Biography
Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor, renowned for his towering screen presence and roles in some of Hollywood’s most famous epics. Born John Charles Carter in Illinois, he discovered his passion for acting in school, studied drama at Northwestern University, and began his career on stage and in live television before transitioning to film. He first gained major attention in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth and then became an international star with his performances as Moses in The Ten Commandments and Judah Ben‑Hur in Ben‑Hur, the latter earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Heston went on to headline a wide range of big‑budget films, including El Cid, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Planet of the Apes, and The Omega Man, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable leading men of mid‑20th‑century cinema. Beyond acting, he was active in public life, supporting civil rights in the 1960s and later becoming a prominent conservative voice and president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003. He retired from public life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2002 and died on April 5, 2008, in Beverly H…
Movies & TV Shows
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Friends (1994) — Charlton Heston
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Armageddon (1998) — Narration (voice)
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Hercules (1997) — Narrator (voice)
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True Lies (1994) — Spencer Trilby
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Planet of the Apes (2001) — Zaius (uncredited)
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Planet of the Apes (1968) — George Taylor
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Ben-Hur (1959) — Judah Ben-Hur
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Tombstone (1993) — Henry Hooker
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In the Mouth of Madness (1995) — Jackson Harglow
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The Ten Commandments (1956) — Moses
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Any Given Sunday (1999) — AFFA Football Commissioner
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Cats & Dogs (2001) — The Mastiff (voice)
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Bowling for Columbine (2002) — Self - NRA President
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Touch of Evil (1958) — Ramon Miguel Vargas
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Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) — Taylor
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Soylent Green (1973) — Detective Robert Thorn
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Wayne's World 2 (1993) — Good Actor
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The Omega Man (1971) — Robert Neville
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Hamlet (1996) — Player King
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Saturday Night Live (1975) — Self - Host
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The Big Country (1958) — Steve Leech
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Earthquake (1974) — Stewart Graff
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The Three Musketeers (1973) — Cardinal Richelieu
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Midway (1976) — Capt. Matthew Garth
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El Cid (1961) — El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
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Airport 1975 (1974) — Alan Murdock
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The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) — Brad Braden
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The Order (2001) — Professor Finley
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The Outer Limits (1995) — Chief Justice Haden Wainwright
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The Four Musketeers (1974) — Cardinal Richelieu
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The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) — John the Baptist
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Hail Satan? (2019) — Self - Actor (archive footage)
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55 Days at Peking (1963) — Maj. Matt Lewis
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Major Dundee (1965) — Major Amos Charles Dundee
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Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) — Self - Guest
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seaQuest DSV (1993) — Abalon
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Treasure Island (1990) — Long John Silver
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The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) — Michelangelo
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Alaska (1996) — Perry
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MADtv (1995) — Self