Charlton Heston
Highest Rated: 100% Khartoum (1966)
Lowest Rated: 0% The Order (2002)
Birthday: Oct 4, 1924
Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois, USA
Steely jawed, hard bodied, terse in speech, Charlton Heston was an American man's man, an epic unto himself. While he played modern men, he was at his best when portraying larger-than-life figures from world history, preferably with his shirt off. He was born John Charles Carter on October 4, 1924 and originally trained in the classics in Northwestern University's drama program, gaining early experience playing the lead in a 1941 filmed school production of Peer Gynt. He also performed on the radio, and then went on to serve in the Air Force for three years during WWII. Afterwards, he went to work as a model in New York, where he met his wife, fellow model Lydia Clarke, to whom he remained married until his death. Later the two operated a theater in Asheville, North Carolina where Heston honed his acting skills. He made his Broadway debut in Katharine Cornell's 1947 production of Anthony and Cleopatra and subsequently went on to be a staple of the highly-regarded New York-based Studio One live television anthology where he played such classic characters as Heathcliff, Julius Caesar and Petruchio. The show made Heston a star. He made his Hollywood film debut in William Dieterle's film noir Dark City playing opposite Lizabeth Scott. Even though she was more established in Hollywood, it was Heston who received top billing. He went on to appear as a white man raised in Indian culture in The Savage (1952) and then as a snob who snubs a country girl in King Vidor's Ruby Gentry (1952). His big break came when Cecil B. DeMille cast him as the bitter circus manager Brad Braden in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). In subsequent films, Heston began developing his persona of an unflinching hero with a piercing blue-eyed stare and unbending, self-righteous Middle American ethics. Heston's heroes could be violent and cruel, but only when absolutely necessary. He began a long stint of playing historical characters with his portrayal of Buffalo Bill in Pony Express and then Andrew Jackson in The President's Lady (both 1953). Heston's star burned at its brightest when DeMille cast him as the stern Moses in the lavish The Ten Commandments (1956). From there, Heston went on to headline numerous spectaculars which provided him the opportunity to play every one from John the Baptist to Michelangelo to El Cid to General "Chinese" Gordon. In 1959, Heston won an Academy Award for the title role in William Wyler's Ben Hur. By the mid-1960s, the reign of the epic film passed and Heston began appearing in westerns (Will Penny) and epic war dramas (Midway). He also did sci-fi films, the most famous of which were the campy satire Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1970) and the cult favorite Soylent Green (1973). The '70s brought Heston into a new kind of epic, the disaster film, and he appeared in three, notably Airport 1975. From the late '80s though the '90s, Heston has returned to television, appearing in series, miniseries and made-for TV movies. He also appeared in such films as Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996) and 1998's Armageddon (as the narrator).Outside of his film work, Heston served six terms as the president of the Screen Actors Guild and also chaired the American Film Institute. Active in such charities as The Will Rogers Institute, he was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1977 Oscar ceremony. Known as a conservative Republican and proud member of the National Rifle Association, Heston worked closely with his long-time colleague and friend President Ronald Reagan as the leader of the president's task force on arts and the humanities. He made two of his final film appearances in the disastrous Warren Beatty-Diane Keaton sex farce Town and Country (2001) (in a parodistic role, as a shotgun wielding arsonist who burns Beatty's cabin to the ground) and as himself in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling For Columbine (2002) (in which he stormed out of an interview after Moore pummeled him with gun-related questions). Hest

Photos

View All Photos

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
No Score Yet The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille Actor — 2016
No Score Yet Cooper and Hemingway: The True Gen Actor — 2013
95% Sing Your Song Charlton Heston $48.2K 2012
96% Cameraman: The Life And Work Of Jack Cardiff Actor $20.5K 2011
No Score Yet Vietnam: A Retrospective Actor — 2007
No Score Yet America Home of the Brave Actor — 2005
No Score Yet Ben Hur Actor — 2003
No Score Yet When the Pipers Play Actor — 2003
95% Bowling for Columbine Actor $21.4M 2002
0% The Order Prof. Finley — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - The Nativity Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - Samson and Delilah Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - Joshua and the Battle of Jericho Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - Miracles of Jesus Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors Actor — 2002
No Score Yet Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible - Sodom and Gomorrah Actor — 2002
45% Planet of the Apes Zaius $178.1M 2001
53% Cats & Dogs Dog Leader — 2001
13% Town & Country Mr. Claybourne $6.3M 2000
No Score Yet Forever Hollywood Actor — 2000
51% Any Given Sunday Commissioner — 1999
No Score Yet Gideon Addison Sinclair — 1999
60% Behind the Planet of the Apes Actor — 1998
38% Armageddon the Narrator Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War: Intelligence - The Ultra Enigma Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War - Spy Games Of World War II Actor — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War: Air Wars - Spies in the Sky Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War - Bold Strikes Actor — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War: Air Wars - Vietnam, Alpha Strike Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War - Wealth & Power Actor — 1998
No Score Yet Secrets of War: Intelligence - Women Spies in World War II Narrator — 1998
No Score Yet Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's Actor — 1997
No Score Yet Charlton Heston Presents: The Bible Actor — 1997
No Score Yet To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill (Hollywood Aliens & Monsters) Actor — 1997
No Score Yet Alaska: Spirit of the Wild Narrator — 1997
95% Hamlet Player King — 1996
18% Alaska Perry — 1996
No Score Yet Mysterious Origins of Man: Rewriting Man's History Narrator — 1996
No Score Yet Adventures of Mowgli Narrator in the English-language version — 1996
No Score Yet Texas Actor — 1995
60% In the Mouth of Madness Jackson — 1995
No Score Yet The Avenging Angel Brigham Young — 1995
71% True Lies Spencer Trilby — 1994
No Score Yet The Bible According to Hollywood Actor — 1994
73% Tombstone Henry Hooker — 1993
61% Wayne's World 2 Good Actor — 1993
No Score Yet The Mystery of the Sphinx Host — 1993
No Score Yet Solar Crisis Actor — 1993
No Score Yet Noel Actor — 1993
No Score Yet Les Secrets professionnels du Dr Apfelglück (The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck) Actor — 1992
No Score Yet Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 Actor — 1992
No Score Yet Smithsonian's Great Battles of the Civil War, Vol. 1 Actor — 1992
No Score Yet Symphony for the Spire Actor — 1991
No Score Yet The Crucifer of Blood Sherlock Holmes — 1991
No Score Yet The Little Kidnappers James MacKenzie — 1990
No Score Yet Treasure Island (Devil's Treasure) Long John Silver — 1990
29% Almost an Angel God (uncredited) — 1990
No Score Yet Solar Crisis (Crisis 2050) Skeet Kelso — 1989
No Score Yet Original Sin Louis Mancini — 1989
No Score Yet From Defeat into Victory Actor — 1988
No Score Yet Proud Men Actor — 1987
No Score Yet The Fantasy Film World of George Pal Actor — 1985
No Score Yet Nairobi Affair Lee Cahill — 1984
No Score Yet Chiefs Hugh — 1983
No Score Yet Mother Lode (Search for the Mother Lode: The Last Great Treasure) Director Ian McGee, Silas McGee — 1982
No Score Yet The Awakening Matthew Corbeck — 1980
43% The Mountain Men Bill Tyler — 1980
No Score Yet The Helga Pictures Actor — 1979
60% Gray Lady Down Capt. Paul Blanchard — 1978
No Score Yet Crossed Swords (The Prince and the Pauper) Henry VIII — 1977
54% Midway Capt. Matt Garth — 1976
No Score Yet The Last Hard Men Sam Burgade — 1976
No Score Yet America at the Movies Narrator — 1976
30% Two Minute Warning Actor — 1976
79% The Four Musketeers Cardinal Richelieu — 1975
No Score Yet The AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards: Orson Welles Actor — 1975
35% Earthquake Stewart Graff — 1974
29% Airport 1975 Alan Murdock — 1974
82% The Three Musketeers Cardinal Richelieu — 1973
72% Soylent Green Det. Thorn — 1973
No Score Yet Call of the Wild John Thornton — 1972
No Score Yet Skyjacked Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara — 1972
No Score Yet Antony And Cleopatra Director Marc Antony — 1972
63% The Omega Man Neville — 1971
No Score Yet The Hawaiians Whip Hoxworth — 1970
40% Beneath The Planet Of The Apes Taylor — 1970
No Score Yet King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis Actor — 1970
No Score Yet Julius Caesar Marc Antony — 1970
85% Will Penny Will Penny — 1968
88% Planet of the Apes George Taylor — 1968
No Score Yet The Adventures of Mowgli Actor — 1967
No Score Yet Counterpoint Actor — 1967
100% Khartoum Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon — 1966
67% The War Lord Chrysagon — 1965
86% The Agony and the Ecstasy Michelangelo — 1965
97% Major Dundee Maj. Amos Charles Dundee — 1965
37% The Greatest Story Ever Told John the Baptist — 1965
No Score Yet Diamond Head Richard 'King' Howland — 1963
57% Fifty Five Days at Peking Major Matt Lewis — 1963
No Score Yet The Pigeon That Took Rome Capt. Paul MacDougall — 1962
92% El Cid El Cid — 1961
87% Ben-Hur Ben-Hur — 1959
No Score Yet The Wreck of the Mary Deare John Sands — 1959
No Score Yet The Buccaneer Gen. Andrew Jackson — 1958
96% Touch of Evil Ramon Miguel `Mike' Vargas — 1958
100% The Big Country Steve Leech — 1958
No Score Yet Three Violent People Capt. Colt Saunders — 1957
94% The Ten Commandments Moses — 1956
No Score Yet Lucy Gallant Casey Cole — 1955
No Score Yet The Private War of Major Benson Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson — 1955
No Score Yet The Far Horizons Lt. William Clark — 1955
No Score Yet Secret of the Incas Harry Steele — 1954
86% The Naked Jungle Christopher Leiningen — 1954
No Score Yet Bad for Each Other Dr. Tom Owen — 1953
No Score Yet Arrowhead Ed Bannon — 1953
No Score Yet The President's Lady Andrew Jackson — 1953
No Score Yet Pony Express Buffalo Bill Cody — 1953
57% Ruby Gentry Boake Tackman — 1952
No Score Yet The Savage James 'Jim' Aherne Jr./War Bonnet — 1952
45% The Greatest Show on Earth Brad — 1952
No Score Yet Dark City Danny Haley — 1950
No Score Yet Julius Caesar Marcus Antonius — 1950
No Score Yet Studio One Anthology Actor — 1948
No Score Yet Peer Gynt Peer Gynt — 1941

TV

CREDIT
No Score Yet CBS This Morning
2012
Appearing
  • 2013
No Score Yet 60 Minutes
2008
Guest
  • 2000
No Score Yet The Outer Limits
1995-2002
Wainwright
  • 2000
No Score Yet seaQuest DSV
1993-1996
Abalon
  • 1994
No Score Yet Saturday Night Live
1975
Host Guest
  • 1993
  • 1987

QUOTES FROM Charlton Heston CHARACTERS