Editing Cecil B. DeMille (section)

====Charles Frohman, Constance Adams, and David Belasco====
Cecil B. DeMille began his career as an actor on stage in 1900 in the theatrical company of [[Charles Frohman]]. He debuted on February 21, 1900, in the play ''Hearts Are Trumps'' at New York's [[Garden Theater]].<ref>{{harvnb|Louvish|2007|p=20}}; {{harvnb|Ringgold|Bodeen|1969|p=2}}</ref> In 1901, DeMille starred in productions of ''A Repentance'', ''To Have and to Hold'', and ''Are You a Mason?''{{sfn|Louvish|2007|p=20}} At age 21, he married [[Constance Adams DeMille|Constance Adams]] on August 16, 1902, at Adams's father's home in East Orange, New Jersey. The wedding party was small. Beatrice DeMille's family did not attend. [[Simon Louvish]] suggests that this was to conceal DeMille's partial Jewish heritage. Adams was 29 years old at the time of the marriage.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|pp=20–21}} They had met in a theater in Washington D.C. while they were both acting in ''Hearts Are Trumps''.{{sfn|Presley|Vieira|2014|p=21}}

They were sexually incompatible; according to DeMille, Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and evil passions" as he.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|pp=30–31}} DeMille had more violent sexual preferences and fetishes than his wife. Adams allowed DeMille to have several long-term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet while maintaining an appearance of a faithful marriage.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|p=90}} One of DeMille's affairs was with his screenwriter Jeanie MacPherson.{{sfn|Eyman|2010|p=80}} Despite his reputation for extramarital affairs, DeMille did not like to have affairs with his stars, as he believed it would cause him to lose control as a director. He once said he maintained his self-control when [[Gloria Swanson]] sat on his lap, and refused to touch her.{{sfn|Eyman|2010|pp=167–168}}

In 1902, he played a small part in ''[[Hamlet]]''.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|p=20}} Publicists wrote that he became an actor in order to learn how to direct and produce, but DeMille admitted that he became an actor in order to pay the bills.{{Sfn|Louvish|2007|p=20}} From 1904 to 1905, he attempted to make a living as a stock theater actor with his wife, Constance. DeMille made a 1905 reprise in ''Hamlet'' as Osric.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|p=24}} In the summer of 1905, DeMille joined the stock cast at the [[Elitch Theatre]] in Denver, Colorado. He appeared in 11 of the 15 plays presented that season, all in minor roles. [[Maude Fealy]] was the featured actress in several productions that summer and developed a lasting friendship with DeMille. (He later cast her in ''The Ten Commandments''.)<ref>{{Cite book |last= Borrillo |first= Theodore A. |url= http://worldcat.org/oclc/823177622|title=Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times)|date=2012|publisher= Theodore Borrillo|isbn=978-0-9744331-4-1|pages=64–65| oclc= 823177622}}</ref>

His brother, William, was establishing himself as a playwright and sometimes invited DeMille to collaborate.{{sfn|Presley|Vieira|2014|p=18}} DeMille and William collaborated on ''The Genius'', ''The Royal Mounted'', and ''After Five''.{{sfn|Ringgold|Bodeen|1969|p=2}} None of these was very successful. William de Mille was most successful when he worked alone.{{sfn|Ringgold|Bodeen|1969|p=2}}

DeMille and his brother at times worked with the legendary impresario [[David Belasco]], who had been a friend and collaborator of their father.{{sfn|Presley|Vieira|2014|p=20}} DeMille later adapted Belasco's ''[[The Girl of the Golden West (play)|The Girl of the Golden West]]'', ''Rose of the Rancho'', and ''[[The Warrens of Virginia (play)|The Warrens of Virginia]]'' into films.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|pp=32–33}} He was credited with the conception of Belasco's ''The Return of Peter Grimm''.{{sfn|Ringgold|Bodeen|1969|p=2}} ''The Return of Peter Grimm'' sparked controversy, because Belasco had taken DeMille's unnamed screenplay, changed the characters, and named it ''The Return of Peter Grimm'', producing and presenting it as his own work. DeMille was credited in small print as "based on an idea by Cecil DeMille". The play was successful, and DeMille was distraught that his childhood idol had plagiarized his work.{{sfn|Louvish|2007|p=37}}