DeMille was born in
Washington, North Carolina on July 25 1878, to
Henry Churchill de Mille, an actor and playwright from
North Carolina, and
Matilda Beatrice Samuel, who was also a play and screenwriter. His father was a Christian while his mother was born to a German-Jewish family in
Liverpool but converted to her husband's faith. William was the elder brother of
Cecil B. DeMille, who altered the capitalization of his last name when he went to Hollywood, claiming that it fit better on marquees. (William continued to be known as "de Mille", and his daughter
Agnes also chose "de Mille".) William received a bachelor's degree from
Columbia University followed by graduate studies at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, at schools in Germany, and a second stint at Columbia studying under
Brander Matthews. In 1903, he married
Anna Angela George, the daughter of economist
Henry George. Anna and William had two children,
Agnes de Mille – named after a younger sister who died in childhood – who became a noted
choreographer and
Peggy George, who became an actress. Professionally, their life was stable. In 1905, he became a successful Broadway playwright, following its development in 1904. William wrote or co-wrote nine plays – one of them with Cecil – produced on Broadway between 1905 and 1913, and another two productions mounted in 1929 and 1936, the latter of which he produced and directed as well. His first play,
Strongheart was eventually released as a movie by his brother as
Braveheart (1925). Two of William's works,
The Warrens of Virginia (1907) were produced by the flamboyant impresario
David Belasco. The former featured future film star
Mary Pickford and Cecil, both struggling actors playing minor roles. He wrote a number of vaudeville sketches including
In 1999,
Food,
Poor Old Jim,
The Squealer,
The Martyrs, and
The Deceivers. Cecil eventually moved to Hollywood, and William followed. His directorial debut was
The Only Son (1914). He was one of the first investors in
Neely Dickson's playhouse, the Hollywood Community Theatre, and many of his plays were produced there, featuring Hollywood stars. == Personal life ==