Here's to the Late, Great Charlton Heston

It hurts me to inform my readers that the man who was Judah Ben-Hur, Moses and our hero, George Taylor in Planet of the Apes passed away Saturday night (April 5th, 2008) at the ripe old age of 84. He is leaving behind a legacy of great performances, a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

The Oscar-winning actor died beside his wife from the late stages of Alzheimer's disease. Given my own experience with this deteriorating disease, I can only hope that the man found peace in his passing.

There have been no funeral plans announced, but the family does want it to be private.

Charlton Heston was born on October 4th, 1924 in Evanston, Illinois. He was the son of Lilla and Russell Whitford Carter. His parents divorced when he was 10. Then his mother found and married a man named, Chester Heston and moved Charlton to Wilmette, Illinois. Charlton once openly stated that he was part Native American. In fact, he was a "blood-initiated brother" of the Miniconjou Sioux tribe.

I grew up enjoying Mr. Heston in such great films as The Ten Commandment, Ben-Hur, Planet of the Apes and even Omega Man. His talent was beyond par. His voice was very well-known to me.

While attending the New Trier High School, Charlton Heston enrolled in the drama program. He starred in a silent 16mm amateur film adaptation of Peer Gynt. From there, he went on to Northwestern University and plated in the Winnetka Community Theatre. Then Charlton and the crew behind Peer Gynt produced the first sound version of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and Heston played Mark Antony.

When I first saw him stand up on that cliff with his white hair and white beard, and parted the Red Sea, I had chills down my spine. Sure, the screenplay to The Ten Commandments wasn't as great as everyone made it out to be. It was a little too preachy for my taste. But Heston carried the role of Moses so well, it was hard to question whether he or not Heston actually was the Biblical character.

Charlton left college to enlist in the United States Army Air Forces in 1944. He served as a B-25 radio operator and gunner stationed in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant with the Eleventh Air Force. From there, Heston moved to Hell's Kitchen, New York City, married a Northwestern student, Lydia Marie in '44. They worked as models, and had a son named, Fraser and adopted a daughter named, Holly.

Charlton delivered some great performances in some powerful films. I loved the way his character evolved in Planet of the Apes. I mean, who can forget "You maniacs! You blew it up! God damn you all to hell!"? The man didn't always hit the mark. We can't ignore some of the things Heston did in the '70s; such as, Soylent Green. No actor is perfect. But, any great actor needs a great script. Unfortunately, Charlton picked a few stinkers in his otherwise impressive career.

Heston liked playing roles in Shakespeare's plays. He starred as Macbeth in Macbeth, Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons and Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. But one of his favorite roles was supposedly Mister Roberts. His first movie was called, Dark City. Then came Cecil B. DeMille and the award-winning, The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952. Cecil B. DeMille later chose Heston for the role of Moses because he bore an uncanny resemblance to Michelangelo's statue of Moses.

But I purpose we remember Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, Moses, Colonel Taylor and even his cameo as the one-eyed, Spencer Trilby in True Lies. When Heston was riding that chariot in Ben-Hur, he made movie history. When his Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in hand, a movie legend was made. I say, we remember Charlton Heston as a man of great talent, strength and honor. He was a patriot, a hero and a movie legend.

Charlton Heston was a political activist for guns and gun control. He supported President Johnson's Gun Control Act of 1968. He later became the President and spokesman for the NRA in 1998. He would resign in 2003, but not without a lot of flack. Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine attacks Heston and his choices as the President of the NRA. But Heston stuck to his guns, so to speak by standing up for the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Heston first announced that he was diagnosed with symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in August of 2002. Later, actor George Clooney would joke about Heston having Alzheimer's. Heston retorted by stating that he felt sorry for Clooney, because he had as much chance of developing the disease as anyone else.

You can love him. You can hate him. But one thing is for certain. As much as his death is a tragedy, Charlton Heston's legacy as one of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver screen will live on for quite some time.