Cecil B. DeMille

Fun Fact

He was able to ply his stage craft in one of the last films of his career, DeMille famously played himself in one pithy scene in the classic film, Sunset Boulevard and proved so credible, the film’s director, the renowned, Billy Wilder is credited with saying,” “DeMille was very good. Much better than a lot of the actors in his pictures. He took direction terrifically. He loved it, he understood it. He was very subtle.”

In the biography “Orson Welles & The Golden Age of Hollywood” Orson pontificates for the first time on two of the great actors and directors of the time: John Barrymore, who was a great friend to Welles when he first came to Hollywood, and C. B. DeMille, who was more of a nemesis. So there is little surprise in seeing how Welles stands up for the memory of John Barrymore, while noting that Mr. DeMille was little more than a Fascist. Welles, as it turns out, was quite correct about DeMille, as we now know from the famous directors guild meeting where Mr. DeMille attempted to force a loyalty pledge from film directors during the McCarthy era witch hunts. Ironically, it was Welles own favorite Hollywood director, John Ford who stood up to DeMille and basically called C. B’s proposal “Un-American” since they attempted to suppress the right to the individuals freedom of speech, as well as the artist’s right to freedom of expression.