ROTTEN TOMATOES: Charlton Heston: 1924-2008

Charlton Heston: 1924-2008

Rest in peace, Mr. Heston.

by Jeff Giles | April 07, 2008

Charlton Heston has passed away at the age of 84.

The Oscar-winning star of dozens of films, including Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, and Planet of the Apes, died at home after a struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Lydia, his wife of 64 years, was by his side.

Heston's family released the following statement:

To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played.

"Indeed, he committed himself to every role with passion, and pursued every cause with unmatched enthusiasm and integrity. We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor. He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity.

A World War II veteran, Heston got his start on Broadway, where he starred in Antony and Cleopatra before landing an attention-getting role in Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth. His iconic performance as Moses in DeMille's The Ten Commandments followed, as well as his Oscar-winning turn in William Wyler's Ben-Hur.

Heston is survived by his wife, two children, and three grandchildren.

Source: AFP

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(1-20 of 36 posts) | Reply

Some guy you dont know writes:
on Apr 07 2008 05:07 AM

In his honor, I'm going to buy a gun.

(Reply to this)

BUCK69 writes:
on Apr 07 2008 05:49 AM

Take your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty ape!

(Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes:
on Apr 07 2008 07:20 AM

A man who truly lived his life to his own standards. To hell with what anyone else might think of him. His life stands as a "how to" lesson for anyone wishing to be true to themselves. His interviews and books also make great reading. He has one of the sharpest senses of humor I've ever seen. One of Hollwoods true icons. He will be missed.

(Reply to this)

minderbinder writes:
on Apr 07 2008 08:12 AM

He'll always be "Cheston" to me...

(Reply to this)

jukeboxhero6660 writes:
on Apr 07 2008 08:27 AM

I may have disagreed with him in past couple years but he has made some good movies and i have enjoyed watching them, and for that he shall be missed. as other have said he lived his life how he wanted and you must respect the man for that, and i always shall. rest in peace

(Reply to this)

LordVapor writes:
on Apr 07 2008 08:45 AM

Godspeed good sir....Godspeed.

Loved his "oscar worth performance" in wayne's world 2.

Ben_Hur I think by far was his greatest movie.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Apr 07 2008 08:53 AM

Brings new meaning to "from my cold, dead hands".

Still, I love the guy's work. Hopefully he's found some peace.

(Reply to this)

Relapse writes:
on Apr 07 2008 10:10 AM

NRA jokes are distaseful at this point arendr.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Apr 07 2008 10:18 AM

he is survived by his 2300-piece gun collection and a country of rootin, tootin, gat-poppin' ultra-nationalists whose only justification for owning as many firearms as they do is "Because it's my right to."

That is gonna be one hell of a salute at the funeral. can you rent out anti-aircraft guns for an afternoon?

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Apr 07 2008 10:20 AM

In reply to this comment (#1674651)
unfortunately, it was his choice to allow his dedication to the nra to supercede his legacy as an actor.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Apr 07 2008 10:50 AM

In reply to this comment (#1674651)
Calm down. It's no more distasteful than the way he handled the situation when he made that quote. I'm no "anti-gun" nut, but anyone should know better than to march into a city recovering from that kind of a massacre and saying what he said.

He was one of my favorite actors growing up, but it seemed a bit like the guy I idolized died years ago.

(Reply to this)

thereign writes:
on Apr 07 2008 11:00 AM

I actually agree with Arendr and Dahluzz; loved Heston's films, but his inappropriate and insensitive behavior towards the people recovering from Columbine diminished him a bit in my eyes.

I wish him peace...but for all we know, he could be in "the other place" right now going "I WAS WRONG ABOUT GUNS! I WAS WRONG ABOUT GUNS!! I WAS WRONG ABOUT GUNNNSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!"

{whew! Gonna spend some time in Purgatory for that one...!}

(Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes:
on Apr 07 2008 11:41 AM

What exactly did he say that was offensive? I might of missed that. The speeches I remember were not advocation of someone's right to kill his fellow man, but mostly the right of hunters to carry rifles. Now, before I get labeled an "ultra-nationalist" or "gun nut" I actually think handguns, full automatic weapons and assault rifles should be banned, but growing up in Iowa I also understand what a lot of people don't that hunting serves a very important environmental purpose i.e. culling the populations of certain animals so others don't have to die of starvation amongst others. Also, remember this was a man who saw his country face the very real threat of invasion and saw American lives lost on our own soil. I can completely understand a certain affection for the Right to Bear Arms in that context and am very thankful to people like Mr. Heston that we don't haven't had to face that possibility in most of our lifetimes.

Whatever the man said a couple of things have to be taken into account before we judge the man an ultra-nationalist. Firstly, just because you disagree with the man doesn't give you the right to label him an "ultra-nationalist" or "gun nut" anymore than someone else should be calling someone who defends say freedom of speech, or of the press. Also, I believe when Columbine happened he was already struggling with early on set of Alzheimers. Now I'm not one to forgive people for things they say when they're drunk, but things Alzheimers patients say has to be taken with a grain of salt and is probably not a reflection of them as human beings. Lastly it's pretty sad to judge someone's entire life based on one comment or even one stand they made, especially when said person fought in WWII, marched in the civil rights movement, was chairman of the Screen Actors Guild AND the AFI, and was one of the most iconic film stars of this or any age. I certainly hope if any of you accomplish so much no one else will judge you solely upon comments you made at the end of your life even if those comments aren't effected by a crippling disease.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Apr 07 2008 11:54 AM

It's not necessarily what he said. It's that he marched into a town that was grieving and basically spat in their faces. Look, I don't think we should take the right to bear arms away, but I do think it should be regulated. So what if he had early onset Alzheimers? Does that mean we should feel sorry for him despite his poor decisions? Why can't I pity someone's condition and still criticize his lack of tact? I'm fairly certain he knew the consequences in this case.

(Reply to this)

Merlin235 writes:
on Apr 07 2008 12:26 PM

Huh, Heston would probably be happy that a bunch of anti-gun people would comment on his death like this. Before you rip me to shreds for supporting the man (not everything he stood for), you should realize the odd irony: Heston supported the 2nd Amendment, the right of his fellow citizens to bear arms. Some anti-gun people are taking the 'opportunity' of his death to make untimely and seriously insensitive political comments on a movie site. Which actions, Heston's or his detractors, says more about the people who hold those positions?

(Reply to this)

MarkMortimer writes:
on Apr 07 2008 12:32 PM

Good riddance to an ignorant, arrogant arse-hole.

(Reply to this)

arendr writes:
on Apr 07 2008 12:37 PM

In reply to this comment (#1675231)
I never said I was anti-gun. I find guns fascinating like a lot of people do. I've shot them in my time. But I don't see the problem in recognizing Heston's flaws as well as his achievements upon his death. Should an obituary only cover the bright spots of a person's life? I admire Heston for the films he made and the political courage he made by aligning himself with the civil rights movement in his heyday. But the man held up a rifle right after the Columbine incident and said, "from my cold, dead hands." Those were his words. Now the man is dead and all I said was it brought new meaning to his statement. How is that insensitive?

Our culture really needs to re-evaluate what it finds offensive.

(Reply to this)

The Great One writes:
on Apr 07 2008 01:39 PM

his oscar worthy peformance occurred in Bowling for Columbine...now thats classic

(Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes:
on Apr 07 2008 01:58 PM

In reply to this comment (#1675271)
I don't think he or I were specifically addressing our comments toward you Arendr. I was addressing mine to a couple of people who've commented so far. Was Heston actually in Columbine when he made those statements? I wasn't aware of that, In fact I thought he made that statement before the massacre even took place. I thought you were referring to the comments given during the interview in Bowling for Columbine which was a pretty low point even for Mr. Moorer.

I do think there's a bit of irony in your statement about him being insensitive to the people of Columbine(Which if true was) and not getting how some people would consider it insensitive to focus on the flaws of someone immediately after their deaths. I also don't think you fully understand what Alzheimers can do to someone and if you'd ever been around someone going thru it you might have a better understanding of what I'm talking about.

(Reply to this)

Bigbrother writes:
on Apr 07 2008 02:01 PM

In reply to this comment (#1675271)
I'm going to google search some of your points and get back with you. If you could explain in further detail what you were specifically referencing I'd appreciate it.

"I'll probably never get a positive review in TIME or make another movie with Warner Bros., but I don't think I'll be getting a speeding ticket any time soon either."- Charlton Heston making reference to his vocal opposition of Time Warner releasing an album by Ice T which allegedly advocated the killing of policemen.

(Reply to this)

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