Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 - January 21, 1959) was one of the most successful filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century. He directed hundreds of silent shorts before coming into huge popularity during the 1920s, when he reached the apex of his popularity with such films as Don't Change Your Husband (1919), The Ten Commandments (1923), and The King of Kings (1927).

Cecil B. Demille had a keen eye for talent and was known for being an instumental catalyst for the rising status of many a previously young, struggling, or unknown actor. Actor Richard Dix's best-remembered early role was in silent version of Demille's The Ten Commandments. Richard Cromwell owed his 1930s movie fame in part to being selected by DeMille for the role as the leader of the youth gang in Demille's poignant, now cult-favorite, This Day and Age (1933).

While he continued to be prolific throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he is probably best known for his 1956 film The Ten Commandments (which is very different from his 1923 film by the same title). Also representative of his penchant for the spectacular was the 1952 production of The Greatest Show on Earth which gave DeMille an Oscar for best picture and a nomination for best director.

He died in 1959 and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. His niece, Agnes de Mille, was a dancer and choreographer.

External link

• Cecil B. DeMille (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001124/) at the Internet Movie Database

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