He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director who had been a director with the Edison Company. [130] Broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from 1935 to 1954,[131] the Lux Radio show was one of the most popular weekly shows in the history of radio. . This occurred with Victor Mature in Samson and Delilah. Date of Death: January 21, 1959. The surgery caused him to suffer from sexual dysfunction for the rest of his life, according to some family members. [132], DeMille sued the union for reinstatement but lost. Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille did not like the first draft of the biography, saying that he thought the person portrayed in the biography was an "SOB"; he said it made him sound too egotistical. Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S. Ethnnicity: *father - English, small amounts of Scottish and Dutch, distant Belgian Flemish, remote Welsh. Occupations. [156] Fifty-two of his features are silent films. [243] In relation to his own interests and sexual preferences, sadomasochism was a minor theme present in some of his films. Mature refused to wrestle Jackie the Lion, even though DeMille had just tussled with the lion, proving that he was tame. [186] Generally, Belasco's influence of DeMille's career can be seen in DeMille's showmanship and narration. Still, it was a huge success at the box office. [34], They were sexually incompatible; according to DeMille, Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and evil passions. He was a Freemason who remained a member of Prince of Orange Lodge #16 in New York . Right here at FameChain. [72] He made his first film run sixty minutes, as long as a short play. vigilantes and fulminating fanatics suffering flock shock and who wanted to shut down 1920s Hollywood because of the cause clbre scandals . Moreover, DeMille's epics inspired directors such as Howard Hawks, Nicholas Ray, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and George Stevens to try producing epics. [10] He worked as a playwright, administrator, and faculty member during the early years of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, established in New York City in 1884. [106] His first film in the new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation, was The Road to Yesterday in 1925. [281] However, not everyone received DeMille's religious films favorably. DeMille's early silent comedies influenced the comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. [115] In 1916, DeMille purchased a mansion in Hollywood. [104], In the early 1920s, scandal surrounded Paramount; religious groups and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. [83], DeMille's most successful film was The Cheat; DeMille's direction in the film was acclaimed. This allowed for the rapid production of his films in the early years of the Lasky Company. [189] In the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, both DeMille's Samson and Delilah and 1923 version of The Ten Commandments received votes, but did not make the top 100 films. Biography: Cecil B. deMille is one of the most important and successful filmmakers Hollywood has ever produced. (Cecil Blount De Mille o DeMille; Ashfield, 1881 - Hollywood, 1959) Productor y director de cine estadounidense recordado especialmente por sus superproducciones de epopeyas histricas y religiosas. After reading the screenplay, Daniel A. Lord warned DeMille that Catholics would find the film too irreverent, while non-Catholics would have considered the film Catholic propaganda. [134] William Keighley was his replacement. [64] The Lasky Company bought the rights to the play The Squaw Man by Edwin Milton Royle and cast Dustin Farnum in the lead role. [119] These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 remake of The Squaw Man were both critically and financially unsuccessful. He debuted as an actor on February 21, 1900, in the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater. Ashfield, Massachusetts, USA. - Death and the Maiden (1973) . He began his career as a stage actor in 1900. that DeMille found his greatest inspiration. DeMille frequently made cameos as himself in other Paramount films. [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. [318], Cecil B. DeMille made 70 features. The mistress could not keep the boy due to her tuberculosis. Long before he made his first sound picture, DeMille had become a cinema . [201], DeMille experimented in his early films with photographic light and shade which created dramatic shadows instead of glare. Unlike the other children the DeMille's adopted, John was never told about his birth parents. [239], DeMille's films contained many similar themes throughout his career. [75] Additionally, this was the only film in which DeMille shared director's credit with Oscar C. Date of death: 21 Jan 1959. [259] He cultivated the image of the omnipotent director,[260] complete with megaphone, riding crop, and jodhpurs. An annual award, the Golden Globe's Cecil B. DeMille Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the film industry. [84] Throughout his career, DeMille would frequently remake his own films. Its interracial love story made it commercially successful and it first publicized Hollywood as the home of the U.S. film industry. The school closed, and Beatrice filed for bankruptcy. [315] He was further nominated in the Best Picture category for The Ten Commandments at the 1957 Academy Awards. . In his address, he compares the exodus of the Israelites under Moses's direction to that of the Mormon . Cecil B. DeMille, of course, is the legendary filmmaker, director of The Ten Commandments, The King of Kings, Cleopatra, Samson & Delilah, The Greatest Show on Earth, and many more excellent and timeless films. DeMille filming the "big Indian raid" of Call of the North. [61], The Squaw Man was a success, which led to the eventual founding of Paramount Pictures and Hollywood becoming the "film capital of the world". English Wikipedia. Martin Scorsese recalled that DeMille had the skill to maintain control of not only the lead actors in a frame but the many extras in the frame as well. DeMille's first film, The Squaw Man (1914), was also the first full-length feature film shot in Hollywood. [84] Goldwyn was later fired from Famous Players-Lasky due to frequent clashes with Lasky, DeMille, and finally Zukor. [112] He was also a real estate speculator,[113] an underwriter of political campaigns, and vice president of Bank of America. [31] In 1901, DeMille starred in productions of A Repentance, To Have and to Hold, and Are You a Mason? Story 2018 . His silent era films often included the "battle of the sexes" theme due to the era of women's suffrage and the enlarging role of women in society. Consequently, the film was never made. [36][note 6], Film started becoming more sophisticated and the subsequent films of the Lasky company were criticized for primitive and unrealistic set design. [40], His brother William was establishing himself as a playwright and sometimes invited him to collaborate. 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. Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. [157] Adolph Zukor convinced the board to change their minds on the grounds of morality. Still, the members unanimously approved it. [180] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. [92] DeMille and Adams adopted Katherine Lester in 1920 whom Adams had found in the orphanage over which she was the director. . Produced in eight weeks without exceeding budget, the film was financially successful. [68] He continued to Los Angeles. [49] In the 1910s, DeMille began directing and producing other writer's plays. Cecil B. Demille papers (English) type of reference. Cecil B. DeMille's "Ten Commandments" is getting appropriately colossal treatment in honor of its 55th anniversary. Cecil Blount DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, while his parents were vacationing there, and grew up in Washington, North Carolina. Now he wants to make the life of Moses. [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. [184] While working in theatre, DeMille used real fruit trees in his play California as influenced by Belasco. He was confined to bed and unable to eat. He was entombed at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever). [137] Following his surgery and the success of Union Pacific, in 1940, DeMille first used three-strip Technicolor in North West Mounted Police. [105] Consequently, DeMille left Paramount in 1924 despite having helped establish it. Jeakins admitted that she received quality training from him, but that it was necessary to become a perfectionist on a DeMille set to avoid being fired. [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. After Henry DeMille's death at age 40, Cecil's mother, Beatrice, ran a well-known boarding school for girls in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. [129] DeMille also liked Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, finding him charismatic, tenacious, and intelligent and agreeing with Roosevelt's abhorrence of Prohibition. Of his seventy films, five revolved around stories of the Bible and the New Testament; however many others, while not direct retellings of Biblical stories, had themes of faith and religious fanaticism in films such as The Crusades and The Road to Yesterday. His first several films were westerns and he produced a chain of westerns during the sound era. [101], After five years and thirty hit films, DeMille became the American film industry's most successful director. DeMille purchased the home in 1916 for $27,893 (Yes, five digits) and lived there with his family until his death in 1959. Hollywood, California: Paramount Pictures.2011, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 18:28, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, eighth-highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for inflation, "Back in the Day - Sept. 18, 1991: De Mille's Pompton Lakes roots recalled", "Anthony Quinn: Colourful Hollywood star who built a career playing ethnic heroes and villains", "Guide to the Richard DeMille Collection", "Cecil DeMille, 77, Pioneer of Movies, Dead in Hollywood", "How a Hollywood Director Almost Launched L.A.'s First Commercial Airline", "Register of the Cecil B. DeMille Archives, 1863-1983", "Financing Hollywood through the Great Depression", "Angelina Jolie Buys Historic Cecil B. DeMille Estate for $24.5 Million", "Sixty years later, The Ten Commandments remains one of the most popular biblical films ever made", "Angelina Jolie Buys Cecil B. DeMille's Estate at Record-Shattering Price", "Christie's East to Auction DeMille Possessions", "New Testament to Genius: Turner's "Cecil B. DeMille", "Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" Brings the World's Greatest Love Story to the Screen", "Hollywood Legend Claudette Colbert Dies", "Charlton Heston: as you won't remember him", "The Deep Focus Typecasting of Joseph Schildkraut as Judas Figure in Four DeMille Films", "A Brief History of Movie Special Effects", "All-Time Box-Office Hits By Decade and Year", "Ridley Scott: from Alien to Exodus, a Cecil B. DeMille for the digital age", "Samson as a Moses-Figure in Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" (1949)", "BFI Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 How the directors and critics voted", "Hollywood Flashback: Cecil B. DeMille Accepted the Golden Globe Named for Him in 1952", "Reel dictators: why despots love directors", "Disp L.A. Case #45: Cecil B. DeMille's Riding Crop", "DeMille's Re-Released 'Commandments'Better Than Ever", "Cecil B. DeMille the greatest filmmaking showman rediscovered! [168] Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film The Buccaneer was a disappointment. DeMille served as executive producer but could not improve Quinn's style of direction. 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). [230] Actor Charlton Heston admitted DeMille was, "terribly unfashionable" and Sidney Lumet called Demille, "the cheap version of D.W. Griffith," adding that DeMille, "[didn't have]an original thought in his head," though Heston added that DeMille was much more than that. [191] DeMille was the first director to connect art to filmmaking; he created the title of "art director" on the film set. Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1873 - July 17, 1960) was an American actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille. He received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director for his circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which won both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama. [70] Filming began on December 29, 1913, and lasted three weeks. He was an active Freemason and member of Prince of Orange Lodge #16 in New York City.[1]. DeMille wanted to film in Canada; however, due to budget constraints, the film was instead shot in Oregon and Hollywood. The Roaring Twenties were the boom years and DeMille took full advantage, opening the Mercury Aviation Company, one of America's first commercial airlines. [39] DeMille wrote a few of his own plays in-between stage performances, but his playwriting was not as successful. View Bio. Eddie Murphy is going to the Golden Globes. [160] A unique practice at the time, DeMille offered ten percent of his profit to the crew. Cause of Death: Heart Attack. The Tikah still made a few trade canoes into the early 20th Century. [23][note 2] DeMille's parents operated a private school in town and attended Christ Episcopal Church. But he put on pictures that made a fortune. Furthermore, DeMille argued with Zukor over his extravagant and over-budget production costs. Despite its quick turnaround, the film was fairly successful. [136] During pre-production of Union Pacific, DeMille was dealing with his first serious health issue. DeMille was omitted from the list, thought to be too unsophisticated and antiquated to be considered an auteur. His poor physical condition upon his return home affected the production of his 1922 film Manslaughter. Considered one of the founders of Hollywood, film producer and director Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) earned a place in moviemaking history with such religious epic films as The Ten Commandmentsand King of Kings.. [67], On December 12, 1913, DeMille, his cast, and crew boarded a Southern Pacific train bound for Flagstaff via New Orleans. [147], DeMille's next film, Samson and Delilah in 1949, became Paramount's highest-grossing film up to that time. He said he was rather against union leaders such as Walter Reuther and Harry Bridges whom he compared to dictators. Cecil B. DeMille Net Worth: Cecil B. DeMille was an American film director and producer who had a net worth equal to $50 million at the time of his death after adjusting for . Cause of Death: Heart failure due to a series of heart attacks. [114] He was additionally vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles where he approved loans for other filmmakers. 10 June 2021. DeMille toured with the circus while helping write the script. Cecil B. DeMille. He is from USA. Cause of Death. He had a band of assistants who catered to his needs. DeMille liked to sail and dive; he had several boats throughout his lifetime. [130] He resigned from the Lux Radio Show because he refused to pay a dollar to the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) because he did not believe that any organization had the right to "levy a compulsory assessment upon any member. DeMille developed a plan with his doctor to allow him to continue directing while reducing his physical stress. A censorship board called the Hays Code was established. [29] He fled the school to join the SpanishAmerican War, but failed to meet the age requirement. [58], Desiring a change of scene, Cecil B. DeMille, Jesse Lasky, Sam Goldfish (later Samuel Goldwyn), and a group of East Coast businessmen created the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in 1913 over which DeMille became director-general. [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. Cemetery Name: Hollywood Forever Cemetery. U.S. State: Massachusetts. . [61] Moreover, when he was busy directing other films, he would co-author other Lasky Company scripts as well as create screen adaptations that others directed. [227], Cecil B. DeMille's film production career evolved from critically significant silent films to financially significant sound films. Martin Scorsese cited Unconquered, Samson and Delilah, and The Greatest Show on Earth as DeMille films that have imparted lasting memories on him. [238] Although he is known for his later "spectacular" films, his early films are held in high regard by critics and film historians. [204] As DeMille's career progressed, he increasingly relied on artist Dan Sayre Groesbeck's concept, costume, and storyboard art. An example is the Bible which has been remade into many different movies including The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. DeMille and The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson. Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film, The Buccaneer was a disappointment. [152] Art Arthur also interviewed people for the autobiography. Once there, he chose not to shoot in Edendale, where many studios were, but in Hollywood. Cecil B. DeMille didn't make the kind of movies that wind up in French film festivals. [317], Two of DeMille's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Cheat (1915) and The Ten Commandments (1956). 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. [108] The King of Kings established DeMille as "master of the grandiose and of biblical sagas". 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 . [32] At the age of twenty-one, Cecil B. DeMille married Constance Adams on August 16, 1902, at Adams's father's home in East Orange, New Jersey. Host Scott . 16 references. Apfel. He bought the rights to the novel in 1925, but abandoned the project in pre-production. Peters claimed that he encouraged the cast to attend the funeral with him anyway since DeMille would not be able to shoot the film without him. [279][280] DeMille received more than a dozen awards from Christian and Jewish religious and cultural groups, including B'nai B'rith. Golden Globes 1953 - Best Director and Best . [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. 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. De Mille daughter dies. His art was even shown at Paramount meetings when pitching new films. [205], Composer Elmer Bernstein described DeMille as "sparing no effort" when filmmaking. [301][302], Cecil B. DeMille received many awards and honors, especially later in his career. A dark, exotic beauty, Katherine DeMille was a fascinating screen presence in the 1930s and 1940s. [287][288] The Lasky-DeMille Barn was dedicated as a California historical landmark in a ceremony on December 27, 1956; DeMille was the keynote speaker. [194] DeMille was particularly adept at directing and managing large crowds in his films. "[267] Salvador Dal wrote that DeMille, Walt Disney and the Marx Brothers were "the three great American Surrealists". [202] Another important aspect of DeMille's editing technique was to put the film away for a week or two after an initial edit in order to re-edit the picture with a fresh mind. Immediate Family: Biological son of Gus Gonzales and Ada Piper. The gathering drew 93,000, with short speeches by, While the film was a huge success, DeMille regretted that he could not share the success with his wife who had developed, The estate cycled through several different homeowners for the next 30 years until it was bought by American actress. However, his earlier films The Captive, Kindling, Carmen, and The Whispering Chorus are more serious films. [76][77] The film grossed over ten times its budget after its New York premiere in February 1914. DeMille instructed the guilty man to leave town and would never reveal his name. Henry, a . [177] Cecilia lived in the house for many years until her death in 1984,[178] but the house was auctioned by his granddaughter Cecilia DeMille Presley who also lived there in the late 1980s. [161] Post-production lasted a year and the film premiered in Salt Lake City. Soon after, in 1959, he had another heart attack, which led to his death. [187] DeMille produced the majority of his films before the 1930s, and by the time sound films were invented, film critics saw DeMille as antiquated, with his best filmmaking years behind him. Additionally, he often starred in prologues and special trailers that he created for his films, having an opportunity to personally address the audience. [78] In December 1914, Constance Adams brought home John DeMille, a fifteen-month-old, whom the couple legally adopted three years later. They screened four of his films at Christ Church, where DeMille and his family attended church when they lived there. [228] In order to attract a high-class audience, DeMille based many of his early films on stage melodramas, novels, and short stories. MGM distributed the film in 1941 and donated profits to World War II relief charities. Between 1913 and 1956, he made a total of 70 features, both silent and sound films.He is acknowledged as a founding father of the cinema of the United States and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history. Character actor H. B. Warner was fifty, but looked Thirty was cast as Christ, and gives a gently . Constance was born the daughter of Judge Frederic Adams, New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, and Ella Adams, Frederics first wife. His overriding spirit . They also learned that other filmmakers were successfully shooting in Los Angeles, even in winter. This was, according to DeMille, the lowest point of his career. Cecil Blount DeMille. [69] DeMille rented a barn to function as their film studio. 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. DeMille is one of the more commercially successful film directors in history[246] with his films before the release of The Ten Commandments estimated to have grossed $650million worldwide. [290][note 16] Donated by the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation in 2004, the moving image collection of Cecil B. DeMille is held at the Academy Film Archive and includes home movies, outtakes, and never-before-seen test footage. Cause of death. [258], DeMille was one of the first directors to become a celebrity in his own right. 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 education: American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, Pennsylvania Military College. In March 1938, he underwent a major emergency prostatectomy. [55][56] However, changes in the theater rendered DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were produced, and true theatrical success eluded him. Early Life [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. Paramount Pictures 1956 release of the Academy Award-winning, Cecil B. DeMille-directed epic and international success, "The Ten Commandments," is more than likely the most famous religious-drama of all time. Hot! [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. Cecil B. DeMille's trademark films were Biblical and historical dramas, usually told in sweeping, big-budget scale, emblematic of overwrought Hollywood hugeness. He worked with visual technicians, editors, art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, and set carpenters in order to perfect the visual aspects of his films. [26] The aim of the school was to teach young women to properly understand and fulfill the women's duty to herself, her home, and her country. However, others interpreted DeMille's work as visually impressive, thrilling, and nostalgic. DeMille's highest-grossing films include: The Sign of the Cross (1932), Unconquered (1947), Samson and Delilah (1949), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), and The Ten Commandments (1956). [109] Six of DeMille's filmsThe Arab, The Wild Goose Chase, The Dream Girl, The Devil-Stone, We Can't Have Everything, and The Squaw Man (1918)were destroyed due to nitrate decomposition, and are considered lost. AKA Cecil Blount DeMille. DeMille also produced and directed plays. It was produced with a large budget and contained many special effects including an electronically operated giant squid. Julia was born in Richmond, Virginia, of French-American parentage. [263] Joseph Henabery recalled that DeMille looked like "a king on a throne surrounded by his court" while directing films on a camera platform. He consistently was criticized for producing shallow films without talent or artistic care. "A Digger, A Director and A Practical Joker". [274] DeMille has influenced the careers of many modern directors. 72 pictures of Cecil B. DeMille. [138] Despite the criticism, it was Paramount's highest-grossing film of the year. [11] Henry deMille frequently collaborated with David Belasco in playwriting;[12] their best-known collaborations included "The Wife", "Lord Chumley", "The Charity Ball", and "Men and Women". (Born, August 13, 1881 - died January 21, 1959) Cecil Blount DeMille's career plowed relentlessly forward living and dying again and again in waves - on the crests and in the troughs of the "American Dream.". In 1923, DeMille released a modern melodrama The Ten Commandments which was a significant change from his previous stint of irreligious films. is the 10th plague, in which the Angel of Death is imagined as a thick . Work period (start) 1899; Work period (end) 1959; Country of citizenship: 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. Charlie Chaplin lived next door for a time, and after he moved, DeMille purchased the other house and combined the estates. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. [132] DeMille would never again work on radio. Recent images. [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. [138] Critics were impressed with the visuals but found the scripts dull, calling it DeMille's "poorest Western". Perhaps Cecil B. DeMille is more responsible for this than are today's preachers.' 13. [63] The Lasky Company wanted to attract high-class audiences to their films so they began producing films from literary works. He related a story that he maintained his self-control when Gloria Swanson sat on his lap, refusing to touch her. people have heard of the Ten Commandments. [62] They offered Farnum a choice to have a quarter stock in the company (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. [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. Cecil B. DeMille was a master of spectacle. He is one of the most extraordinarily able showmen of modern times. [168] DeMille was unable to attend the Los Angeles premiere of The Buccaneer. [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. The Captive (1915) $500 /week. Beatrice became a play broker and author's agent, influencing DeMille's early life and career. The second star is located at 1725 Vine Street. However, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. [39] In the summer of 1905 DeMille joined the stock cast at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado. His first biblical epic, The Ten Commandments (1923), was both a critical and commercial success; it held the Paramount revenue record for twenty-five years. [300] In 1963, the Cecil B. DeMille Foundation donated the "Paradise" ranch to the Hathaway Foundation, which cares for emotionally disturbed and abused children. View the latest Cecil B. DeMille photos. DeMille's return was approved by Zukor under the condition that DeMille not exceed his production budget of $650,000 for The Sign of the Cross.