Charlton Heston
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 4, 1923
- Died
- April 5, 2008 (aged 84)
- Birthplace
- Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Biography
Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor, renowned for his towering screen presence and roles in some of Hollywood’s most famous epics. Born John Charles Carter in Illinois, he discovered his passion for acting in school, studied drama at Northwestern University, and began his career on stage and in live television before transitioning to film. He first gained major attention in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth and then became an international star with his performances as Moses in The Ten Commandments and Judah Ben‑Hur in Ben‑Hur, the latter earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Heston went on to headline a wide range of big‑budget films, including El Cid, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Planet of the Apes, and The Omega Man, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable leading men of mid‑20th‑century cinema. Beyond acting, he was active in public life, supporting civil rights in the 1960s and later becoming a prominent conservative voice and president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003. He retired from public life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2002 and died on April 5, 2008, in Beverly Hills, California, leaving behind a legacy as both a cinematic icon and a polarizing political figure.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Science Fiction Film Awards
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Airports
Movie
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
I Am Richard Pryor
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
Movie · as (archive footage)
Hail Satan?
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Todos los nombres de Sara
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
The Madding Crowd
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Making of the Greatest Story Ever Told
Movie · as Self
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Movie · as Self
Bienvenido Mr. Heston
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Spanish Western
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Children of the Civil Rights
Movie · as Self (archival footage)
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Talking Pictures
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Movie · as Self – Interviewee
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Movie · as (archive footage)
Hollywood sul Tevere
Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses
Movie · as Self - Host / Moses
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
De Madrid a la Luna
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Remembering Reagan at His Ranch
Movie · as Host
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den
Movie · as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale
Movie · as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath
Movie · as Self - Host
Lasting Love
Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah
Movie · as Self - Host
My Father
Movie · as Josef Mengele
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden
Movie · as Self - Host
Christmas from Hollywood
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Ben Hur
Movie · as Ben Hur (voice)
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
Movie · as Self - Host
The Making of The Ten Commandments
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Bowling for Columbine
Movie · as Self - NRA President
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Making of 'Tombstone'
Movie · as Self
Town & Country
Movie · as Mr. Clayborne
The Order
Movie · as Professor Finley
The Gun Deadlock
Movie · as Self
Planet of the Apes
Movie · as Zaius (uncredited)
The Making of Midway
Movie · as Self
Cats & Dogs
Movie · as The Mastiff (voice)
Last Party 2000
Movie · as Self
Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints
Movie · as Self
The Weber Show
TV · as Charlton Heston · 1 ep
Yesterday's Tomorrows
Movie · as Self
Any Given Sunday
Movie · as AFFA Football Commissioner
Television: The First Fifty Years
Movie · as Self
Forever Hollywood
Movie · as Self
Camino de Santiago
TV · as Professor Marcelo Rinaldi · 3 eps
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild
Movie · as Self - Narrator (voice)
Behind the Planet of the Apes
Movie · as Self - 'Taylor'
Gideon
Movie · as Addison Sinclair
Armageddon
Movie · as Narration (voice)
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Movie · as Self
Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War
TV · as Self - Narrator (voice) · 65 eps
Secrets of War: Shadows of The Reich
TV · as Self - Narrator (voice) · 10 eps
Hercules
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Movie · as Self
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
Movie · as Self
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis
Movie · as Self - Host
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible
Movie · as Self - Narrator
Hamlet
Movie · as Player King
Andersonville Diaries
Movie · as Narrator
Love in Hollywood
Movie · as Self
The Lord Protector
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
Movie · as Self
Alaska
Movie · as Perry
The Mysterious Origins of Man
Movie · as Self - Host
In the Mouth of Madness
Movie · as Jackson Harglow
The Avenging Angel
Movie · as Brigham Young
Charlton Heston: For All Seasons
Movie · as Self
Texas
Movie · as Narrator
MADtv
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Eco-Challenge
TV · 17 eps
The Outer Limits
TV · as Chief Justice Haden Wainwright · 2 eps
The Legacy of Malthus
Movie · as Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)
True Lies
Movie · as Spencer Trilby
The Bible According to Hollywood
Movie · as Self
A Century of Cinema
Movie · as Self
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
Movie · as Self
Friends
TV · as Charlton Heston · 1 ep
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Tombstone
Movie · as Henry Hooker
Wayne's World 2
Movie · as Good Actor
The Mystery of the Sphinx
Movie · as Narrator
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth
Movie · as Self - Host
Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses
Movie · as Self - Host
seaQuest DSV
TV · as Abalon · 1 ep
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Solar Crisis
Movie · as Adm. "Skeet" Kelso
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
Movie · as Captain Al Haynes
Noël
Movie · as Narrator
Symphony for the Spire
Movie
The Crucifer of Blood
Movie · as Sherlock Holmes
Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents
Movie · as Host and Narrator
Cults: Saying No Under Pressure
Movie · as Narrator
Noel's House Party
TV · as Star guest · 1 ep
Pebble Mill
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Almost an Angel
Movie · as God
Treasure Island
Movie · as Long John Silver
The Little Kidnappers
Movie · as James MacKenzie
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
Movie · as Self
A Night on Mount Edna
Movie · as Self
Call from Space
Movie · as Alien (voice)
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Movie · as Self
Original Sin
Movie · as Louis Mancini
A Man for All Seasons
Movie · as Sir Thomas More
All-Time Movie Greats
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Korea: The Unknown War
TV · as General Douglas MacArthur (voice) · 6 eps
Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures
Movie · as Self - Host
Proud Men
Movie · as Charley MacLeod Sr.
Eclipse of Reason
Movie · as Narrator
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Movie · as Self
The Dame Edna Experience
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
Movie · as Self
Directed by William Wyler
Movie · as Self
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Movie
All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan
Movie · as Self
The Colbys
TV · as Jason Colby · 49 eps
Nairobi Affair
Movie · as Lee Cahill
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
Movie · as Self - Performer
Chiefs
TV · as Hugh Holmes · 3 eps
Mother Lode
Movie · as Silas McGee / Ian McGee
Barry Norman in Celebrity City
Movie · as Self
Let Poland Be Poland
Movie · as Self - Co-Host
The Orson Welles Story
Movie · as Self
Wogan
TV · as Self · 2 eps
This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special
Movie · as Self
Dynasty
TV · as Jason Colby · 5 eps
The Awakening
Movie · as Matthew Corbeck
The Mountain Men
Movie · as Bill Tyler
Gray Lady Down
Movie · as Captain Paul Blanchard
The Kennedy Center Honors
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Prince and the Pauper
Movie · as Henry VIII
Energy: A National Issue
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Midway
Movie · as Capt. Matthew Garth
Two-Minute Warning
Movie · as Capt. Peter Holly
The Last Hard Men
Movie · as Sam Burgade
America at the Movies
Movie · as Narrator
Saturday Night Live
TV · as Self - Host · 2 eps
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Earthquake
Movie · as Stewart Graff
Airport 1975
Movie · as Alan Murdock
The Four Musketeers
Movie · as Cardinal Richelieu
Spécial cinéma
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Dinah!
TV · as Self · 2 eps
The Three Musketeers
Movie · as Cardinal Richelieu
Soylent Green
Movie · as Detective Robert Thorn
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
Movie · as Self
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
TV · as Self · 6 eps
The Call of the Wild
Movie · as John Thornton
Skyjacked
Movie · as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
Antony and Cleopatra
Movie · as Marc Antony
The Special London Bridge Special
Movie · as Tennis Player
The Omega Man
Movie · as Robert Neville
Vietnam! Vietnam!
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man
Movie · as Self - Narrator
V.I.P. Schaukel
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Film '72
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Movie · as Taylor
Julius Caesar
Movie · as Marc Antony
The Hawaiians
Movie · as Whip Hoxworth
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Number One
Movie · as Ron "Cat" Catlan
Planet of the Apes
Movie · as George Taylor
Rowan & Martin at the Movies
Movie · as Self
Elizabeth the Queen
Movie · as Lord Essex
The Dick Cavett Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 5 eps
Will Penny
Movie · as Will Penny
Counterpoint
Movie · as Lionel Evans
While I Run This Race
Movie · as Narrator
Khartoum
Movie · as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
Planet of the Apes Test Reel
Movie · as Thomas
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Movie · as John the Baptist
Major Dundee
Movie · as Major Amos Charles Dundee
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Movie · as Michelangelo
The War Lord
Movie · as Chrysagon
Uncertain Verification
Movie · as (archive footage)
Night of the Dragon
Movie · as Narrator
F.D.R.
TV · as Franklin Delano Roosevelt · 3 eps
55 Days at Peking
Movie · as Maj. Matt Lewis
The Five Cities of June
Movie · as Narrator
The Patriots
Movie · as Thomas Jefferson
The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time
Movie · as Self
Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting
Movie · as Self
Diamond Head
Movie · as Richard 'King' Howland
The Pigeon That Took Rome
Movie · as Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV · as Self · 5 eps
The Merv Griffin Show
TV · as Self · 3 eps
El Cid
Movie · as El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
Kraft Mystery Theatre
TV · as Paul Malone (archive footage) · 1 ep
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 6 eps
Ben-Hur
Movie · as Judah Ben-Hur
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
Movie · as John Sands
Touch of Evil
Movie · as Mike Vargas
The Buccaneer
Movie · as Gen. Andrew Jackson
The Big Country
Movie · as Steve Leech
Fun in the Big Country
Movie · as Self
Shirley Temple's Storybook
TV · as Beast · 1 ep
The Ten Commandments
Movie · as Moses
Three Violent People
Movie · as Colt Saunders
Forbidden Area
Movie · as Col. Jesse Price
Stars of Cabaret
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Playhouse 90
TV · as Col. Jesse Price · 1 ep
The Steve Allen Show
TV · as Self - Actor · 1 ep
The Far Horizons
Movie · as Lt. William Clark
The Private War of Major Benson
Movie · as Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
Lucy Gallant
Movie · as Casey Cole
The $64,000 Question
TV · as Substitute Host · 31 eps
Secret of the Incas
Movie · as Harry Steel
The Naked Jungle
Movie · as Christopher Leiningen
Climax!
TV · as Lt. Paul Peterson, Chipman · 1 ep
Pony Express
Movie · as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
Arrowhead
Movie · as Ed Bannon
Bad for Each Other
Movie · as Dr. Tom Owen
The President's Lady
Movie · as Andrew Jackson
Three Lives
Movie · as Self
General Electric Theater
TV · as Tim · 1 ep
The Oscars
TV · as Self · 5 eps
The Greatest Show on Earth
Movie · as Brad Braden
Ruby Gentry
Movie · as Boake Tackman
The Savage
Movie · as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
Omnibus
TV · as Self - Presenter · 1 ep
A Bolt of Lightning
Movie · as James Otis
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV · as Thomas Jefferson, Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex · 1 ep
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV · 2 eps
Dark City
Movie · as Danny Haley
Julius Caesar
Movie · as Mark Antony
Studio One: Wuthering Heights
Movie · as Heathcliff
The Taming of the Shrew
Movie · as Petruchio
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV · as Self, Self - Host · 4 eps
Your Show of Shows
TV · as Self - Guest Performer, Self - Guest Host · 3 eps
Robert Montgomery Presents
TV · as Cashel Bryon, Peter Handley, Melody Jones · 1 ep
What's My Line?
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Jane Eyre
Movie · as Edward Rochester
Suspense
TV · 2 eps
Studio One
TV · as Philip Carey, Edward Rochester, Col. / Dr. Michael Knowle, Petruchio, Heathcliff, Mitch Henderson, Macbeth, James Otis, Merton Densher, Commander Schneider · 3 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
TV · 2 eps
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 7 eps
Bambi
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self, Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee · 1 ep
Peer Gynt
Movie · as Peer Gynt