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Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston

Birthday: 1923-10-04 | Place of Birth: Wilmette, Illinois, USA

Charlton Heston was an American actor renowned for his towering screen presence and roles in some of Hollywood’s most famous epics. Born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1923, 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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2024
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction

as    Self (archive footage)

2023
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing

as    Self (archive footage)

2020
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent

as    Self - Actor (archive footage)

2017
The Madding Crowd

as    Self (archive footage)

2016
2011
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey

as    Self (archive footage)

2011
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

as    Self – Interviewee

2006
De Madrid a la Luna

as    Self (archive footage)

2005
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema

as    Self (archive footage)

2004
My Father

as    Josef Mengele

2003
Ben Hur

as    Ben Hur (voice)

2003
Christmas in Hollywood

as    Self (archive footage)

2003
The Making of The Ten Commandments

as    Self (archive footage)

2002
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich

as    Narrator (voice)

2002
Edith Head: The Paramount Years

as    Self (archive footage)

2002
Bowling for Columbine

as    Self - NRA President