Line #42 Creator/CharltonHeston


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hestonleftmug_9700.jpg]]
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3	->''"The trouble with movies as a business is that it's an art, and the trouble with movies as art is that it's a business."''
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5	John Charles Carter, [[StageNames better known]] as [[RhymingNames Charlton Heston]] (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He was once described by Creator/OrsonWelles as "Hollywood's Only Boy Scout" due to his diligence as well as being a genuinely NiceGuy.
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7	He's best known for his leading roles in {{Epic Movie}}s of the late '50s and early '60s, his many HistoricalDomainCharacter roles, as well as starring in some notable ScienceFiction movies such as ''Film/{{Planet of the Apes\|1968}}'' and ''Film/SoylentGreen''. BigDamnHero moments happen a lot in his films, and he was something of a MrFanservice as well (having had quite a few {{Shirtless Scene}}s to show off his CarpetOfVirility in his career). He is sometimes unfairly dismissed as a LargeHam due to his tendency to play larger than life heroes and bellowing epic dialogue with that deep voice of his - though in some cases that's exactly why his fans love him. The man was very fond of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's plays and it showed.
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9	In an interesting case of WhatCouldHaveBeen, a handful of his films were originally offered to Creator/BurtLancaster, specifically ''Dark City'' (Heston's film debut), ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]'' (for which Heston won his only Oscar for best actor), ''Film/TheAgonyAndTheEcstasy'', and ''Film/{{Khartoum}}''.
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11	Heston was also known for his political activism. In TheFifties and TheSixties he was one of a handful of Hollywood actors to speak openly against racism and was an active supporter of the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement. Initially a moderate Democrat, he later supported conservative Republicans and was president of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanGunPolitics National Rifle Association]] from 1998 to 2003. The (in)famous [[BadassBoast "You'll get my rifle when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!"]] has angered many gun control advocates while Creator/MichaelMoore's controversial ''Film/BowlingForColumbine'' seemed to hurt his image with some modern audiences. Sadly, he was also accused of being a homophobe later in life due to his apparent disagreement with the HoYay subtext of ''Ben-Hur'' and evidence suggesting the painter Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti, whom he portrayed in ''The Agony and the Ecstasy'', had been gay, even though Heston himself vehemently denied being a homophobe. Despite his critical stance on political correctness and affirmative action, he never preached what he couldn't practice, being able to shrug off a snarky comment by Creator/GeorgeClooney regarding his Alzheimer's affliction.
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13	He was a large man with a deep voice and genuine off-screen gravitas. When he met Creator/GeorgeMacDonaldFraser at the premiere of ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers\|1973}}'', he introduced himself from behind the writer by saying, "I'm Charlton Heston." Fraser turned around, startled, and replied, "By God, so you are!"
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15	He passed away in 2008 a few months short of what would have been his 85th birthday due to complications from Alzheimer's and pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Lydia Clarke (who also dabbled in acting for a time and even appears in 1968's ''Will Penny'', which Heston often cited as his personal favorite in his career), son Fraser Clarke (who actually played the infant Moses in ''The Ten Commandments'' and dabbled in screenwriting and directing for a time), adopted daughter Holly and a brood of grandchildren.
16	----
17	!!Partial filmography:
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19	* ''Julius Caesar'' (1950) as UsefulNotes/MarkAntony
20	* ''Film/TheGreatestShowOnEarth'' (1952) as Brad Braden
21	* ''Film/TheNakedJungle'' (1954) as Christopher Leiningen.
22	* ''{{Film/The Ten Commandments\|1956}}'' (1956) as Moses and the voice of {{God}}
23	* ''Film/TouchOfEvil'' (1958) as Mike Vargas
24	* ''Film/TheBigCountry'' (1958) as Steve Leech
25	* ''[[Film/BenHur1959 Ben-Hur]]'' (1959) as Judah Ben-Hur
26	* ''Film/ElCid'' (1961) as [[UsefulNotes/ElCidCampeador Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar "El Cid"]]
27	* ''Film/FiftyFiveDaysAtPeking'' (1963) as Major Matt Lewis
28	* ''Film/TheGreatestStoryEverTold'' (1965) as John the Baptist
29	* ''Film/TheAgonyAndTheEcstasy'' (1965) as Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti
30	* ''Film/MajorDundee'' (1965) as Major Amos Charles Dundee
31	* ''Film/{{The War Lord\|1965}}'' (1965) as Chrysagon de la Cruex
32	* ''Film/{{Khartoum}}'' (1966) as General Charles "Chinese" Gordon
33	* ''Film/Counterpoint1968'' as Lionel Evans
34	* ''Will Penny'' (1968) as Will Penny
35	* ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'':
36	** ''Film/{{Planet of the Apes\|1968}}'' (1968) as George Taylor
37	** ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'' (1970) as George Taylor
38	** ''Film/{{Planet Of The Apes\|2001}}'' (2001) as [[RemakeCameo Zaius]] (Thade's father)
39	* ''Film/{{Julius Caesar\|1970}}'' (1970) as UsefulNotes/MarkAntony
40	* ''Film/TheOmegaMan'' (1971) as Robert Neville
41	* ''Theatre/AntonyAndCleopatra'' (1972 film) as UsefulNotes/MarkAntony
42	* ''Skyjacked'' (1972) as Captain Henry "Hank" O'Hara
43	* ''The Call of the Wild'' (1972) as John Thorton
44	* ''Film/SoylentGreen'' (1973) as Detective Frank Thorn
45	* ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers\|1973}}'' (1973) as UsefulNotes/CardinalRichelieu
46	* ''[[Film/{{Airport}} Airport 1975]]'' (1974) as Alan Murdock
47	* ''Film/{{Earthquake}}'' (1974) as Stewart Graff
48	* ''Film/{{Midway\|1976}}'' (1976) as Captain Matthew Garth
49	* ''Film/TwoMinuteWarning'' (1976) as Captain Peter Holly
50	* ''Film/TheLastHardMen'' (1976) as Sam Burgade
51	* ''Film/GrayLadyDown'' (1978) as Captain Paul Blanchard
52	* ''Series/{{Chiefs}}'' (1983) as Hugh Holmes
53	* ''Theatre/AManForAllSeasons'' (the 1988 made-for-TV remake) as Sir UsefulNotes/ThomasMore
54	* ''[[Film/TreasureIsland1990 Treasure Island]]'' (1990) as Long John Silver
55	* ''Film/SolarCrisis'' (1990) as Adm. 'Skeet' Kelso
56	* ''Theatre/TheCruciferOfBlood'' (1991) as Franchise/SherlockHolmes
57	* [[TheCameo Cameo]] in ''Film/WaynesWorld2'' (1993)
58	* ''Film/{{Tombstone}}'' (1993) as Henry Hooker
59	* ''Film/TrueLies'' (1994) as Spencer Trilby
60	* ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'' (1995) as Jackson Harglow
61	* ''Film/{{Alaska}}'' (1996) as Colin Perry
62	* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' (1996, the Creator/KennethBranagh adaptation) as the Player King
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' (1997) as the Narrator
64	* ''Film/{{Armageddon\|1998}}'' (1998) as the Narrator
65	* ''Series/{{Friends}}'' (1998) {{as himself}}
66	* ''Film/AnyGivenSunday'' (1999) as the Commissioner
67	* ''Film/CatsAndDogs'' (2001) as The Mastiff
68	* ''Film/BowlingForColumbine'' (2002), interviewed by Michael Moore

Context Creator / CharltonHeston