Daily Almanac for
Jul 6, 2008
Info search tips
Bio search tips

Encyclopedia

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.

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).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Cecil B De Mille from Infoplease:

  • Cecil B. DeMille - Cecil B. DeMille director, producer, screenwriter Born: 8/12/1881 Birthplace: Ashfield, ...
  • Samuel Goldwyn - Goldwyn, Samuel Goldwyn, Samuel , 1882–1974, American film producer, b. Warsaw, Poland. ...
  • Agnes de Mille - de Mille, Agnes de Mille, Agnes (Agnes George de Mille), 1905–93, American choreographer and ...
  • August 12 Birthdays: George IV - August 12 birthdays: George IV, George Hamilton, Erwin Schrödinger, Jacinto Benavente, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Cecil B. De Mille , Katharine Lee Bates, Cantinflas, Pete Sampras, Christy Mathewson
  • Information Please: 1959 - 1959 Previous Year | Next Year World | U.S. | Economics | Sports | Entertainment | Science | Deaths ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Film: Biographies