Henry Churchill de Mille
| Henry Churchill de Mille | |
|---|---|
The American Magazine (1892)
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| Born |
September 17, 1853 Washington, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 1893 (aged 39) Pompton Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Other names | Henry C. de Mille |
| Occupation | Businessman, playwright |
| Spouse(s) | Matilda Beatrice "Bebe" Samuel |
| Parent(s) | William Edward De Mille and Margaret Blount Hoyt De Mille |
Henry Churchill de Mille (September 17, 1853 – February 10, 1893) was an American businessman and Georgist, and the father of film pioneers Cecil B. de Mille and William C. de Mille, and the paternal grandfather of the dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille.
Henry Churchill de Mille was born on a farm at Washington, North Carolina. He was the son of businessman and politician William Edward de Mille (1823–1923) and Margaret Blount Hoyt de Mille (1824–1908). He received his BA and AM degrees from Columbia College in 1875 and 1879. He had studied for the ministry before choosing instead to teach and eventually serve as vice-principal at the Lockwood Academy in Brooklyn and later teach for some semesters at the Columbia Grammar School in Manhattan.
He began in amateur theater and later as an actor with A. M. Palmer's organization before returning to teaching at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. By 1882 de Mille was employed at the Madison Square Theatre reviewing and later revising submitted plays, during which he became acquainted with the playwrights Steele MacKaye and David Belasco.
On December 10, 1883, de Mille's first original play, John Delmer's Daughters, or Duty, opened at Madison Square Theatre and closed a week later. Three years later, on September 18, 1886, Main Line, or Rawson's Y, a Western melodrama written in collaboration with Charles Barnard, opened at the old Lyceum Theatre. The play, a love story set at a remote railroad way station (complete with authentic RR tracks) and telegraph office, received warm opening night reviews. A short while later de Mille would join forces with David Belasco in a collaborative effort that would prove to have a greater box-office appeal with the theatergoing public.
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