Charlton Heston Mini Biography
Charlton Heston is known for playing a long list of historical figures. Especially Biblical epics, the tall, well-built and ruggedly handsome Charlton Heston is one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men and remained active in front of movie cameras for over sixty years.
(1952), also starring Charlton Heston was born John Charles Carter on October 4th 1924 in Evanston, Illinois, and made his first feature film debut as the lead character in Peer Gynt (1941), based on the Henrik Ibsen play. He played ‘Marc Antony’ in Julius Caesar (1950). Heston firmly stamped himself as genuine leading man material with his performance as circus manager ‘Brad Braden’ in the Cecil B. DeMille spectacular The Greatest Show on EarthJames Stewart and Cornel Wilde. The now popular Hollywood actor remained busy during the 1950s, both on the silver screen and TV. He pleased audeiences in the steamy thriller The Naked Jungle (1954), as a treasure hunter in Secret of the Incas (1954) and another barnstorming performance for Cecil B. DeMille as “Moses” in the blockbuster The Ten Commandments (1956). Charlton Heston gave great performances in Touch of Evil (1958). He co stared with Gregory Peck in The Big Country (1958). Next he played the role for which he is best known, that of the wronged Jewish prince who seeks his freedom and revenge in the William Wyler directed Ben-Hur (1959). This mammoth Biblical epic running more than three and a half hours became the standard by which other large-scale productions would be judged.
Never one to rest, Heston remained the preferred choice by directors to lead the cast in major historical productions. During the 1960s he starred as Spanish legend “Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar” in El Cid (1961). Then in 1963, as a US soldier battling hostile Chinese boxers during 55 Days at Peking . He also stared as ill-fated “John the Baptist” in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Then as “Michelangelo” battling Pope Julius II in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965). In 1966 he played an English general in Khartoum. In 1968, Heston played the unusual western Will Penny (1968) about an aging and lonely cowboy befriending a lost woman and her son.
Interestingly, Heston was on the verge of gaining a new league of fans because of his appearance in topical science fiction films. In 1968, Heston starred as time traveling astronaut “George Taylor”, in Planet of the Apes (1968). He returned to this role, alongside James Franciscus in the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). Heston again found himself facing the apocalypse in The Omega Man (1971) as the survivor of a germ plague. Taking its inspiration from the Harry Harrison novel “Make Room!, Make Room!”, Heston played alongside screen legend Edward G. Robinson and Chuck Connors in Soylent Green (1973). In the 1970s, Heston appeared in two popular “disaster movies” Airport 1975 (1974), plus in the star laden Earthquake (1974). He played the evil Cardinal in the lively The Four Musketeers (1974), and a fantisy US naval officer in the recreation of Midway (1976). He became an LA cop trying to stop a sniper in Two-Minute Warning (1976) then another US naval officer in the submarine thriller Gray Lady Down (1978).
Charlton Heston appeared in episodes of the high rating TV series “Dynasty” and “The Colbys”. Then he went onto TV adaptions of “Treasure Island” and “A Man For All Seasons”he stared asas the eye patch wearing boss of intelligence agent Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies (1994).
(1997), the family comedy Charlton Heston narrated many TV specials and used his vocal talents in the animated movie HerculesCats & Dogs (2001) and an animated version of Ben Hur (2003) (TV).
Charlton Heston has been married to Lydia Marie Clark Heston since March 1944, and they have two children. Charlton Heston is one of the famous figures of Hollywood cinema.
