With his role as the ill-tempered circus manager in his second film, Cecil B. DeMille's THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952), Heston began his reign as the actor of choice for Hollywood epics. Solidly built, but with a lithe walk, boasting an iron jaw, a granite-carved profile and a voice to go with them, he could intimidate opponents with just a glare. Few actors could dish up righteous anger with such force, yet even though many of his screen creations could be unpleasantly hostile, the power of his presence invariably commanded respect, conveyed integrity (even in villainous roles) and often managed to be likable. There was something timeless about his rueful expression and his brand of gritty heroism. At the same time, though, he glorified a concept of the power of the individual which was perfectly in step with middle America's vision of how the world should be.
Consequently, even though Heston never quite disappeared into his roles, he was perfect for Hollywood's writing of an Americanized world history picture book and its equally splashy renditions of the Bible. Beginning with his take on Buffalo Bill in THE PONY EXPRESS (1953), Heston's gallery of historical and Biblical characters included Andrew Jackson (THE PRESIDENT'S LADY, 1953, THE BUCCANEER, 1958), Moses (in Cecil B. DeMille's landmark second version of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 1956, EL CID (in the 1961 film of that title), Thomas Jefferson (THE PATRIOTS, TV 1963) John the Baptist (THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, 1965), Major Amos Dundee (MAJOR DUNDEE, 1965), Michelangelo (THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, 1965), General Charles Gordon (KHARTOUM, 1966), Cardinal Richelieu (THE THREE MUSKETEERS, 1974 and its 1975 sequel), Henry VIII (CROSSED SWORDS, 1978 / THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER) and Sir Thomas More (A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, 1988). Indeed, it didn't really matter whether a charioteer named Judah Ben-Hur was actually transfixed by the sight of Christ or not; when history becomes Oscar®-winning Heston legend (BEN-HUR, 1959), print the legend. As French critic Michel Mourlet infamously rhapsodized, "Charlton Heston is an axiom of the cinema."
Less indecisive and rebellious than Robert Mitchum, less Everymannish than William Holden, Heston, like these fellow 50s icons, was frequently called on to suffer, and frequently with his shirt off. Perhaps it all started with Moses making bricks, but Heston was still stripping down to either get down to work or be punished well into the 80s. As historical epics gradually became passe in the late 60s, Heston made more Westerns, war sagas and, interestingly, science fiction films to take up the slack. 1968 marked a banner year with two fine landmark roles: the anguished hero of the highly entertaining, futuristic PLANET OF THE APES, and the aging, reflective cowpoke of WILL PENNY, one of his finest films. The 70s brought the cult classic sci-fi pic SOYLENT GREEN (1973) ("It's people!!") and a series of roles in films such as MIDWAY (1976) / BATTLE OF MIDWAY and GRAY LADY DOWN (1978) in which he held the rank of major, colonel or general. Some later roles, though, traded in wastefully on his iconic value, as in his cameo in TRUE LIES (1994).
Heston first directed a feature in 1971 with a decent adaptation of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA and again went behind the camera for MOTHER LODE. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1966 to 1971 and later became chairman of the American Film Institute. Acting work in TV series ("The Colbys" 1985-87), miniseries (CHIEFS, 1983) and telefilms (PROUD MEN, 1987) kept him busy during the 80s, as did his role as the head of President Reagan's task force on the arts and humanities. Heston remained active in charity work (as with The Will Rogers Institute) and politics and earned a reputation as a staunch Republican and a supporter and eventual president of the National Rifle Association.
On August 9, 2002, Heston revealed that he had been diagnosed with symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. He issued the following statement:
My Dear Friends, Colleagues and Fans:In 2003, President George W. Bush presented Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award.My physicians have recently told me I may have a neurological disorder whose symptoms are consistent with Alzheimer's disease. So... I wanted to prepare a few words for you now, because when the time comes, I may not be able to.
I've lived my whole life on the stage and screen before you. I've found purpose and meaning in your response. For an actor there's no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you, which is why I won't exclude you from this stage in my life.
For now, I'm not changing anything. I'll insist on work when I can; the doctors will insist on rest when I must. If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you'll know why. And if I tell you a funny story for the second time, please laugh anyway.
I'm neither giving up nor giving in. I believe I'm still the fighter that Dr. King and JFK and Ronald Reagan knew, but it's a fight I must someday call a draw. I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure. Please feel no sympathy for me. I don't. I just may be a little less accessible to you, despite my wishes.
I also want you to know that I'm grateful beyond measure. My life has been blessed with good fortune. I'm grateful that I was born in America, that cradle of freedom and opportunity, where a kid from the Michigan Northwoods can work hard and make something of his life. I'm grateful for the gift of the greatest words ever written, that let me share with you the infinite scope of the human experience. As an actor, I'm thankful that I've lived not one life, but many.
Above all, I'm proud of my family ... my wife Lydia, the queen of my heart, my children, Fraser and Holly, and my beloved grandchildren, Jack, Ridley and Charlie. They're my biggest fans, my toughest critics and my proudest achievement. Through them, I can touch immortality.
Finally, I'm confident about the future of America. I believe in you. I know that the future of our country, our culture and our children is in good hands. I know you will continue to meet adversity with strength and resilience, as our ancestors did, and come through with flying colors -- the ones on Old Glory.
William Shakespeare, at the end of his career, wrote his farewell through the words of Prospero, in The Tempest. It ends like this:
"Be cheerful, sir. Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, the cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples, the great globe itself, yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve and, like this insubstantial pageant faded, leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
Thank you, and God bless you, everyone.
He was married to actress Lydia Clarke (b. 1923) from 1944 until the time of his death. Their son Fraser Heston (b. 1955) is a director, screenwriter and producer.
Actor 1959: BEN-HUR
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1977
1 nomination, 1 Award, 1 Honorary Award