Richard de Mille
Encyclopedia
Richard De Mille was an author
, investigative journalist
, and psychologist
. His 19th century Dutch American ancestors; Thomas Arnold Demill (1799–1877), Henrietta Elizabeth Demill (1821–1881), William Edward Demill (1824–1873), and Richard Mead Demill (1828–1905) owned and operated a Commission Merchant (shipping and trading) company, Demill & Co. in New York City at 178-1/2 Water Street, serving the ports of the Eastern Seaboard, including but not limited to Halifax, Nova Scotia and (Little) Washington, North Carolina throughout the American Civil War
. A very close family friend, J.J. Reford, was identified as a person of interest and known associate of John Wilkes Booth
, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln
, as the result of a letter dated N.Y. 20th Feby/65 from Reford being discovered amongst Booth's belongings during the government's search of the actor's room at the National Hotel in Washington, D.C.
as part of the official investigation after the assassination.
He was born in Monrovia, California
, to William C. deMille
, (whose first wife was Anna Angela George, the daughter of notable economist Henry George
), and Lorna Moon. His uncle, Cecil B. DeMille
, adopted and raised Richard, not telling him of his true parentage until the death of his birth father. He first enrolled at Columbia University
, later transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles
before graduating. He served with the United States Army Air Corps
from 1943 to 1946. That year, he became a writer and director at KTLA
, remaining in that position through 1950. Around this time he became an early convert to the movement that was to become Scientology
leaving KTLA to become an editorial/personal assistant to founder L. Ron Hubbard
. De Mille used the nom de plume "D. Folgere" (an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning "follower") when editing and/or ghost-writing during that time, despite Hubbard's protests that it would appear "Dick de Mille wasn't a true believer". Still, he remained with Hubbard through 1953, when the two men finally parted company due to "mutual dislike". He then became a freelance writer and editor. In 1955, he completed his B.A. degree at Pepperdine University
and married Margaret Belgrano. He went on to get a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California
in 1961. He would remain with that institution as a research psychologist until 1962, when he became a lecturer in psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara
. In 1965, he left that position, becaming editorial director of the Brooks Foundation the following year. He stayed there until 1967, becoming a research psychologist at the General Research Corp. in 1968, where he remained through 1970.
De Mille wrote Castaneda's Journey: The Power and the Allegory (publ. 1976), a book describing the detective work through which he alleged that controversial author Carlos Castaneda
was a charlatan
and plagiarist
. He edited a second book on the same subject, The Don Juan Papers (publ. 1980), when he found that his exposé did not lead Casteneda's most ardent followers to fall away. Nor did he expect them too. This book contains documents representing views of Castaneda across the spectrum. He also wrote a biography of his birth mother, screenwriter
Lorna Moon entitled My Secret Mother: Lorna Moon. Fellow writer Carol Easton (author of No Intermission: The Life of Agnes de Mille), had this to say about him and his life: "None of Richard de Mille's extraordinary relatives, not even the legendary Cecil B. de Mille himself, could have invented this riveting true story of celebrity, passion, betrayal, and tragedy".
Children's Imagination Games, Dunbar Guidance Center, 1955.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, investigative journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
. His 19th century Dutch American ancestors; Thomas Arnold Demill (1799–1877), Henrietta Elizabeth Demill (1821–1881), William Edward Demill (1824–1873), and Richard Mead Demill (1828–1905) owned and operated a Commission Merchant (shipping and trading) company, Demill & Co. in New York City at 178-1/2 Water Street, serving the ports of the Eastern Seaboard, including but not limited to Halifax, Nova Scotia and (Little) Washington, North Carolina throughout the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. A very close family friend, J.J. Reford, was identified as a person of interest and known associate of John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, as the result of a letter dated N.Y. 20th Feby/65 from Reford being discovered amongst Booth's belongings during the government's search of the actor's room at the National Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as part of the official investigation after the assassination.
He was born in Monrovia, California
Monrovia, California
Monrovia is a city located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,590 at the 2010 census, down from 36,929 at the 2000 census...
, to William C. deMille
William C. DeMille
Willam C. deMille was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent movie era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into film. Once he was established in film he specialized in adapting Broadway plays into silent films...
, (whose first wife was Anna Angela George, the daughter of notable economist Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
), and Lorna Moon. His uncle, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
, adopted and raised Richard, not telling him of his true parentage until the death of his birth father. He first enrolled at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, later transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
before graduating. He served with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
from 1943 to 1946. That year, he became a writer and director at KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
, remaining in that position through 1950. Around this time he became an early convert to the movement that was to become Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
leaving KTLA to become an editorial/personal assistant to founder L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
. De Mille used the nom de plume "D. Folgere" (an Anglo-Saxon phrase meaning "follower") when editing and/or ghost-writing during that time, despite Hubbard's protests that it would appear "Dick de Mille wasn't a true believer". Still, he remained with Hubbard through 1953, when the two men finally parted company due to "mutual dislike". He then became a freelance writer and editor. In 1955, he completed his B.A. degree at Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
and married Margaret Belgrano. He went on to get a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1961. He would remain with that institution as a research psychologist until 1962, when he became a lecturer in psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. In 1965, he left that position, becaming editorial director of the Brooks Foundation the following year. He stayed there until 1967, becoming a research psychologist at the General Research Corp. in 1968, where he remained through 1970.
De Mille wrote Castaneda's Journey: The Power and the Allegory (publ. 1976), a book describing the detective work through which he alleged that controversial author Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born American anthropologist and author....
was a charlatan
Charlatan
A charlatan is a person practicing quackery or some similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, fame or other advantages via some form of pretense or deception....
and plagiarist
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. He edited a second book on the same subject, The Don Juan Papers (publ. 1980), when he found that his exposé did not lead Casteneda's most ardent followers to fall away. Nor did he expect them too. This book contains documents representing views of Castaneda across the spectrum. He also wrote a biography of his birth mother, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Lorna Moon entitled My Secret Mother: Lorna Moon. Fellow writer Carol Easton (author of No Intermission: The Life of Agnes de Mille), had this to say about him and his life: "None of Richard de Mille's extraordinary relatives, not even the legendary Cecil B. de Mille himself, could have invented this riveting true story of celebrity, passion, betrayal, and tragedy".
Works
- Introduction to Scientology, Scientology Council, 1953.
Children's Imagination Games, Dunbar Guidance Center, 1955.
- Put Your Mother on the Ceiling: Children's Imagination Games, Walker & Co., 1967, revised edition, Viking, 1973.
- (with R. P. Barthol) Project ECHO, Management Information Services, 1969.
- Two Qualms and a Quark, Capra, 1973.
- (as B. Grayer Dimrecken) A Skeleton Key to "The Transuxors", Capra, 1973.
- Castaneda's Journey: The Power and the Allegory, Capra, 1976.
- The Don Juan Papers: Further Castaneda Controversies, Ross-Erickson, 1980.
- My Secret Mother: Lorna Moon, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1998
- (with Bernard Stein) Benjamin Brief, DeMille Files & Reford Folder, 2001.