William C. de Mille

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William C. de Mille (1904)
William C. de Mille (1920)

William Churchill de Mille (born July 25, 1878 in Washington , North Carolina , † March 5, 1955 in Playa del Rey , California ) was an American playwright and director .

Life

William C. de Mille was born in 1878 to Henry Churchill De Mille, a successful playwright, and Matilda Beatrice Samuel. He first studied art at Columbia University before completing an acting course at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . After a two-year stay in Germany , de Mille studied Dramatic Literature with Brander Matthews .

In 1905 de Mille published his first drama, Strongheart . A year later he wrote a play (The Genius) for the first time with his younger brother Cecil B. DeMille , followed in 1907 by the comedy Classmates in collaboration with Margaret Turnbull . His breakthrough as a playwright achieved de Mille in 1907 with the comedy The Warrens of Virginia , which was directed by the theater producer David Belasco . De Mille celebrated his greatest success as a playwright in 1911 with the drama The Woman .

In 1914 de Mille followed his brother Cecil into the film business. He initially worked as a dramaturge and screenwriter at Famous Players-Lasky , but soon took over the position of director. De Mille made around 50 silent films for Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures , but only a few have survived. William C. de Milles' films were overshadowed by his brother Cecil B. DeMille, but received critical acclaim. De Mille specialized in literary adaptations , where he was particularly interested in the psychological development of the characters. He attached great importance to humor and the human nuances, which clearly differed from his brother's operatic style.

After the introduction of talkies , de Mille slowly withdrew from the film business, his last directorial work was the comedy His Double Life in 1933 . De Mille tries a comeback on New York's Broadway , but he could not follow up on his earlier theatrical successes. He spent the following years as a lecturer at the USC School of Cinematic Arts , which he co-founded in 1929.

William C. de Mille was one of the early members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was its president from 1929 to 1931. Together with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. he hosted the first Academy Awards in 1929 and was the sole host of the second Academy Awards in 1930.

De Mille was married to Anna Angela George, daughter of economist Henry George , from 1903 to 1929 . They had two daughters: the future dancer Agnes de Mille and the future actress Peggy George . In 1929 de Mille married the screenwriter Clara Beranger , with whom he remained married until his death in 1955.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1914: The Only Son
  • 1916: The Sowers
  • 1916: The Heir to the Hoorah
  • 1916: Anton the Terrible
  • 1917: The Secret Game
  • 1918: The Honor of His House
  • 1920: Jack Straw
  • 1920: Conrad in Quest of His Youth
  • 1920: Midsummer Madness
  • 1921: The Lost Romance
  • 1921: Miss Lulu bed
  • 1923: Grumpy
  • 1924: The Bedroom Window
  • 1926: For Alimony Only
  • 1927: The Little Adventuress
  • 1928: Craig's Wife
  • 1929: The Idle Rich
  • 1930: This Mad World
  • 1930: Passion Flower
  • 1932: Two Kinds of Women
  • 1933: His Double Life
  • 1939: Chain Convict in Australia (Captain Fury) (screenplay)

literature

  • Gerald Bordman, Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to American Theater . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-516986-7 .
  • Kevin Brownlow: pioneers of film . Stroemfeld Verlag, Basel / Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-87877-386-2 .

Web links

Commons : William C. deMille  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ The New York Times : WC DE MILLE, 76, PLAYWRIGHT, LIES; Author of 'The Warrens of Virginia' Was Brother of Noted Film Producer , March 6, 1955.
  2. ↑ William C. de Mille preferred this spelling, while his younger brother, like his father, called himself DeMille . In the literature as well as in some films, however, there are also different spellings, including deMille and De Mille . Compare also the writing of Agnes de Mille .
  3. ^ Ruth Wing: The Blue Book of the Screen . The Blue book of the screen, inc., Hollywood 1923, p. 287.
  4. ↑ Gerald Bordman, Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to American Theater , p. 649.
  5. ↑ Gerald Bordman, Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to American Theater , p. 171.
  6. ^ Peter Milne: Motion Picture Directing: The Facts and Theories of the Newest Art . Falk Publishing, New York 1922, p. 41.
  7. ↑ Kevin Brownlow: Pioneers of Film , p. 232.
personal data
SURNAME De Mille, William C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Mille, William Churchill (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American playwright and director
DATE OF BIRTH July 25, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1955
Place of death Playa del Rey , California