Ben Hur is dead.
Charlton Heston, the man famous for his role in the 1959 historical adventure, has died from Alzheimer’s at the age of 83. Throughout a long and varied career, he appeared in the likes of Cecil B. DeMille’s epic THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, fought killer ants in THE NAKED JUNGLE, played Moses in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, starred in the Orson Welles classic TOUCH OF EVIL, made two historical classics (BEN HUR and EL CID), returned to the Bible in THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD, made movie history with his “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!” line in PLANET OF THE APES, fought off vampires in THE OMEGA MAN, an adaptation of Matheson’s I AM LEGEND (made when Will smith was but a toddler), starred in another sci-fi classic, SOYLENT GREEN, and made his name in ’80s TV drama in THE COLBYS. That’s as well as appearing in dozens of other assorted movies and television series.
First Richard Widmark, now Heston. The old-time actors seem to be dropping like flies. To the modern generation, though, Heston was more famous for his right-wing political views than his cinematic career. Specifically, his role as president of the National Rifle Association, which was ‘exposed’ by Michael Moore in a documentary.
I say… what does it matter? We shouldn’t let his political leaning overshadow an astonishing seven decades of acting. Heston was a man as tough as any of the characters he played in movies, a man who followed his beliefs and lived his life to the full. We can all take inspiration from him.
Filed under: Movies, Obituaries | Tagged: actor, alzheimer's, charlton heston, hollywood, nra
