
Charlton Heston
Biography
Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor, renowned for his towering screen presence and roles in some of Hollywood’s most famous epics. Born John Charles Carter in Illinois, he discovered his passion for acting in school, studied drama at Northwestern University, and began his career on stage and in live television before transitioning to film. He first gained major attention in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth and then became an international star with his performances as Moses in The Ten Commandments and Judah Ben‑Hur in Ben‑Hur, the latter earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Heston went on to headline a wide range of big‑budget films, including El Cid, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Planet of the Apes, and The Omega Man, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable leading men of mid‑20th‑century cinema. Beyond acting, he was active in public life, supporting civil rights in the 1960s and later becoming a prominent conservative voice and president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003. He retired from public life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2002 and died on April 5, 2008, in Beverly Hills, California, leaving behind a legacy as both a cinematic icon and a polarizing political figure.
Filmografi
Hercules1997 · Narrator (voice)
Ben-Hur1959 · Judah Ben-Hur
The Ten Commandments1956 · Moses
Tombstone1993 · Henry Hooker
Planet of the Apes1968 · George Taylor
Armageddon1998 · Narration (voice)
True Lies1994 · Spencer Trilby
Planet of the Apes2001 · Zaius (uncredited)
In the Mouth of Madness1995 · Jackson Harglow
Beneath the Planet of the Apes1970 · Taylor
Any Given Sunday1999 · AFFA Football Commissioner
Soylent Green1973 · Detective Robert Thorn
Midway1976 · Capt. Matthew Garth
Touch of Evil1958 · Ramon Miguel Vargas
Treasure Island1990 · Long John Silver
The Order2001 · Professor Finley
Cats & Dogs2001 · The Mastiff (voice)
The Three Musketeers1973 · Cardinal Richelieu
Counterpoint1967 · Lionel Evans
Khartoum1966 · Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
Wayne's World 21993 · Good Actor
Mother Lode1982 · Silas McGee / Ian McGee
Texas1995 · Narrator
Billy Bob Thornton
Keith David
Martha Scott
Barbara Barrie
Bruce Willis
Ben Affleck
Dana Delany
Owen Wilson
Kurt Russell
Roddy McDowall
Steve Buscemi
Stephen Lang