Constance Adams DeMille
 |
Constance Adams DeMille | |
|---|---|
| Born | Constance Adams April 27, 1874 |
| Died | July 17, 1960 (aged 86) |
| Cause of death | pneumonia |
| Spouse(s) | Cecil B. DeMille (m.1902-1959; his death) |
Constance Adams DeMille (April 27, 1874 - July 17, 1960) actress and wife of famed filmmaker Cecil Blount DeMille.
Early life
Constance was born the daughter of Judge Frederic Adams, New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, and Ella Adams, Frederic’s first wife. Frederic married a second time to a woman also named Ella. Therefore, both women in Constance’s life were named Ella, her mother and her stepmother, Ella King Adams. She was raised along with her sister Rebecca and brother, Frederick.
Career
After graduating from school, Constance headed for the stage. She appeared on Broadway, starring in the play, The Man on the Box. This play ran from October 1905 to January 1906. She appeared in only one film, playing the part of 'Mrs. Rowland' in Where the Trail Divides (1914)
Personal life
While performing, she met and later married Cecil B. DeMille on August 16, 1902 in her birthplace of Orange, New Jersey. Their marriage lasted 56 years, until Cecil’s death. They had one daughter, Cecilia. They also adopted another daughter and two sons. Constance outlived her husband by a year and a half, dying in the summer of 1960. She is buried in Hollywood and is remembered by a memorial banyan tree she planted in 1933 along Hilo, Hawaii's Banyan Drive.