages of the Bible, and I'll give you a picture." -Cecil B. DeMille. Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director, producer, and actor. The selection is made by the HFPA's board of . Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. This concerned the executives at Paramount; however, the film turned out to be the studio's highest-grossing film. DeMille had adopted him to avoid revealing the affairs to William's wife. Terrible. Broadway Actor. Covers. Still, it was a huge success at the box office. [109] Western and frontier American were also themes that DeMille returned to throughout his career. In the 1950s, Paramount sold its entire pre-1948 film library, including those of DeMille, to, The set was discovered by Peter Brosnan after hearing a rumor in 1982 that DeMille had ordered the enormous set to be buried after filming rather than taken away. [160] Production of The Ten Commandments began in October 1954. Cecil Blount DeMille[note 1] was born on August 12, 1881, in a boarding house on Main Street in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where his parents had been vacationing for the summer. [72] DeMille's next project was to aid Oscar Apfel and directing Brewster's Millions, which was wildly successful. Actress and director Angelina Jolie is reportedly moving her six children with Brad Pitt into the historic estate once owned by legendary director Cecil B. DeMille who was famous for his over-the-t [231][note 14] The Ten Commandments inspired DreamWorks Animation's later film about Moses, The Prince of Egypt. Groesbeck's art was circulated on set to give actors and crew members a better understanding of DeMille's vision. Consequently, DeMille's television and radio appearance ban lasted for the remainder of his life, though he was permitted to appear on radio or television to publicize a movie. [180] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. [102] Many of his films featured scenes in two-color Technicolor. [153] Besides filmmaking and finishing his autobiography, DeMille was involved in other projects. [125], Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his strong Episcopalian integrity but his private life included mistresses and adultery. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. DeMille left a physical legacy in 1923 when, on completing The Ten Commandments, he buried the Egyptian sets in the sand dunes of Guadalupe. Explore Cecil B. DeMille's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. U.S. State: Massachusetts. [245], Known as the father of the Hollywood motion picture industry, Cecil B. DeMille made 70 films including several box-office hits. [175][176] His personal will drew a line between Cecilia and his three adopted children, with Cecilia receiving a majority of DeMille's inheritance and estate. [173] After his death, notable news outlets such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian honored DeMille as "pioneer of movies", "the greatest creator and showman of our industry", and "the founder of Hollywood". The American Academy of Dramatic Arts honored DeMille with an Alumni Achievement Award in 1958. Finally, he would leave the script with artists and allow them to create artistic depictions and renderings of each scene. Cecil DeMille's famous niece was named for her. "A dreadful showoff. Ben Gabbe/Getty. - Death and the Maiden (1973) . DeMille's primary criticism was of closed shops, but later included criticism of communism and unions in general. [321]:2123. But they have inspired cutting edge directors including Stephen Spielberg and Martin Scorcese. Instead of portraying the danger and anarchy of the West, he portrayed the opportunity and redemption found in Western America. Chromium is a mineral that is found in a number of foods, such as meat, vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts. Henry, a . [47] In 1907, due to a scandal with one of Beatrice's students, Evelyn Nesbit, the Henry deMille School lost students. Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. Biography - A Short WikiDirector of the epic 1956 film The Ten Commandments, which featured Charlton Heston as Moses. [143] [note 9] In 1938, DeMille supervised the compilation of film Land of Liberty to represent the contribution of the American film industry to the 1939 New York World's Fair. [85][86] In addition to his Paradise, DeMille purchased a yacht in 1921 which he called The Seaward. ", "10 Great Films that Influenced Alfred Hitchcock", "The Construction of a Christ-figure within the 1956 and 1923 Versions of Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments", "The International Film Magazine, Sight & Sound, All films", "Hollywood Heritage volunteers preserve the Industry's earliest incarnation", "National Register of Historic Places Program", "Cecil B. DeMille Film Festival July 2 & 16", "After 54 years, it's the end for DeMille Middle School", "Vietnamese Language Roundtable showcased effectiveness of dual-language immersion program at DeMille Elementary School", "Apollo 11-Technical Air to Ground Voice Transcription", "Cecilia DeMille Presley Joins National Film Preservation Foundation Board of Directors", "BYU special collections archives houses extensive Cecil B. DeMille memorabilia", "BYU Hears: "Understand the Law of God", DeMille Advises 1957 Graduates", "5th Annual DGA Awards Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1952", "5th Annual DGA Awards: Honoring Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1952", "Jeff Bridges to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2019 Golden Globes", "Academy Alum Cecil B. DeMille, The Founding Father of Hollywood Filmmaking", "Complete National Film Registry Listing", "Robert Townsend Directing 'Brewster's Millions' Reboot", "The Only Son/Cecil B. Demille [motion picture]", "DVD Extra: The first, and best 'Chicago' (1927)", "Rare 1949 Photographs Show the Making of 'Sunset Boulevard', "Screen: 'The Ten Commandments'; De Mille's Production Opens at Criterion The Cast", Cecil B. DeMille's Early Films' Costs and Grosses by David Pierce, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cecil_B._DeMille&oldid=1141568133, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 18:28. [240] Moreover, before his religious-themed films, many of his silent era films revolved around "husband-and-wife-divorce-and-remarry satires", considerably more adult-themed. The first, for radio contributions, is located at 6240 Hollywood Blvd. After more than thirty years in film production, DeMille reached a pinnacle in his career with Samson and Delilah (1949), a biblical epic which became the highest-grossing film of 1950. Cecil B. DeMille Biography, Life, Interesting Facts DeMille". He is one of the most extraordinarily able showmen of modern times. [195] DeMille was adept at directing "thousands of extras",[113] and many of his pictures include spectacular set pieces: the toppling of the pagan temple in Samson and Delilah;[196] train wrecks in The Road to Yesterday,[197] Union Pacific[198] and The Greatest Show on Earth;[199] the destruction of an airship in Madam Satan;[200] and the parting of the Red Sea in both versions of The Ten Commandments. [120] After his contract ended at MGM, he left, but no production studios would hire him. Cecil B. DeMille Pictures - Cecil B. DeMille Photo Gallery - 2022 With his editor, Anne Bauchens, DeMille used editing techniques to allow the visual images to bring the plot to climax rather than dialogue. He also toured with the Standard Opera Company, but there are few records to indicate DeMille's singing ability. Red carpet photos. Cecil B. DeMille, in full Cecil Blount DeMille, (born August 12, 1881, Ashfield, Massachusetts, U.S.died January 21, 1959, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California), American motion-picture producer-director whose use of spectacle attracted vast audiences and made him a dominant figure in Hollywood for almost five decades. Cecil B. DeMille's 'Ten Commandments' on Blu-ray - The New York Times [308] In 1952, DeMille was awarded the first Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes. [132] DeMille would never again work on radio. [39] Another unperformed play he wrote was Son of the Winds, a mythological Native American story. Death: December 20, 1982 (68) Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. Julia Faye - Biography - IMDb [281] However, not everyone received DeMille's religious films favorably. [139] DeMille was anti-communist and abandoned a project in 1940 to film Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls due to its communist themes despite the fact he had already paid $100,000 for the rights to the novel. [255] Andrew Sarris, a leading proponent of the auteur theory, ranked DeMille highly as an auteur in the "Far Side of Paradise", just below the "Pantheon". His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship. Consequently, he formed the DeMille Foundation for Political Freedom in order to campaign for the right to work. Birthplace: Ashfield, MA Location of death: Hollywood, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Bu. Early Life Cecil B DeMille & Unknown Married, Children, Joint Family Tree This was the first feature-length film made in Hollywood. [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. Cecil B. DeMille began his career as an actor on the stage in the theatrical company of Charles Frohman in 1900. [136] During pre-production of Union Pacific, DeMille was dealing with his first serious health issue. Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. [154] In 1954, Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott asked DeMille for help in designing the cadet uniforms at the newly established United States Air Force Academy. that DeMille found his greatest inspiration. Though the film was not high-grossing, it was well-received and DeMille was asked to shorten its running time to allow for more showings per day. DeMille, Cecil B. [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. [252], Despite his box-office success, awards, and artistic achievements, DeMille has been dismissed and ignored by critics both during his life and posthumously. [7] His brother, William C. DeMille, was born on July 25, 1878. The Captive (1915) $500 /week. His tentative plan was to shoot a film in Arizona, but he felt that Arizona did not typify the Western look they were searching for. Beatrice was intelligent, educated, forthright, and strong-willed. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. [91] Although DeMille considered enlisting in World War I, he stayed in the United States and made films. Friday 12 Aug 1881. [114] He was additionally vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles where he approved loans for other filmmakers. [242] Another common theme in DeMille's films is the reversal of fortune and the portrayal of the rich and the poor, including the war of the classes and man versus society conflicts such as in The Golden Chance and The Cheat. Let's take a look back at 20 of his greatest movies, ranked worst to best. [185] Similar to Belasco, DeMille's theatre was revolved around entertainment, rather than artistry. DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood. The King of Kings (1927) The first real film about Jesus Christ, this one also set up the template by which all others would be measured until 1988. Stills. Constance was born the daughter of Judge Frederic Adams, New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, and Ella Adams, Frederics first wife. Cecil B. DeMille Birthday, Real Name, Age, Weight, Height, Family Belasco was known for adding realistic elements in his plays such as real flowers, food, and aromas that could transport his audiences into the scenes. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. [16] He gained his love of theater while watching his father and Belasco rehearse their plays. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. Adams allowed DeMille to have several long term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while maintaining an outward appearance of a faithful marriage. The longest-living Oscar winner is a recipient of the Golden Globes' prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award, which he was awarded in 1977, and he received the Producers Guild of America's Lifetime . [52] The collaboration of DeMille and Lasky produced a successful musical called California which opened in New York in January 1912. [39] In the summer of 1905 DeMille joined the stock cast at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado. Cecil Blount DeMille (/ s s l d m l /; August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor.Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films.He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. Epic. After the film was shown, viewers complained that the shadows and lighting prevented the audience from seeing the actors' full faces, complaining that they would only pay half price. [149][150] DeMille signed a contract with Prentice Hall publishers in August 1953 to publish an autobiography. With this year's Oscar nominations soon to be announced, we take a look back at his cinematic extraganzas. Beatrice became a play broker and author's agent, influencing DeMille's early life and career. Self - Actor, The F.B.I. 22. [63] The Lasky Company wanted to attract high-class audiences to their films so they began producing films from literary works. More Facts. Cecil B. DeMille - NNDB She had a Southern drawl which she never lost. Biographer Scott Eyman suggested that this may have been a result of Adams's recent miscarriage. finding aid. [228] Throughout his career, he did not alter his films to better adhere to contemporary or popular styles. [304] Additionally, in 1958, he received an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Temple University. His father, Henry Churchill de Mille (1853-1893), was a North Carolina-born dramatist and lay reader in the Episcopal Church, who had earlier . Cecil B. DeMille: Film director from the United States (1881 - 1959), Actor, Writer, Film producer, Film director, Film editor, Screenwriter, Playwright, Stage actor .