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Charlton Heston

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Biography

Steely jawed, hard bodied, terse in speech, Charlton Heston is an American man's man, an epic unto himself. While he has played modern men, he is at his best when portraying larger-than-life figures from world history, preferably with his shirt off. He was born John Charleton 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 is still happily married. 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), its sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (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 (in which he was spared extensive humiliation by only having to act as the film's narrator).

Outside of his filmwork, 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. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Papà Rua Alguem 5555 (2002) .... Josef Mengele
Bowling for Columbine (2002) .... Himself
He Walks in Beauty: The George Stevens Production 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' (2001) (V)(archive footage) .... Himself, Actor
Jennifer Jones: Portrait of a Lady (2001) (TV)(uncredited) .... Himself
... aka A&E Biography: Jennifer Jones Portrait of a Lady (2001) (TV) (USA)
Order, The (2001) .... Professor Finley
... aka Jihad Warrior (2002) (Philippines: English title)
Eco Challenge: US Armed Forces Championship (2001) (TV) .... Narrator
Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Planet of the Apes (2001)(uncredited) .... Zaius (Thade's Father)
Cats & Dogs (2001)(voice) .... The Mastiff
Gun Deadlock, The (2001) (TV) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV) .... Himself
Town & Country (2001) .... Eugenie's Father
20th Century: Yesterday's Tomorrows, The (1999) (TV) .... Himself
"Camino de Santiago" (1999) (mini) TV Series
... aka "Road to Santiago, The" (1999) (mini) (Europe: English title)
Forever Hollywood (1999) .... Himself
Sophia Loren: Actress Italian Style (1999) (V) .... Himself
... aka A&E Biography, Sophia Loren: Actress Italian Style (1999) (V) (USA: complete title)
Toscano (1999)
Any Given Sunday (1999) .... Commissioner
Gideon (1999) .... Addison Sinclair
Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998) (TV)(uncredited) .... Himself
"Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War" (1998) TV Series .... Narrator
... aka "Secrets of War" (1998) (USA)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: In Search of (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Armageddon (1998)(voice) .... Narrator
Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1998)(uncredited) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV) .... Himself
70th Annual Academy Awards, The (1998) (TV)(uncredited) .... Himself (Past Oscar Winner Tribute Sequence)
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (1997)(voice) .... Narrator
Kennedy Center Honors, The (1997) (TV) .... Himself (Honoree)
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible (1997) (V) .... Himself
... aka Charlton Heston's Voyage Through the Bible (1997) (V)
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997) (TV) .... Himself
Hercules (1997)(voice) .... Narrator
I Am Your Child (1997) (TV) .... Himself
Dark Mist, The (1996)(voice) .... Narrator
Jungle Book, The (1996) .... Narrator
... aka Adventures of Mowgli (1996) (USA)
... aka Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1996)
"Ruby Wax Meets" (1996) TV Series .... Himself
Hamlet (1996) .... Player King
... aka William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1996)
Ben Johnson: Third Cowboy on the Right (1996) .... Himself
Alaska (1996) .... Colin Perry the Poacher
Mysterious Orgins of Man (1996) (TV) .... Host
Andersonville Diaries (1996) (TV) .... Narrator
"Great Battles of the Civil War, The" (1995) (mini) TV Series(voice) .... Abraham Lincoln
Texas (1995) (V) .... Narrator
... aka James A. Michener's Texas (1995) (V)
In the Mouth of Madness (1995) .... Jackson Harglow
... aka John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995) (USA: complete title)
Avenging Angel, The (1995) (TV) .... Brigham Young
Century of Cinema, A (1994) .... Himself
True Lies (1994) .... Spencer Trilby
Tombstone (1993) .... Henry Hooker
Wayne's World 2 (1993) .... Good Actor
Mystery of the Sphinx (1993) (TV) .... Host
Symphony for the Spire (1992) .... Westmoreland/Poetry reciter
... aka HRH The Prince of Wales' Symphony for the Spire (1992) (UK: complete title)
... aka Spectacle of Music and Theatre in Aid of the Salisbury Cathedral Spire Appeal, A (1992) (UK: subtitle)
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 (1992) (TV) .... Captain Al Haynes
... aka Thousand Heroes, A (1992) (TV)
Dying for a Smoke (1992) (V) .... Himself
Crucifer of Blood, The (1991) (TV) .... Sherlock Holmes
Cults: Saying No Under Pressure (1991) (V) .... Narrator
Hollywood Road to Oz, The (1990) (TV) .... Host
Little Kidnappers, The (1990) (TV) .... James MacKenzie
Almost an Angel (1990)(uncredited) .... Moses
Solar Crisis (1990) .... Adm. 'Skeet' Kelso
... aka Kuraishisu niju-goju nen (1990) (Japan)
Treasure Island (1990) (TV) .... Long John Silver
Call from Space (1989)(voice) .... Alien
Original Sin (1989) (TV) .... Louis Mancini
Man for All Seasons, A (1988) (TV) .... Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of England
Proud Men (1987) (TV) .... Charley Mac Leod Sr.
Adventure Video: The Three Musketeers (1986) (V) .... Cardinal Richelieu
Liberty Weekend (1986) (TV) .... Himself
Directed by William Wyler (1986) .... Himself
All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr., An (1986) (TV) .... Himself
"Dynasty" (1981) TV Series .... Jason Colby (1985-1986)
Fantasy Film World of George Pal, The (1985) .... Himself
"Colbys, The" (1985) TV Series .... Jason Colby
... aka "Dynasty II: The Colbys" (1985) (original title (first four episodes title))
Nairobi Affair (1984) (TV) .... Lee Cahill
"Chiefs" (1983) (mini) TV Series .... Hugh Holmes
American Film Institute Salute to Frank Capra, The (1982) (TV) .... Himself
Mother Lode (1982) .... Silas McGee/Ian McGee
... aka Search for the Mother Lode: The Last Great Treasure (1982)
Way They Were, The (1981) (TV)
American Film Institute Salute to Fred Astaire, The (1981) (TV)
Awakening, The (1980) .... Matthew Corbeck
Mountain Men, The (1980) .... Bill Tyler
52nd Annual Academy Awards, The (1980) (TV) .... Himself (presenter, Best Picture)
American Film Institute Salute to James Stewart, The (1980) (TV)
Crossed Swords (1978) .... King Henry VIII
... aka Prince and the Pauper, The (1978) (UK)
Gray Lady Down (1978) .... Captain Paul Blanchard
50th Annual Academy Awards, The (1978) (TV) .... Himself (recipient, Jean Hersholt Award)
America at the Movies (1976) .... Narrator
Midway (1976) .... Capt. Matthew Garth
... aka Battle of Midway, The (1976) (USA: video title)
Two Minute Warning (1976) .... Capt. Peter Holly
Last Hard Men, The (1976) .... Sam Burgarde
48th Annual Academy Awards, The (1976) (TV) .... Himself (presenter, Jean Hersholt Award)
American Film Institute Salute to Orson Welles, The (1975) (TV) .... Himself
Four Musketeers, The (1974) .... Cardinal Richelieu
... aka Cuatro mosqueteros, Los (1974) (Spain)
... aka Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge, The (1974) (USA)
... aka Revenge of Milady, The (1974)
Earthquake (1974) .... Stewart Graff
Airport 1975 (1974) .... Alan Murdock
Three Musketeers, The (1973) .... Cardinal Richelieu
... aka Three Musketeers: The Queen's Diamonds, The (1973) (USA)
... aka Tres mosqueteros, Los (1973) (Spain)
Soylent Green (1973) .... Detective Robert Thorn
Antony and Cleopatra (1973) .... Marc Antony
... aka Antoine et Cléopatre (1973) (Switzerland: French title)
... aka Marco Antonio y Cleopatra (1973) (Spain)
Call of the Wild (1972) .... John Thornton
... aka Appel de la forêt, L' (1972) (France)
... aka Når villdyret våkner (1973) (Norway)
... aka Richiamo della foresta, Il (1972) (Italy)
... aka Ruf der Wildnis (1972) (West Germany)
... aka Selva blanca, La (1972)
Skyjacked (1972) .... Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
... aka Sky Terror (1972) (USA: TV title)
London Bridge Special, The (1972) (TV)
Omega Man, The (1971) .... Robert Neville
Festival Game, The (1970)
Hawaiians, The (1970) .... Whip Hoxworth
... aka Master of the Islands (1970) (UK)
Julius Caesar (1970) .... Marc Antony
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) .... Taylor
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) .... Narrator
Number One (1969) .... Ron (Cat) Catlan
Elizabeth the Queen (1968) (TV) .... Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex
... aka Elizabeth and Essex (1968) (TV) (UK)
... aka George Schaefer's Showcase Theatre: Elizabeth the Queen (1968) (TV) (USA: series title)
Rowan & Martin at the Movies (1968) .... Himself
Will Penny (1968) .... Will Penny
Planet of the Apes (1968) .... George Taylor
... aka Monkey Planet (1968)
Counterpoint (1968) .... Lionel Evans
Think Twentieth (1967) .... Himself
While I Run This Race (1967) .... Narrator
What Is a Boy (1966) (TV)
Khartoum (1966) .... Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
"F.D.R." (1965) (mini) TV Series(voice) .... Voice of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
War Lord, The (1965) .... Chrysagon
Agony and the Ecstasy, The (1965) .... Michelangelo
... aka Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Major Dundee (1965) .... Maj. Amos Dundee
Greatest Story Ever Told, The (1965) .... John the Baptist
Five Cities of June, The (1963) .... Narrator
Tribute to John F. Kennedy from the Arts, A (1963) (TV) .... Himself
55 Days at Peking (1963) .... Major Matt Lewis
Diamond Head (1963) .... Richard 'King' Howland
Pigeon That Took Rome, The (1962) .... Captain Paul MacDougall/Benny the Snatch/Narrator
El Cid (1961) .... El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar)
32nd Annual Academy Awards, The (1960) (TV) .... Best Actor Winner
Ben-Hur (1959) .... Judah Ben-Hur
... aka Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1959) (USA: alternative title)
Wreck of the Mary Deare, The (1959) .... John Sands, Owner of Tug Sea Witch
Buccaneer, The (1958) .... Gen. Andrew Jackson
Big Country, The (1958) .... Steve Leech
Touch of Evil (1958) .... Ramon Miguel 'Mike' Vargas
Three Violent People (1956) .... Colt Saunders
Ten Commandments, The (1956) .... Moses
Far Horizons, The (1955) .... William Clark
... aka Untamed West (1962) (USA: reissue title)
Lucy Gallant (1955) .... Casey Cole
... aka Oil Town (1962) (USA: reissue title)
Private War of Major Benson, The (1955) .... Maj. Bernard 'Barney' Benson
"$64,000 Question, The" (1955) TV Series .... Substitute Host
Naked Jungle, The (1954) .... Christopher Leiningen
Secret of the Incas, The (1954) .... Harry Steele
Arrowhead (1953) .... Ed Bannon
Pony Express (1953) .... William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
Bad for Each Other (1953) .... Dr. Tom Owen
President's Lady, The (1953) .... President Andrew Jackson
Ruby Gentry (1952) .... Boake Tackman
Savage, The (1952) .... War Bonnet (Jim Aherne)
Greatest Show on Earth, The (1952) .... Marc Braden
Wuthering Heights (1950) (TV) .... Heathclif
Dark City (1950) .... Danny Haley
Julius Caesar (1950) .... Antony
Peer Gynt (1941) .... Peer Gynt

Links

Contact

2859 Coldwater Canyon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA