We lost one of the giants of the entertainment industry yesterday. Charlton Heston died with his wife of 64 years, Lydia, close by his side in their Beverly Hills home at the age of 84.
Mr. Heston was an Oscar winning actor, World War II veteran, president of the National Rifle Association, political advocate, a strong supporter of the civil rights movement and an environmentalist back before Green was the in-thing.
He began his career with wife Lydia in 1947, not as an actor, but a model in New York and the two also managed a stage playhouse until he was offered his first part in 1948 on stage with a supporting role in the Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. From there he moved into early 1950’s television and would have likely become a major star in that medium if the Broadway stage hadn’t called him back where he secured recognition in such landmark stage productions as “Macbeth,” playing Sir Thomas More in “A Man For All Seasons,” “Mister Roberts” and Mark Antony in productions of “Julius Caesar” and “Antony and Cleopatra.”
His first movie role was 1950’s “Dark City,” however, it was two years later in “The Greatest Show on Earth” that Heston was catapulted into stardom and his streak across the entertainment sky would never dim after that.
Heston would go on to star in such blockbuster films as Cecile B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” playing Moses, “Ben-Hur,” “El Cid,” “The Agony and the Ecstasy” and “Khartoum.”
He did his fair share of SF films as well, becoming indelibly imprinted on the minds of fans with his performances in “The Planet of the Apes,” “Soylent Green,” “The Omega Man” and “Earthquake.”
The only time he was ever mis-cast in his 60 year career was in a film directed and co-starring the great Orson Wells’ for the crime film-noir titled “Touch of Evil” in 1958. The film was great, and Heston adequate but not quite believable as Mexican Ramon Miguel ‘Mike’ Vargas.
Over the last decade Heston made only brief cameo appearances in films such as Tim Burton’s remake of “The Planet of the Apes,” starring as an ape in that one, “Wayne’s World” and a few others. All totaled, Heston starred in over 126 major motion pictures since 1950.
Charlton Heston continued his fight for civil liberties, civil rights and remained a major advocate against gun control right up to his death.
His body of works speaks volume in style and reflect his class. No matter if you like his viewpoints, he stuck to his ideals with sincerity and honour. One must have respect for him in that regards. As like all film greats, his legacy will continue and he will always be remembered. Peace.