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Cecil B. DeMille
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 succ…
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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.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2022
The U.S. and the Holocaust
TV show Self (archive footage)
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2021
Indiana Jones: The Search for the Lost Golden Age
Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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2020
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle II
Movie Self
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2020
Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2019
Hail Satan?
Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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2019
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Movie Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
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2016
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Movie Self
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2012
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2007
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Movie Self (archive footage)
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2003
The Making of The Ten Commandments
Movie Self
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1995
The Casting Couch
Movie
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1988
All-Time Movie Greats
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1984
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1983
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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1982
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Movie Self (archive footage)
More credits
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1976
Hooray for Hollywood
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1975
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Movie Self (archive footage)
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1974
Spécial cinéma
TV show Self (archive footage)
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1958
The Buccaneer
Movie Presenter of Prologue
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1957
The Buster Keaton Story
Movie Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
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1956
The Ten Commandments
Movie Narrator (uncredited)
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1956
Cinépanorama
TV show Self
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1953
The War of the Worlds
Movie Executive Producer
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1952
This Is Your Life
TV show Self
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1952
Son of Paleface
Movie Photographer (uncredited)
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1952
The Greatest Show on Earth
Movie Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
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1952
The Fallbrook Story
Movie Self, Introduction
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1950
Sunset Boulevard
Movie Cecil B. DeMille
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1950
What's My Line?
TV show Self
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1949
Samson and Delilah
Movie Narrator (uncredited)
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1948
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV show Self
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1947
Unconquered
Movie Self - Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
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1947
Variety Girl
Movie Cecil B. DeMille
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1947
Jens Mons in America
Movie Self (uncredited)
- 1945
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1944
The Story of Dr. Wassell
Movie Voice of Narrator (uncredited)
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1942
Reap the Wild Wind
Movie Prologue Speaker (voice) (uncredited)
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1942
Star Spangled Rhythm
Movie Cecil B. DeMille
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1942
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Movie Self
