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DeMille, Cecil B. (Cecil Blount), 1881-1959

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1881 - 1959

Biographical History

Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) was an American motion picture producer and director, considered the archetype of the American film mogul. His 70 films reflect changing American tastes and values, and he was particularly noted for his multimillion-dollar spectacles.

Cecil B. DeMille was born on August 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts to Henry Churchill de Mille and Matilda Beatrice Samuel de Mille. DeMille started acting on Broadway in 1900, and by 1913 he joined a film studio partnership which would eventually become Paramount Pictures. DeMille had a long and storied career as a filmmaker and directed several epic films, such as the Ten Commandments (1956). DeMille died on January 21, 1959, in Hollywood, California.

Citation:
His The Royal ...

LC data base, 10/11/85 (hdg.: DeMille, Cecil Blount, 1881-1959; usage: Cecil B. DeMille); LC manual auth. cd. (also shows usage: Cecil B. De Mille)

Wikipedia, Sept. 16, 2010 (Cecil Blount DeMille; b. Aug. 12, 1881 in Ashfield, Mass.; d. Jan. 21, 1959 in Hollywood, Calif.; American film director and producer)

Turner Classic Movies database, Oct. 7, 2010 (Cecil B. DeMille Productions; est. 1921; founded by Cecil B. DeMille)

Empire of dreams, 2010: p. 212 (Cecil B. DeMille Pictures Corporation; founded by Cecil B. DeMille)

Found in 8 Collections and/or Records:

Collection on Cecil B. DeMille, date of production not identified

 Series
Identifier: MSS 2544 Series D13
Scope and Contents

Contains a Cecil B. DeMille publicity slide.

Dates: date of production not identified

Cecil B. DeMille letter on naturalization of Japanese

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197231190437]
Identifier: MSS SC 3258
Scope and Contents

Typed letter, signed by DeMille.

Dates: 1924

Cecil B. DeMille letters

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230343383]
Identifier: MSS 2613
Scope and Contents

12 letters and 1 telegram from DeMille to Lasky, 1 photograph.

Dates: 1942-1956

Cecil B. DeMille photographs

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS P 146
Scope and Contents

Collection includes 6000 photographs (including oversize), 61 slides in molded case and viewing equipment, two glass plates, and one panoramic photograph. Biographical and personal publicity for DeMille Productions, Paramount Pictures and Famous Lasky Players.

Dates: 1868-1959

Victor Milner collection of photographs

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS P 79
Scope and Contents

Collection includes photographs of early Hollywood actors and personalities, as well as of the Milner family. Also includes filmstrips of caricatures from the film Land of the Pharos.

Dates: approximately 1920-1979

Lisa Mitchell papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 2149
Scope and Contents Collection consists of correspondence, reviews, film reels, press kits, and newspaper and magazine articles written by Mitchell. Also included are photographs, posters, and other materials regarding Merlene of the Movies and Divine Mercy, No Escape. Two prospecti on proposed books about Cecil B. DeMille and the 1956 motion picture The Ten Commandments are among the materials, along with musical programs from Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, and others. Also included are video tapes of Mitchell's...
Dates: 1955-1999

A Mormon maid

 Item — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197227658041]
Identifier: MSS 6860
Abstract

One videocassette entitled "A Mormon Maid" produced by the LDS Motion Picture Studio in 1993.

Dates: 1993

Ten Commandments costume continuity book

 Collection — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197232550100]
Identifier: MSS 5783
Scope and Contents

Black loose-leaf binder containing 149 8x10 inch black-and-white photographs of costume sketches for The Ten Commandments (1956). The sketches were done by Arnold Friberg, Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, John Jensen, and Ralph Jester. The binder was compiled by Head, who used it to check and maintain costume continuity for the production.

Dates: 1954-1956