Charlton Heston
Acting
1923-10-04 · Wilmette, Illinois, USA
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.
Filmography
Airports
2025 · Movie
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction
2024 · Movie
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing
2023 · Movie
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
2020 · Movie
Todos los nombres de Sara
2019 · Movie
Hail Satan?
2019 · Movie
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
2019 · Movie
I Am Richard Pryor
2019 · Movie
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
2019 · Movie
The Making of the Greatest Story Ever Told
2017 · Movie
The Madding Crowd
2017 · Movie
Bienvenido Mr. Heston
2016 · Movie
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
2016 · Movie
Spanish Western
2015 · Movie
Children of the Civil Rights
2015 · Movie
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014 · Movie
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014 · Movie
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
2013 · Movie
Talking Pictures
2013 · Series
A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King
2011 · Movie
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
2011 · Movie
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010 · Movie
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010 · Movie
Hollywood sul Tevere
2009 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses
2008 · Movie
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007 · Movie
De Madrid a la Luna
2006 · Movie
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005 · Movie
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
2004 · Movie
Remembering Reagan at His Ranch
2004 · Movie
Christmas from Hollywood
2003 · Movie
The Making of The Ten Commandments
2003 · Movie
My Father
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath
2003 · Movie
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale
2003 · Movie
Ben Hur
2003 · Movie
Lasting Love
2003 · Movie
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
2002 · Movie
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich
2002 · Movie
Bowling for Columbine
2002 · Movie
The Making of 'Tombstone'
2002 · Movie
Last Party 2000
2001 · Movie
The Making of Midway
2001 · Movie
Planet of the Apes
2001 · Movie
Cats & Dogs
2001 · Movie
The Gun Deadlock
2001 · Movie
The Order
2001 · Movie
Town & Country
2001 · Movie
The Weber Show
2000 · Series
Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints
2000 · Movie
Any Given Sunday
1999 · Movie
Camino de Santiago
1999 · Series
Yesterday's Tomorrows
1999 · Movie
Forever Hollywood
1999 · Movie
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999 · Movie
Secrets of War: Shadows of The Reich
1998 · Series
Gideon
1998 · Movie
Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War
1998 · Series
Behind the Planet of the Apes
1998 · Movie
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild
1998 · Movie
Armageddon
1998 · Movie
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998 · Movie
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis
1997 · Movie
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
1997 · Movie
Hercules
1997 · Movie
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997 · Movie
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible
1997 · Movie
Hamlet
1996 · Movie
Love in Hollywood
1996 · Movie
Alaska
1996 · Movie
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
1996 · Movie
Andersonville Diaries
1996 · Movie
The Mysterious Origins of Man
1996 · Movie
The Lord Protector
1996 · Movie
MADtv
1995 · Series
Texas
1995 · Movie
Eco-Challenge
1995 · Series
The Outer Limits
1995 · Series
Charlton Heston: For All Seasons
1995 · Movie
In the Mouth of Madness
1995 · Movie
The Avenging Angel
1995 · Movie
Friends
1994 · Series
True Lies
1994 · Movie
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994 · Movie
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
1994 · Series
A Century of Cinema
1994 · Movie
The Bible According to Hollywood
1994 · Movie
The Legacy of Malthus
1994 · Movie
Tombstone
1993 · Movie
Wayne's World 2
1993 · Movie
The Mystery of the Sphinx
1993 · Movie
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993 · Series
seaQuest DSV
1993 · Series
Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses
1993 · Movie
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth
1993 · Movie
Noël
1992 · Movie
Solar Crisis
1992 · Movie
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
1992 · Movie
Symphony for the Spire
1992 · Movie
Noel's House Party
1991 · Series
The Crucifer of Blood
1991 · Movie
Pebble Mill
1991 · Series
Cults: Saying No Under Pressure
1991 · Movie
Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents
1991 · Movie
Almost an Angel
1990 · Movie
A Night on Mount Edna
1990 · Movie
The Little Kidnappers
1990 · Movie
Treasure Island
1990 · Movie
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
1990 · Movie
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
1989 · Movie
Original Sin
1989 · Movie
Call from Space
1989 · Movie
A Man for All Seasons
1988 · Movie
Korea: The Unknown War
1988 · Series
All-Time Movie Greats
1988 · Movie
Proud Men
1987 · Movie
The Dame Edna Experience
1987 · Series
Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures
1987 · Movie
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987 · Movie
Eclipse of Reason
1987 · Movie
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
1986 · Movie
Directed by William Wyler
1986 · Movie
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
1986 · Movie
All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan
1985 · Movie
The Colbys
1985 · Series
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1984 · Movie
Nairobi Affair
1984 · Movie
Chiefs
1983 · Series
Barry Norman in Celebrity City
1982 · Movie
Mother Lode
1982 · Movie
The Orson Welles Story
1982 · Movie
Wogan
1982 · Series
Let Poland Be Poland
1982 · Movie
This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special
1981 · Movie
Dynasty
1981 · Series
The Awakening
1980 · Movie
The Mountain Men
1980 · Movie
The Kennedy Center Honors
1978 · Series
Gray Lady Down
1978 · Movie
Energy: A National Issue
1977 · Movie
The Prince and the Pauper
1977 · Movie
Two-Minute Warning
1976 · Movie
America at the Movies
1976 · Movie
Midway
1976 · Movie
The Last Hard Men
1976 · Movie
Saturday Night Live
1975 · Series
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975 · Series
Earthquake
1974 · Movie
The Four Musketeers
1974 · Movie
Dinah!
1974 · Series
Airport 1975
1974 · Movie
Spécial cinéma
1974 · Series
The Three Musketeers
1973 · Movie
Soylent Green
1973 · Movie
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973 · Series
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
1973 · Movie
The Call of the Wild
1972 · Movie
Skyjacked
1972 · Movie
Antony and Cleopatra
1972 · Movie
The Special London Bridge Special
1972 · Movie
Film '72
1971 · Series
Vietnam! Vietnam!
1971 · Movie
The Omega Man
1971 · Movie
V.I.P. Schaukel
1971 · Series
The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man
1971 · Movie
The Hawaiians
1970 · Movie
Julius Caesar
1970 · Movie
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1970 · Movie
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970 · Movie
Number One
1969 · Movie
The Dick Cavett Show
1968 · Series
Planet of the Apes
1968 · Movie
Elizabeth the Queen
1968 · Movie
Rowan & Martin at the Movies
1968 · Movie
Counterpoint
1967 · Movie
Will Penny
1967 · Movie
While I Run This Race
1967 · Movie
Khartoum
1966 · Movie
Planet of the Apes Test Reel
1966 · Movie
The War Lord
1965 · Movie
Night of the Dragon
1965 · Movie
The Agony and the Ecstasy
1965 · Movie
Uncertain Verification
1965 · Movie
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965 · Movie
Major Dundee
1965 · Movie
F.D.R.
1965 · Series
The Patriots
1963 · Movie
The Five Cities of June
1963 · Movie
55 Days at Peking
1963 · Movie
The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time
1963 · Movie
Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting
1963 · Movie
Diamond Head
1962 · Movie
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · Series
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · Series
The Pigeon That Took Rome
1962 · Movie
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · Series
El Cid
1961 · Movie
Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961 · Series
Ben-Hur
1959 · Movie
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
1959 · Movie
The Buccaneer
1958 · Movie
The Big Country
1958 · Movie
Touch of Evil
1958 · Movie
Shirley Temple's Storybook
1958 · Series
Fun in the Big Country
1958 · Movie
Three Violent People
1956 · Movie
The Ten Commandments
1956 · Movie
Playhouse 90
1956 · Series
Forbidden Area
1956 · Movie
The Steve Allen Show
1956 · Series
Stars of Cabaret
1956 · Movie
Lucy Gallant
1955 · Movie
The Private War of Major Benson
1955 · Movie
The Far Horizons
1955 · Movie
The $64,000 Question
1955 · Series
Climax!
1954 · Series
Secret of the Incas
1954 · Movie
The Naked Jungle
1954 · Movie
Bad for Each Other
1953 · Movie
Three Lives
1953 · Movie
Arrowhead
1953 · Movie
Pony Express
1953 · Movie
The President's Lady
1953 · Movie
The Oscars
1953 · Series
General Electric Theater
1953 · Series
Ruby Gentry
1952 · Movie
Omnibus
1952 · Series
The Savage
1952 · Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
1952 · Movie
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 · Series
A Bolt of Lightning
1951 · Movie
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · Series
Studio One: Wuthering Heights
1950 · Movie
Dark City
1950 · Movie
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950 · Series
The Taming of the Shrew
1950 · Movie
Julius Caesar
1950 · Movie
Your Show of Shows
1950 · Series
What's My Line?
1950 · Series
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950 · Series
Jane Eyre
1949 · Movie
Suspense
1949 · Series
Studio One
1948 · Series
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948 · Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Series
Bambi
1948 · Series
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · Series
Peer Gynt
1941 · Movie
Science Fiction Film Awards
Series