The iron-jawed star of many historical and biblical epics was born John Charles Carter on Oct. 4, 1924, in Evanston, Ill. After attending Northwestern University on a drama scholarship, Heston served in the Army Air Force before making his Broadway debut in Katharine Cornell's acclaimed production of "Anthony and Cleopatra" (1947).Heston's first film appearance was in Dark City (1950), followed by The Greatest Show on Earth, The President's Lady, El Cid, The Agony and the Ecstasy, and Khartoum. Famous for playing Moses in The Ten Commandments, Heston received a Best Actor Oscar for Ben-Hur (1959).
Starting in 1968 with Planet of the Apes, Heston starred in a series of socially conscious sci-fi films, such as Soylent Green. By the '90s, he was making guest appearances and became increasingly involved in charity work and activism, most notably in support of gun ownership. He died on April 5, 2008, at age 84.
AddBen-Hur: Collector's EditionCharlton Heston plays Judah Ben-Hur, a proud Jew who runs afoul of ambitious boyhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd) in this 1959 epic that boasts an unforgettable chariot race and earned 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heston) and Best Director (William Wyler). Condemned to life as a... Read More
AddSoylent GreenSet in a polluted, congested New York City in 2022, this sci-fi thriller stars Charlton Heston as Robert Thorn, a gumshoe looking into the murder of a corporate executive (Joseph Cotten) whose company makes a nutritious synthetic food called Soylent Green. But in the process of tracking down the... Read More
AddThe Ten CommandmentsThe story of Moses comes to life in director Cecil B. DeMille's gigantic retelling. As the Egyptian prince turned Prophet of the Jews, Charlton Heston is Biblical fury incarnate, memorably smashing God's stone tablets in the face of his golden calf-worshipping followers. Yul Brynner is the caustic... Read More
AddThe Omega ManCharlton Heston plays Robert Neville, one of the last "intact" survivors of a biological war that's ravaged Earth's population in this Boris Sagal-helmed sci-fi thriller based on Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend. Armed with an experimental vaccine for the disease that's turned everyone... Read More
AddPlanet of the ApesCharlton Heston stars in one of the '60s' most beloved camp classics. Bewildered astronaut George Taylor (Heston) crash-lands on a strange planet ruled by intelligent apes who use primitive humans for experimentation and sport. Taylor quickly finds himself among the hunted as he struggles to escape... Read More
