Heston, Charlton (1923-2008), was an American motion-picture actor best known for playing heroic characters in Biblical and medieval epics. Heston won the 1959 Academy Award as best actor for the title role in the Biblical spectacle Ben-Hur. He played the Biblical leader Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956), the legendary medieval Spanish hero El Cid in El Cid (1961), and the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965).
Heston was born in Evanston, Illinois, on Oct. 4, 1923. His real name was John Charlton Carter. He studied drama at Northwestern University and appeared on stage and on television until he made his film debut in Dark City (1950). His other major movies include The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The President’s Lady (1953), Touch of Evil (1958), The War Lord (1965), Will Penny (1967), Planet of the Apes (1968), Julius Caesar (1970), The Omega Man (1971), Soylent Green (1973),Earthquake and Airport 1975 (both 1974), Mother Lode (which he also directed, 1982), Almost an Angel (1990), and True Lies (1994).
Heston served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG)—now called SAG-AFTRA—from 1965 to 1971. He was chairman of the American Film Institute from 1972 to 1983. Heston served as president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) from 1998 to 2003. He wrote two autobiographies, The Actor’s Life: Journals, 1956-1976 (1978) and In the Arena (1995). He died on April 5, 2008.
