Happy Birthday, Cecil B. DeMille, Hollywood Director

Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881, to Henry Churchill de Mille, a Columbia University teacher and wannabe actor, and Matilda Beatrice Samuel de Mille. The official Web site of Cecil B. DeMille explains that in his personal life, Cecil spelled his last name like the rest of his family: de Mille; in his professional life, however, he opted for “DeMille.” Cecil attended Pennsylvania Military College, as well as the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On Feb. 21, 1900, he made his first appearance on stage. While working as an actor, stage manager and director, Cecil also helped his mother manage an agency for plays and playwrights that she started after her husband died.

In 1913, DeMille, Jesse L. Lasky and Samuel Goldwyn created the Lasky Film Company, which later became Paramount Pictures. According to The All Movie Guide, the group’s first project was “The Squaw Man,” which DeMille co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced with the help of Oscar Apfel. It was this experience that launched DeMille on a decades-long love affair with filmmaking.

In 1953, DeMille won his only Oscar for his circus-themed film, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” When creating a film, DeMille operated by the motto, “Give the public what it wants.” Profits made from his films proved that DeMille’s theory was correct; he was one of the most successful directors in Hollywood, according to Biography.com.

One of DeMille’s major career achievements was “The Ten Commandments,” which debuted in movie theaters in 1956. When the time came to promote the movie, DeMille supported an idea to place etched granite replicas of the Ten Commandments in parks and on courthouse and capital lawns.

Many actors owe thanks to DeMille for his influence on their careers. One actress who benefited from DeMille’s work was Gloria Swanson, who uttered the now-immortal line, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up,” in Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard.”

The UCLA Film and Television Archive says he was a “consummate showman, who knew better than anyone how to promote his films and himself.”

In 1914, Cecil’s brother William sent him a letter pleading with him to leave the filmmaking industry. “I did not realize you had reached the stage of utter desperation,” William said. “After all you do come of a cultured family. I cannot understand how you are willing to identify yourself with a cheap form of amusement and which no one will ever allude to as art.” Interestingly, The Telegraph notes that a few months later, William sent Cecil another letter asking for a job.

When members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association decided they wanted to honor individuals who had made exceptional contributions to the entertainment world, they knew a well-recognized name would make the honor more prestigious. “So they turned to a born showman, Cecil B. DeMille, who accepted the idea graciously.” In fact, Cecil, himself, received the first Cecil B. DeMille award in 1952 for his work on “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

DeMille died of a heart attack on Jan. 21, 1959, and Hollywood treated his death “with uncommon dignity,” wrote Time magazine. “Only a handful of mourners were at his grave. It was a modest exit for a showman whose 70 pictures have made more money than any other movies ever filmed.”