Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an American movie director. He was an Academy Award-winning producer of both silent and sound movies. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Among his best-known films are "Cleopatra", "Samson and Delilah"; "The Greatest Show on Earth", which won the Academy Award for Best Picture; and "The Ten Commandments", which was his last and most successful movie.