Best known for his portrayal of Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic, The Ten Commandments, as well as his title role in 1959's Ben-Hur, Heston was a cinematic legend.
Who could forget Charlton Heston’s performance as God’s disciple, Moses, in The Ten Commandments and the parting of the Red Sea with a simple lift of his staff or the famous chariot-racing scene in Ben-Hur?
A Rose By Any Other Name
Born Charles Carter on October 4, 1924 in Evanston, Illinois, the actor later changed his name after his parents divorced and his mother remarried Chester Heston. He attended Northwestern University, where he acted in many plays, as well as starring in his first movie, Peer Gynt. While there, he met his wife, Lydia and enlisted in the Army Air Forces. His first Hollywood movie was the 1950's film noir, Dark City.
Cinematic Life Revisited
Heston won the Oscar for best actor in 1959, for his role as Ben-Hur. The epic piece of cinema received 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director. During his career, he appeared in more than 100 films, which included the embodiment of many historical figures, such as, Michelangelo, Andrew Jackson, John the Baptist, Marc Antony, Moses and Henry VIII. Other notable works include, Touch of Evil, Soylent Green, the title role in El Cid and 1968’s Planet of the Apes, in which he played an astronaut who found himself on a planet inhabited by ingenious apes.
As well as being an accomplished actor, Heston had many other talents. He was a director, producer, screenwriter and author, having written numerous books and autobiographies. Throughout his life, Heston received much praise for his work and was rewarded with the Screen Actors Guild Award in 1971, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1977 and the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
Heston the Activist
In 1965, Heston became the president of the Screen Actors Guild, as well as chairman of the American Film Institute. His conservative political views and candid stance against gun control landed him the role of president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 1998. He stepped down from the position five years later and a short time after renouncing his leadership role of the NRA, Heston received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Death of a Legend
In 2002, Heston made it known that he was diagnosed with symptoms similar to ones associated with Alzheimer’s disease. He was quoted as saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."
Heston passed away on the evening of April 5, 2008, at his Beverly Hills home, though family spokesman, Bill Powers, would not comment on the actor’s cause of death. He is survived by his wife and two children, Fraser and Holly Ann.
