5 of Charlton Heston's Best Films - Historical Epics and More

When Charlton Heston died in April of 2008, Hollywood lost one of its all-time great actors. Charlton Heston appeared in numerous epic movies throughout his career and was most noted for his brilliant portrayals of both historical figures and characters from classic literature.

Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur is one of the great masterpieces of epic Hollywood, and it is the only role for which Charlton Heston ever won the Academy Award. The film features Charlton Heston inhabiting a variety of different situations as the title character, Judah Ben-Hur. He begins the movie as a wealthy Jew before being persecuted by his childhood friend and sent to a life of slavery as an oar handler on a Roman ship. Fate is on Judah's side though, and he finds himself free again eventually. Heston is all aspects of Judah Ben-Hur convincingly - from his glorious early life to his sweaty days in the belly of ship and back again.

Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments

Charlton Heston's role as Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's epic masterpiece The Ten Commandments remains the quintessential film depiction of the Biblical figure. Few men in Hollywood outside of Charlton Heston had the commanding presence coupled with the acting ability to fully portray Moses as both a son of Egypt and a man of God.

Charlton Heston in the Agony and the Ecstasy

Charlton Heston's depiction of Michelangelo in the motion picture The Agony and the Ecstasy manages to capture the title emotions of the film perfectly. The movie manages to show the struggle that creating such a magnificent work of art was without being stagnate. A lot of this can be attributed to co-star Rex Harrison as well as to Charlton Heston - both men were perfectly cast.

Charlton Heston in Diamond Head

In the movie Diamond Head Charlton Heston is not a very likeable person as Richard "King" Howland which is quite a departure from having lead the Hebrew people. The fact that Heston was able to play a part so contrary to type and to act bigoted when he was really a champion of racial causes is extraordinary.

Charlton Heston in Khartoum

In the movie Khartoum, Charlton Heston portrays General Charles Gordon, a real life hero of the Sudan. In this film Heston holds his own once again against a powerful co-star, namely Sir Laurence Olivier. When Khartoum is watched, one can feel the intenseness of the situation Charles Gordon encountered in the Sudan and momentarily forget that it is, in fact, only a film adaptation of real life.

These five movies are some of the more interesting portrayals of Charlton Heston in cinema and should be on the watch list of anyone wanting to take a closer look at the career of this legendary actor. Four are great historical epics while the fifth is an interesting "out of type" movie.

Sources:

Charlton Heston. IMDB.com.