Charlton Heston
Acting
Born: October 4, 1923 · Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Died: April 5, 2008 (aged 84)
Highest Rated
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 Hills, California, leaving behind a legacy as both a cinematic icon and a polarizing political figure.
Known for
Friends
1994
Armageddon
1998
Hercules
1997
True Lies
1994
Planet of the Apes
2001
Planet of the Apes
1968
Ben-Hur
1959
Tombstone
1993
In the Mouth of Madness
1995
The Ten Commandments
1956
Any Given Sunday
1999
Cats & Dogs
2001
Photos (14)
Movies (110)
Hercules
Narrator (voice)
Ben-Hur
Judah Ben-Hur
Armageddon
Narration (voice)
True Lies
Spencer Trilby
Planet of the Apes
George Taylor
Tombstone
Henry Hooker
Planet of the Apes
Zaius (uncredited)
The Ten Commandments
Moses
Any Given Sunday
AFFA Football Commissioner
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Taylor
In the Mouth of Madness
Jackson Harglow
Soylent Green
Detective Robert Thorn
Touch of Evil
Ramon Miguel Vargas
Cats & Dogs
The Mastiff (voice)
The Omega Man
Robert Neville
Midway
Capt. Matthew Garth
Wayne's World 2
Good Actor
The Order
Professor Finley
The Three Musketeers
Cardinal Richelieu
The Greatest Story Ever Told
John the Baptist
Earthquake
Stewart Graff
El Cid
El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
Treasure Island
Long John Silver
The Big Country
Steve Leech
Major Dundee
Major Amos Charles Dundee
The Greatest Show on Earth
Brad Braden
Hamlet
Player King
Airport 1975
Alan Murdock
The Four Musketeers
Cardinal Richelieu
The War Lord
Chrysagon
Will Penny
Will Penny
Khartoum
Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
The Prince and the Pauper
Henry VIII
The Mountain Men
Bill Tyler
Alaska
Perry
Three Violent People
Colt Saunders
Pony Express
Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
The Naked Jungle
Christopher Leiningen
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Michelangelo
Almost an Angel
God
Dark City
Danny Haley
55 Days at Peking
Maj. Matt Lewis
The Awakening
Matthew Corbeck
Town & Country
Mr. Clayborne
The President's Lady
Andrew Jackson
Gray Lady Down
Captain Paul Blanchard
Solar Crisis
Adm. "Skeet" Kelso
The Far Horizons
Lt. William Clark
The Call of the Wild
John Thornton
The Buccaneer
Gen. Andrew Jackson
Counterpoint
Lionel Evans
Mother Lode
Silas McGee / Ian McGee
Two-Minute Warning
Capt. Peter Holly
The Last Hard Men
Sam Burgade
The Savage
James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
Diamond Head
Richard 'King' Howland
The Hawaiians
Whip Hoxworth
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
Julius Caesar
Marc Antony
Skyjacked
Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
Texas
Narrator
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
John Sands
Ruby Gentry
Boake Tackman
The Special London Bridge Special
Tennis Player
Arrowhead
Ed Bannon
Secret of the Incas
Harry Steel
Antony and Cleopatra
Marc Antony
Airports
2025
Ben Hur
Ben Hur (voice)
Lasting Love
2003
The Lord Protector
Narrator (voice)
Hollywood sul Tevere
2009
My Father
Josef Mengele
A Man for All Seasons
Sir Thomas More
Number One
Ron "Cat" Catlan
Gideon
Addison Sinclair
The Private War of Major Benson
Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
Bad for Each Other
Dr. Tom Owen
Proud Men
Charley MacLeod Sr.
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
Captain Al Haynes
The Avenging Angel
Brigham Young
Lucy Gallant
Casey Cole
The Mystery of the Sphinx
Narrator
The Crucifer of Blood
Sherlock Holmes
Jane Eyre
Edward Rochester
Call from Space
Alien (voice)
Original Sin
Louis Mancini
Studio One: Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
The Little Kidnappers
James MacKenzie
Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents
Host and Narrator
Nairobi Affair
Lee Cahill
Symphony for the Spire
1992
Julius Caesar
Mark Antony
Vietnam! Vietnam!
Narrator (voice)
Planet of the Apes Test Reel
Thomas
The Taming of the Shrew
Petruchio
The Pigeon That Took Rome
Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
Eclipse of Reason
Narrator
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich
Narrator (voice)
Elizabeth the Queen
Lord Essex
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
(archive footage)
America at the Movies
Narrator
Uncertain Verification
(archive footage)
A Bolt of Lightning
James Otis
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Remembering Reagan at His Ranch
Host
Noël
Narrator
Energy: A National Issue
Narrator (voice)
The Five Cities of June
Narrator
While I Run This Race
Narrator
TV Shows (37)
Friends
Charlton Heston · 1 eps
Dynasty
Jason Colby · 5 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
Cashel Bryon · 1 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
Peter Handley · 1 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
Melody Jones · 1 eps
The Outer Limits
Chief Justice Haden Wainwright · 2 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
2 eps
Climax!
Lt. Paul Peterson · 1 eps
Climax!
Chipman · 1 eps
Studio One
3 eps
Studio One
Philip Carey · 1 eps
Studio One
Edward Rochester · 1 eps
Studio One
Col. / Dr. Michael Knowle · 1 eps
Studio One
Petruchio · 1 eps
Studio One
Heathcliff · 1 eps
Studio One
Mitch Henderson · 1 eps
Studio One
Macbeth · 1 eps
Studio One
James Otis · 1 eps
Studio One
Merton Densher · 1 eps
Studio One
Commander Schneider · 1 eps
seaQuest DSV
Abalon · 1 eps
Suspense
2 eps
Playhouse 90
Col. Jesse Price · 1 eps
Shirley Temple's Storybook
Beast · 1 eps
Noel's House Party
Star guest · 1 eps
The Colbys
Jason Colby · 49 eps
The Weber Show
Charlton Heston · 1 eps
Kraft Mystery Theatre
Paul Malone (archive footage) · 1 eps
General Electric Theater
Tim · 1 eps
Chiefs
Hugh Holmes · 3 eps
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
2 eps
Eco-Challenge
17 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Thomas Jefferson · 1 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex · 1 eps
The $64,000 Question
Substitute Host · 31 eps
Korea: The Unknown War
General Douglas MacArthur (voice) · 6 eps
Camino de Santiago
Professor Marcelo Rinaldi · 3 eps
Self / Appearances (103)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · 5 eps
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · 2 eps
Golden Globe Awards
Self · 1 eps
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter · 3 eps
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee · 1 eps
The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Guest · 6 eps
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · 3 eps
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · 1 eps
Wogan
Self · 2 eps
Spécial cinéma
Self · 1 eps
The Oscars
Self · 5 eps
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · 5 eps
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Self · 1 eps
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self · 4 eps
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self - Host · 1 eps
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · 1 eps
Bambi
Self · 1 eps
What's My Line?
Self · 1 eps
Dinah!
Self · 2 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self · 7 eps
The Steve Allen Show
Self - Actor · 1 eps
The Steve Allen Show
Self · 2 eps
Omnibus
Self - Presenter · 1 eps
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self · 1 eps
Your Show of Shows
Self - Guest Performer · 3 eps
Your Show of Shows
Self - Guest Host · 1 eps
Talking Pictures
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self · 6 eps
Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War
Self - Narrator (voice) · 65 eps
Bowling for Columbine
Self - NRA President
The Dame Edna Experience
Self · 1 eps
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Forever Hollywood
Self
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
A Century of Cinema
Self
Behind the Planet of the Apes
Self - 'Taylor'
MADtv
Self · 1 eps
Hail Satan?
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
Self (archive footage)
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Self
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self (archive footage)
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Self
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Self - Actor (archive footage)
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Self (archive footage)
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
Self
The Making of 'Tombstone'
Self
Last Party 2000
Self
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
Self
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Self (archive footage)
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Self
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self – Interviewee
Directed by William Wyler
Self
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction
Self (archive footage)
I Am Richard Pryor
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Self - Actor (archive footage)
A Night on Mount Edna
Self
Spanish Western
Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
Self (archive footage)
Rowan & Martin at the Movies
Self
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild
Self - Narrator (voice)
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden
Self - Host
Yesterday's Tomorrows
Self
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston: For All Seasons
Self
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
Self - Performer
Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses
Self - Host / Moses
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Self
Christmas in Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing
Self (archive footage)
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah
Self - Host
Bienvenido Mr. Heston
Self (archive footage)
Let Poland Be Poland
Self - Co-Host
Barry Norman in Celebrity City
Self
Secrets of War: Shadows of The Reich
Self - Narrator (voice) · 10 eps
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
Self - Host
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Self
Fun in the Big Country
Self
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
Self
The Orson Welles Story
Self
Stars of Cabaret
Self (archive footage)
The Mysterious Origins of Man
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath
Self - Host
Love in Hollywood
Self
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
Self
Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints
Self
The Bible According to Hollywood
Self
Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den
Self - Host
The Madding Crowd
Self (archive footage)
All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan
Self
The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time
Self
The Legacy of Malthus
Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)
The Making of The Ten Commandments
Self (archive footage)
Todos los nombres de Sara
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses
Self - Host
The Making of Midway
Self
De Madrid a la Luna
Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible
Self - Narrator
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth
Self - Host
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis
Self - Host
The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man
Self - Narrator
