Hollywood Legend Passes Away at 84

Written by Ruari Burgham | Tuesday, April 8, 2008 |

On April 5th, Hollywood superstar Charlton Heston passed away, leaving behind a body of work that many Hollywood film actors could never hope to achieve. Heston has often been focused on more for his radical politics than for his hugely impressive filmography.

In the fifties and sixties, Heston spoke out openly against racism and was a supporter and campaigner for the civil rights movement. Of course, later in life Heston veered more toward more Conservative politics-his strong standpoint on the right to bear arms is well documented in the 2002 Michael Moore documentary ‘Bowling For Columbine‘.

For me, and doubtlessly for many other film-lovers, Charlton Heston will be remembered for his legendary roles in timeless classics like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and Planet of the Apes, rather than for his political views-in all of these films, Heston has played a major role, not to mention his hilarious cameo appearance in cult comedy Wayne’s World 2.

Heston was born on October 24^th, 1923 in Illinois. He served for two years as a radio operator/gunner in WW2. After the war, he and his wife Lydia worked as models in New York’s rough Hell’s Kitchen area. It was around this time Charlton began to find work in Theatre, and later on TV and films. By 1959, Heston had won his first Oscar, the coveted ‘best actor’ award for his stunning performance in Ben Hur.

Whilst, at this time, the cause of Charlton Heston’s death is unknown we have been aware for a long time now of his degrading health, having suffered a hip replacement, prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease within the last ten years. This great actor’s legendary body of work is a feat that may never be matched, and will certainly never be forgotten.

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