Richard de Mille facts for kids

Richard de Mille (born February 12, 1922 – died April 8, 2009) was an American author, journalist, and psychologist. He was known for his writings, especially those that looked closely at the works of author Carlos Castaneda. Richard de Mille was also part of a famous family involved in filmmaking.

Early Life and Education

Richard de Mille was born in Monrovia, California. His birth parents were William C. deMille and Lorna Moon. William C. deMille was a director and screenwriter, and Lorna Moon was an author.

Richard was adopted and raised by his uncle, Cecil B. DeMille. Cecil B. DeMille was a very famous film director. Richard did not learn about his birth parents until he was 33 years old.

He started his college studies at Columbia University. Later, he moved to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to finish his degree.

Richard de Mille's Career

Richard de Mille served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. After his military service, he began a career in writing and media.

Early Writing and Media Work

In 1946, Richard de Mille became a writer and director at a TV station called KTLA. He worked there until 1950. During this time, he also became interested in a new movement that later became known as Scientology. He worked as an assistant to its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.

Richard de Mille used the pen name "D. Folgere" for some of his writing during this period. He later left Scientology in 1954. He explained that he became doubtful because of many contradictions he noticed.

Education and Psychology Career

In 1955, Richard de Mille earned his Bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University. He then married Margaret Belgrano. He continued his education, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1961.

After getting his Ph.D., he worked as a research psychologist at the University of Southern California until 1962. He then became a psychology lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also worked as an editorial director and a research psychologist at other organizations.

Writing About His Family

Richard de Mille wrote a book about his birth mother, Lorna Moon. The book was called My Secret Mother: Lorna Moon. It told the story of her life as a screenwriter and author. Another writer, Carol Easton, said the book was a "riveting true story" about his famous family.

Writings on Carlos Castaneda

Richard de Mille is well-known for his books about Carlos Castaneda. Castaneda was an author who wrote about shamanism and spiritual experiences.

De Mille's first book on the topic was Castaneda's Journey: The Power and the Allegory, published in 1976. In this book, he used detective work to suggest that Castaneda's stories were not true. He believed Castaneda might have made up some parts of his work.

In 1980, de Mille edited a second book called The Don Juan Papers. This book included different views and opinions about Carlos Castaneda's writings.

Richard de Mille's Books

Here are some of the books Richard de Mille wrote or helped create:

• Introduction to Scientology, 1953.
• Children's Imagination Games, 1955.
• Put Your Mother on the Ceiling: Children's Imagination Games, 1967 (revised 1973).
• Two Qualms and a Quark, 1973.
• A Skeleton Key to "The Transuxors" (as B. Grayer Dimrecken), 1973.
• Castaneda's Journey: The Power and the Allegory, 1976.
• The Don Juan Papers: Further Castaneda Controversies, 1980.
• My Secret Mother: Lorna Moon, 1998.
• Benjamin Brief, DeMille Files & Reford Folder (with Bernard Stein), 2001.