Charlton Heston profile
Actor profile

Charlton Heston

4th October 1923 Wilmette, Illinois, USA Acting

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 Hills, California, leaving behind a legacy as both a cinematic icon and a polarizing political figure.

181 Movies 70 TV Shows 272 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Hail Satan? poster
Hail Satan? 17th April 2019 as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Ben Hur poster
Ben Hur 15th February 2003 as Ben Hur (voice)
Gideon poster
Gideon 26th October 1998 as Addison Sinclair
Hercules poster
Hercules 13th June 1997 as Narrator (voice)
Hamlet poster
Hamlet 25th December 1996 as Player King
Texas poster
Texas 16th April 1995 as Narrator
Noël poster
Noël 3rd December 1992 as Narrator
Proud Men poster
Proud Men 1st October 1987 as Charley MacLeod Sr.
Midway poster
Midway 18th June 1976 as Capt. Matthew Garth
Skyjacked poster
Skyjacked 24th May 1972 as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
Khartoum poster
Khartoum 9th June 1966 as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
El Cid poster
El Cid 24th October 1961 as El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
Ben-Hur poster
Ben-Hur 18th November 1959 as Judah Ben-Hur
Pony Express poster
Pony Express 15th June 1953 as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
The Savage poster
The Savage 1st September 1952 as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
Jane Eyre poster
Jane Eyre 12th December 1949 as Edward Rochester
MADtv poster
MADtv 14th October 1995 as Self
Friends poster
Friends 22nd September 1994 as Charlton Heston
Chiefs poster
Chiefs 13th November 1983 as Hugh Holmes
Dynasty poster
Dynasty 12th January 1981 as Jason Colby
Climax! poster
Climax! 7th October 1954 as Lt. Paul Peterson
Omnibus poster
Omnibus 9th November 1952 as Self - Presenter
Studio One poster
Studio One 7th November 1948 as Col. / Dr. Michael Knowle
Bambi poster
Bambi 1st January 1948 as Self