De Mille, Cecil B.

De Mille, Cecil B. (Cecil Blount De Mille), 1881–1959, American movie director and producer, b. Ashfield, Mass. In 1913, together with Samuel Goldwyn, he made the first feature-length film in Hollywood, The Squaw Man. In 1915 he came into prominence with his first "spectacle" film, Carmen. His films were marked by their epic style and their theatricality, by their mass crowd scenes, and often by their biblical themes. In 1953 he won an Academy Award for The Greatest Show on Earth. His biggest and most popular production, The Ten Commandments (1956), was a remake of his 1923 film.

Bibliography

See his autobiography, ed. by D. Hayne (1959, repr. 1985); biography by C. Higham (1980); study by G. Ringgold and D. Bodeen (1969); G. Ringgold and D. Bodeen, The Complete Films of Cecil B. De Mille (1985).

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De Mille, Cecil B. (Blount) (1881–1959) film director; born in Ashfield, Mass. He made his Broadway acting debut in 1900. As a director, he made the first Hollywood picture, The Squaw Man (1914) becoming the creative force behind Paramount and a major contributor to Hollywood's rise to eminence. He became the master of the film spectacle, with moral themes enlivened by violence and sex. Two of his greatest triumphs were The Ten Commandments (1923 and remade in 1956) and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). In addition to producing and directing at least 70 films (and being involved in many others), he directed and hosted "Lux Radio Theatre" (1936–45), which featured adaptations of movies and plays.