Charlton Heston, Actor: 1924 - 2008
Charlton Heston died at his home in Beverly Hills Saturday with Lydia, his wife of 64 years, at his side. The legendary actor who won an Academy Award for his role in 1959’s Ben-Hur was 84 years old.
Heston’s career spanned six decades with notable films including The Ten Commandments (1956), Touch of Evil (1958), Planet of the Apes (1968), Omega Man (1971) and Soylent Green (1973).
Though he was more visible in recent years as a supporter of conservative political causes and as president of the National Rifle Association, Heston was a Democrat early in his career, supporting John F. Kennedy in 1960 and marching with Martin Luther King in Washington, D.C. in 1963. He also opposed McCarthyism and the Vietnam War.
In 2002, Heston released a videotaped statement announcing he had been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease.
Besides his wife, Heston is survived by two children and three grandchildren.
Filed under: News, Obituaries
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RIP.
Charlton Heston was a consistent and solid leading man who gave some deceptively straightforward and strong performances in historical epics like Ben-Hur, noir dramas like Touch of Evil and sci-fi yarns like Planet of the Apes.
There is a real flood right now, isn’t there?
Wow. Can’t say I have a great deal of respect for the man. Kinda thought he was a raving ass as a human being and a symbol of many of the things that are wrong with America, but he did have a long and prolific career and his mark on Hollywood is massive.
He had a long and fruitful life though and I have to respect his commitment to his ideals and values, regardless of whether of not I agree with him.
He could be a tad hammy but in the right roles he was a strong screen presence. I love Planet of the Apes and Touch of Evil, and for those and other telling performances I thank him. As Craig’s brief history of Heston’s varied political commitments across the course of his life illustrate, he was a complex individual of strong conviction.
I’m able to look past his political views right now; he was a larger-than-life, classic old Hollywood actor. I didn’t realize he had only one Oscar win (or nomination). I saw The Ten Commandments on TV around Easter. He was a pretty big deal at that time, wasn’t he? Odd and a bit unfair that many people will know him only as the crazy old man in Bowling for Columbine.
I always thought Moore was the ass the way he ambushed Heston, who was willing to let Moore blindly interview him.
I was never a huge Heston fan, but I LOVE his performance in Branagh’s version of HAMLET. Branagh is often prone to stunt casting, but unlike so many of these Heston’s performance is the real deal. Sensitive to Shakespeare’s language, full of genuine feeling, and of course with presence to burn, Heston proved in a short amount of time that there was an honest-to-goodness actor hiding under that barrel chest and square jaw. I think it’s his best performance, three decades past his so-called prime, and exhibit A for the case that no true movie star should ever be counted out.
I literally just watched that scene, Paul. Heston loved Shakspeare and he really sold it. He may never have looked cooler.
Paul C., I agree. That performance from Heston was among several others that really shocked me. He smashed that one out of the park.
Christian, I completely agree regarding Moore’s “interview” of Heston, who was willing to roll with him. It was tasteless, cowardly and shockingly cheap. To me, it was Moore who came off terribly, namely as a smugly self-righteous brat.
He wasn’t a great actor, but he was a great star, with taste and integrity (Soylent Green only works because he takes it so professionally seriously), and anybody who marched with King gets props in my book.
It is a shame it took something like his death to make me remember him. I feel bad about that, but it is something that seems to be happening often these days. Too often.
RIP Heston.
I agree about Michael Moore’s “interview.” It was tasteless, but no less tasteless than Heston arriving in Columbine right after the shootings to blithely advocate for gun rights. It’s rare to see someone so self-involved show so little respect for the dead or their families. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I lost all my respect for the man after that stunt.
It’s probable that Heston’s politics have tainted my view of him as an actor, since I can only count one great performance (Touch of Evil) and a handful of memorably hammy ones. Time might change that perspective.
I agree about Moore’s interview. You can tell Heston was gravely ill and put off balance by Moore’s bloodhound tactics. No one deserves that.
Rest in peace.
I’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour mulling my strong feelings on Heston, trying to parse it all in regards to the thoughtful comments posted here and those I’ve read elsewhere.
To be fair, I didn’t discover Heston until I was in my early 20’s and he had already long since given up acting and become something of a political figure. Later he would take over the NRA, which completely removed him from the realm of artist and transposed his legacy to politics.
I didn’t grow up on Planet of the Apes or his other films. Not sure I missed them really, but they just never became part of the film-watching childhood or teens.
In retrospect, he has an amazing film legacy from the 50’s into the 70’s and I can’t deny how much I enjoyed the odd combination of big budget spectaculars and sci-fi he acted in over the years. Plus there’s no denying the zeal of his acting (or scenery chewing) in such classics as Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, or The Omega Man. Even though I think the casting was kind of ridiculous in Touch of Evil, that’s a great little noir too.
But I can’t disconnect myself from Heston the politician nor can I reconcile his behavior. Heston chose to use his celebrity to political ends and at times, he used it in an appalling manner.
I can’t separate the artist from his actions, no matter how hard I try.
I’m generally conflicted with regards Moore’s journalistic approach. But on balance I’m glad he does what he does. However, the Heston ambush was just appalling. Bad behavior is bad behavior whether or not it’s directed towards people who do bad or questionable things.
I find myself being able now that he’s passed to set aside Heston’s crass advocacy for the gun lobby and the prejudices that underpinned it and celebrate his genuine achievements. At least he was an artist and did some courageous political good too. Contrast that with criminals of the highest order in Bush, Cheney, Putin etc.
Yes, even if you disagreed with Heston’s stances, you still knew they were based on a straight-forward honest belief, and not in devious chicanery or deceptions.
I never agreed with his view concerning guns, but I have to agree with Jeff’s remark that his stances were based on a straight-forward honest belief. And he put his money where his mouth was and took action, which is something I can respect.
He was an actor who did take his craft seriously, both when he worked in the theater and on film. Sure, he could be hammy, but his style worked for those Biblical epics like Ben-Hur. He left us with some great, classic movies to enjoy.
RIP.
As with so many things, I’m somewhere in the middle on Heston. I became politically aware at a time when Heston was the face of evil, but I also have vivid memories of Apes and Soylent Green as a boy plus a later appreciation of Touch of Evil.
Now that he’s gone, I’m happy to remember the good things for now rather than focus on the bad. The guy made mistakes, he had beliefs I disagreed with, but I like to think on balance he was a positive in the world.
The Moore incident really was the start of the rehabilitation of my opinion of Heston. It was exactly the kind of stunt that pisses me off about Moore, much as I frequently agree with the man’s politics. Regardless of his high profile, Heston wasn’t the problem with guns.
Anyway, he’s gone now, warts and all.
RIP