Here is the requested biography of William Churchill De Mille:
William Churchill De Mille was born on July 25, 1878, in Washington, North Carolina. He was the older brother of Hollywood legend Cecil B. DeMille and the father of Tony Award-winning choreographer Agnes de Mille. His father, Henry C. DeMille, was a playwright who had six plays produced on Broadway from 1887-90, while his mother, Beatrice DeMille, the former Matilda Beatrice Samuel, wrote one play in collaboration with Harriet Ford, "The Greatest Thing in the World," that played on Broadway in 1900.
De Mille graduated from Columbia University and began his career as a successful Broadway playwright. His first play, "Strongheart," debuted on January 30, 1905, and ran for 66 performances. He went on to write several other plays, including "The Warrens of Virginia," which debuted at the Belasco Theatre on December 3, 1907, and transferred to the Stuyvesant Theatre on May 4, 1908, racking up a total of 380 performances.
In 1914, De Mille joined his brother in Hollywood and launched his movie career at Famous Players-Lasky (later Paramount Pictures). He fulfilled the roles of director, screenwriter, and producer, evolving into a highly respected member of the Hollywood community. Many in Hollywood considered him a first-rate director, as good as--or at times better than--his brother.
De Mille served as the second president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and died on March 8, 1955, at the age of 76.
