One of the most memorable actors in Hollywood passed away last night:
Charlton Heston, 83, one of the most prominent and politically active movie stars of his era, who won an Academy Award and played the hero in many major epics, died last night at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
A spokesman for the actor confirmed the death to the Associated Press.
No cause was immediately given, but Heston said in 2002 that he had displayed symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease.
A strapping figure of commanding presence, Heston seemed particularly suited to such roles as Moses, the biblical patriarch, Ben-Hur, the fictional hero of Roman times, and the ringmaster who presided over operations in the “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952).
As the title character in “Ben-Hur,” whose strength and pluck enabled him to escape slavery in a Roman galley and win a fiercely contested chariot race, Heston won the 1959 Oscar for best actor.
With a voice and bearing that benefited from college training in drama, Heston was persuasive in his portrayal of Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956).
He was also known for a starring role in “The Planet of the Apes” (1968), for playing Michelangelo in “The Agony and the Ecstasy” (1965), and he was well received as Andrew Jackson, in “The President’s Lady” (1953).
From my perspective, I remember Heston most for his appearance in The Ten Commandments, which has become an Easter tradition on ABC, and, of course, Planet Of The Apes. But there was a lot more to his career than that.
Examples of that are below the fold.
From The Ten Commandments:
Ben-Hur, which won him an Oscar:
And, my two favorite scenes from Planet Of The Apes:
And, finally, even if you haven’t seen Soylent Green, you know this line:
April 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
A true man among men. A shame, as Hollywood is lacking this sort of character these days. His ability and character were comparable to Gregory Peck, and his activism on civil rights in the 60s and gun rights in the 90s show his respect for his peers, whom in his view was everyone. Somehow, George Clooney and Matt Damon just don’t fill these roles as well.
April 6th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Got to meet him a couple of times. Great actor; nice guy. A sad day.