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Cecil B. DeMille

Cecil B. DeMille

Director · 1881 – 1959 · Ashfield, États-Unis

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.

Movies23

  • Movie7.8

    The Ten Commandments

    1956 · 1.9K votes

  • Movie8.3

    Sunset Boulevard

    1950 · 3K votes

  • Movie6.6

    Samson and Delilah

    1949 · 259 votes

  • Movie6.4
  • Movie7.8

    Indiana Jones : à la recherche de l'âge d'or perdu

    Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age

    2021 · 32 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Unconquered

    1947 · 67 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Buccaneer

    1958 · 52 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Reap the Wild Wind

    1942 · 65 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Hail Satan?

    2019 · 198 votes

  • Movie6.4

    The Story of Dr. Wassell

    1944 · 24 votes

  • Movie6.3
  • Movie7.0
  • Movie6.4
  • Movie7.0

    Gladiateur, glaive et fantasmes

    Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic

    2019 · 9 votes

  • Movie9.0
  • Movie6.4

    Son of Paleface

    1952 · 36 votes

  • Movie6.5

    Variety Girl

    1947 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Free and Easy

    1930 · 14 votes

  • Movie4.3
  • Movie7.4

    Les Mille et Une Vies de Yul Brynner

    Yul Brynner, the Magnificent

    2020 · 8 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Madam Satan

    1930 · 28 votes

  • Movie5.2
  • Movie8.3

    The Casting Couch

    1995 · 3 votes

Series6

  • TV7.0

    What's My Line?

    1950 · 29 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV9.5

    Spécial cinéma

    1974 · 2 votes

  • TV6.5

    This Is Your Life

    1952 · 13 votes

  • TV8.7

    Cinépanorama

    1956 · 3 votes

  • TV8.3