Cecil B. DeMille

Who was Cecil B. DeMille?

Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and film producer in both silent and sound films.

DeMille began his career as a stage actor in 1900. He later moved on to writing and directing stage productions. He directed his first film, The Squaw Man, released in 1914 and would go on to direct dozens of silent films before crossing to sound films in 1929.

DeMille was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Among his best-known films are Cleopatra; Samson and Delilah; The Greatest Show on Earth, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture; and The Ten Commandments, which was his last and most successful film. In addition to his Academy Award win, he was also awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his film contributions, the Palme d'Or, a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He was also the first recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is named in his honor.

He was married to Constance Adams DeMille in 1902 with whom he had four children: Cecilia, Katherine, John, and Richard. DeMille died in January 1959 of a heart ailment at the age of 77.