Anne Baxter Bared It All for the Ten Commandments (Audiences Saw Everything)

Did you know that Cecil B. DeMille insisted on Anne Baxter being cast in The Ten Commandments as Queen Nefertari and that the actress felt that she wasn’t right for the part? By the time Anne Baxter was cast as Queen Nefertari in The Ten Commandments, the actress had already been working in the entertainment industry for over two decades. Anne got her start on the stage before an unfortunate incident that occurred while she was acting alongside Katharine Hepburn inspired her to head out to Hollywood. Katharine thought that Anne wasn’t a good enough actress for the stage, so Anne tried films instead.

▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
0:36 - Anne Baxter Didn’t Think She Was Right for the Role
1:19 - Anne’s Start in Hollywood
2:40 - Anne Becomes a Star During World War II
3:41 - Anne’s Later Film Career
4:41 - The Audience Thought Anne Was Hot Stuff!
5:34 - Anne’s Television Work
5:58 - Anne’s Personal Life
6:40 - Outro

Once in Hollywood, it didn’t take very long for Anne to be signed with a studio. The actress signed her first studio contract at the age of only 16. Anne was signed with 20th Century Fox, the studio wasn’t afraid to lend her out to other production companies. Anne made her big-screen debut with her fourth-billed part in 1940’s 20 Mule Team. Following this debut appearance, Anne could be seen in several other pictures over the next few years before finally becoming a breakout star during the mid-1940s. During the days of World War II, Anne claimed that she received almost as many fan letters from soldiers as Betty Grable did.

In 1946, Anne Baxter appeared in the film The Razor’s Edge. Thanks to her performance in the film, the actress won an Academy Award. Finally, Anne Baxter was as critically acclaimed as she was commercially successful. Anne entered into the 1950s with a bang thanks to her titular performance in the film All About Eve, though it would be her performance in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 biblical epic The Ten Commandments that would become the most iconic of her career. This comes in spite of the fact that Anne felt her turn in The Razor’s Edge was the most dramatically successful of her many performances. Join Facts Verse as we explore how Anne Baxter bared all for The Ten Commandments.

Anne Baxter Bared It All for the Ten Commandments (Audiences Saw Everything)

[rickgelber]

We bought our house from Anne Baxter back in the 1970's while I was entering High-School in Pacific Palisades California. I was always a big fan of the Ten Commandments and had an early crush on this beautiful actress from Hollywood's Golden age. She had impeccable tastes with a sunken living-room and a 16 foot built in couch. Her avocado tree was over 40 feet tall with lots of fruit and good climbing!

[NYCZ]

Her performance in TC was a masterpiece. Her “empty throne” speech to Ramses includes some of the most venemous, sarcastic, and manipulative words uttered by a woman to a man in film

[victorphillips]

Anne was truly outstanding as the character "Neferteri" in The Ten Commandments. She nailed it! I still remember some of her lines in the movie. I don't think anyone would have played that character better. She would forever be remembered for that iconic role.👌💕💐♥️👍

[denisesurber]

Anne Baxter may not have looked the part of an Egyptian queen, but she was an Egyptian queen in The Ten Commandments. She captured the spirit of the charactcter so well. Even though I've heard others describe her acting in The Ten Commandments as overly dramatic, I considered her acting passionate and full of genuine emotion. Nobody else could have done a better job in my opinion.

[avejoe]

I love Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments. She was a magnificent talented actress. She's a True Star.

[johnpauljones]

Anne to me has always been underrated. She was simply divine. I really wish she'd won that Oscar in All About Eve. Thank goodness we have her on 🎥 film. My introduction to her, as a child, was The Ten Commandments. She was so elegant, beautiful, and captivating. Her acting was on point 👉.

[eliothorowitz]

Anne put 100% of herself into whatever role she was playing, breathing life into each character, whether it was the conniving Eve Harrington, the heartbreaking Sophie Mc Donald or the seductive Nefertari. I believe this is what de Mille saw when he cast her.

[leesashriber]

The whole film, The Ten Commandments, is an amazing film. The cast was perfectly cast.

[omoowobhd]

To me she will always be remembered in the 10 Commandments, an iconic role & her portrayal as Queen Nefertiri was regal! I don't think I've seen her in anything else, at least not that i remember...R.I.P.

[lynmichael]

Love this movie. She is excellent in this movie, I can’t see anyone else playing this part.

[alnavarijo]

Anne along w a fistful of other great actors made the movie epic...I was just a young kid mesmerize by the grandeur of color action film flashing before my eyes...she held her own along side the Hestons..Edward G Robinsons..Vincent Price just to name a few...I'm 75 & still enjoy watching that movie...

[vicki]

I know this was just a one-time appearance on the TV show Columbo but Anne Baxter had a huge part in the episode. I thought her acting was fantastic. I was taken aback in a good way because here was this beautiful actress who could actually act well!!
She also has a strong stage presence, she stands out. She was awesome in the episode.

[roberth]

Ann Baxter was one of my all times favorites. I saw the Ten Commandments in the 1950's ..I now have it on Blu-ray ..it is said that the 4K version is even better. I had read the studio Paramount wanted Audrey Hepburn for the part, but Cecil B DeMille felt her figure was to thin for the role & I agree. .for Ann Baxter had a more voluptuous figure along, with her deep smoky voice that could melt any man ..was perfect for Queen Nefertari..As far as her feeling she did not look Egyptian well no one in the cast really looked like a ancient Egyptian ..it was a all white cast ..so to bring that up was mute.. I noticed her nipples the very 1st time I saw the film as a young teen; blame it on my raging hormones of a male LOL

[tyronejefforeillyramirez]

I'm still in love with Anne after all these years. Stunning beauty.

[WarDog]

Thank you for this filmographical review of the gorgeous, talented Anne Baxter! I wasn't aware of the roles she'd played in classic movies prior to The Ten Commandments. Seeing her every year on TV as Nefertiti was always a treat because, in spite of the melodramatic style of the film, she brought a sensuality to that role that you couldn't deny. Her beauty and teasing SEXuality were enthralling to the normal American male.

[Conn]

The Ten Commandments is my favorite movie of all time. She was magnificent in her role!

[robertdragoff]

Looks like C.B. had a good eye when he cast Anne as Queen in the 10 Commandments.

I like the back story of the Queen and her love for Moses even if she did mary Pharo.

She was part of a huge cast (Vincent Price, Edward G. Robinson, Charlton Heston…. to name a few) in a movie that people see every year.

If you haven’t seen this movie, you’re missing a classic

[seamus]

At 2:41 the photograph is of Eleanor Not Anne Baxter. Though that photo of Eleanor Parker is on the Anne Baxter Wikipedia page. (I'm a huge fan of Eleanor Parker). And I think Anne Baxter was a very good actress in most of her films. The one thing that is very noticeable in The Ten Commandments is not her movie acting, but her stage acting. When Nefretiri meets Moses and he says he is bound to a shepherd girl. Instead of facing him, her back is to him a minute later, and she faces the camera. Whether they didn't put in another camera for the scene or the director wanted her to look away from Moses. Or she chose to keep her face always towards the one camera. It gave the scene a staged look, not a natural movie scene. DeMille had a way of filming that way, so it may have been his style. The lines were well written and the movie a huge success. One of my favorite movies. But many scenes seemed staged and not natural.

[christinevmiles]

I fell in love with Ann in All About Eve as a child. She instantly engraved her shine into my mind forever. Love her acting!

[pamelajordan]

I was a little kid when I saw "The ten commandments" at the drive-in.. I'd never seen anything like it. After all these years I can still remember the excitement.