Heston stuck to his guns in all causes, left, right and center
By Jeffrey Mitchell
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 3/6/08 — Charlton Heston is as much a paradox in death as in life, the Hollywood community is now realizing. Here is a man who marched side by side with Martin Luther King Jr., and also promoted gun rights, not a terribly popular thing in some liberal circles.
The Oscar winner who won best actor for playing Judah Ben Hur in the epic Ben Hur and also played Moses in “The Ten Commandments,” among other heroic figures on film in the ’50s and ’60s passed away Saturday night in Beverly Hills.
“If Hollywood had a Mt. Rushmore, Charlton Heston’s face would be front and center,” said author and publicist Michael Levine, who repped Heston for 20 years beginning in 1983.
The actor died peacefully at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia by his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said. He declined to comment on the cause of death or further details.
“Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played,” Heston’s family said in a statement.
“I have a face that belongs in another century,” he was often quoted saying.
The actor assumed the role of leader off screen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the NRA, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle.
Heston famously bellowed in a historic tirade ” The only way my gun could be taken away is “from my cold, dead hands.”
Former first lady Nancy Reagan remarked Sunday in a prepared statement that she was heartbroken to hear of Heston’s death. having fought similar circumstances with the loss of her husband President Ronald Regan, the most famous person to be lost to the terrible debilitating disease.
“I will never forget Chuck as a hero on the big screen in the roles he played, but more importantly I considered him a hero in life for the many times that he stepped up to support Ronnie in whatever he was doing,” she said.
The National Rifle Association of America’s Wayne LaPierre said, “America has lost a great patriot.”
Heston — who once delivered a jab at then-President Clinton, saying, “America doesn’t trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure, Lord, don’t trust you with our guns.” — stepped down as NRA president in April 2003.
President Bush awarded Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civil honor. “He was a man of character and integrity, with a big heart,” Bush said on Sunday
.
“Ben-Hur” won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). He won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing “Ben-Hur.”
Heston’s other hits include: “The Ten Commandments,” “El Cid,” “55 Days at Peking” and “Planet of the Apes,” as well as the thriller “Touch of Evil,” directed by Orson Welles; William Wyler’s “The Big Country,” costarring with Gregory Peck; a sea saga, “The Wreck of the Mary Deare” with Gary Cooper.
He often returned to the theater, appearing in such plays as “A Long Day’s Journey into Night” and “A Man for All Seasons.” He starred as a tycoon in the prime-time soap opera, “The Colbys,” a two-season spinoff of “Dynasty.”
Heston was born Oct. 4, 1923, his name was Charles Carter. Calling himself Charlton Heston from his mother’s maiden name and his stepfather’s last name, he won an acting scholarship to Northwestern University in 1941.
On a personal note I had the pleasure and honour of meeting Mr Heston with Johnny Carson for tennis on more than a few occasions. His love of tennis kept him in excellent shape and he was a tremendous player, one of the best of the celebrity players that I have ever played with and against. His towering figure and presence was aggressive on the court but he was a gentle and soft spoken as the true gentleman he was could be. Hollywood has truly lost one of its biggest stars who also was a great humanitarian, civil rights leader at a time when it was not in vogue and a truly class act and gentleman. He will be greatly missed by all of Hollywood, but will be remembered as a giant of a man and a great actor and one of the biggest stars in film history.
29 responses so far ↓
1 Christina Dietz // Apr 6, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Charlton Heston may have been a conservative hack who was secretly happy only some people owned guns, but he was a marvelous actor for at least 30 of his 60 years. And he liked my music.
2 victor tumilty // Apr 7, 2008 at 10:25 am
I have written to Mr Heston as a fan and a friend he always answered my letters sent, my thoughts and prayers are with his family and of course his personel secretary who we shared our thoughts and memories of a truely great man when we visited LA last month.
A New Star shines in heaven for the one that is gone on from earth. victor & sheila in England.
3 Felicity Prinlge // Apr 7, 2008 at 11:57 pm
cool
4 Jeffrey Mitchell // Apr 8, 2008 at 4:30 am
I’m sure the Heston family appreciates all the love they are recieving for this noble man and your right victor & shiela.an Imperishable star shines for Charlton Heston, Hollywood just doesnt make them like that anymore. thank you for your kind comments and replies. You’ll notice there were more than 3 stories from our publication alone on Mr Heston’s passing…and quite deservedly so.This man was a Legendary star that even his stint with the NRA could not tarnish in the least.
All My Very Best
Jeffrey
JM
JM MUSIC INC.2008
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