Charlton Heston
Born: 1923-10-04 in Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Died: 2008-04-05
Known For: Acting
Biography
Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor of film, theater, and television. He is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Planet of the Apes, and Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Heston was also known for his political activism. In the 1950s and 1960s he was one of a handful of Hollywood actors to speak openly against racism and was an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. Initially a moderate Democrat, he later supported conservative Republican policies and was president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2003.
Filmography
2025
2024
- Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction as Self (archive footage)
2023
- Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing as Self (archive footage)
2020
- Yul Brynner, the Magnificent as Self - Actor (archive footage)
2019
- Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Todos los nombres de Sara as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- I Am Richard Pryor as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Hail Satan? as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" as (archive footage)
2017
- The Madding Crowd as Self (archive footage)
2016
- Bienvenido Mr. Heston as Self (archive footage)
- The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille as Self
2015
- Spanish Western as Self (archive footage)
2014
- Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles as Self - Actor (archive footage)
- Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire as Self - Actor (archive footage)
2013
- Talking Pictures as Self (archive footage)
- Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia as Self (archive footage)
2011
- Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey as Self (archive footage)
2010
- Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff as Self – Interviewee
- 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift as (archive footage)
2008
- Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses as Self - Host / Moses
2007
- AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition as Self (archive footage)
2006
- De Madrid a la Luna as Self (archive footage)
2005
- Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema as Self (archive footage)
2004
- Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade as Self (archive footage)
- Remembering Reagan at His Ranch as Host
2003
- My Father as Josef Mengele
- Lasting Love
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den as Self - Host
- Ben Hur as Ben Hur (voice)
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden as Self - Host
- Christmas in Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho as Self - Host
- The Making of The Ten Commandments as Self (archive footage)
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale as Self - Host
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah as Self - Host
- Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath as Self - Host
2002
- Bowling for Columbine as Self - NRA President
- Edith Head: The Paramount Years as (archive footage)
- The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich as Narrator (voice)
2001
- Planet of the Apes as Zaius (uncredited)
- The Order as Professor Finley
- Town & Country as Mr. Clayborne
- Cats & Dogs as The Mastiff (voice)
- The Making of Midway as Self
- Last Party 2000 as Self
- The Gun Deadlock as Self
2000
- The Weber Show as Charlton Heston
- Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints as Self
1999
- Any Given Sunday as AFFA Football Commissioner
- Yesterday's Tomorrows as Self
- Forever Hollywood as Self
- Television: The First Fifty Years as Self
- Camino de Santiago as Professor Marcelo Rinaldi
1998
- Armageddon as Narration (voice)
- Gideon as Addison Sinclair
- Behind the Planet of the Apes as Self - 'Taylor'
- Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero as Self
- Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Secrets of War: Shadows of The Reich as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Alaska: Spirit of the Wild as Narrator (voice)
- Private Screenings: Charlton Heston as Self
1997
- Hercules as Narrator (voice)
- Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western as Self
- Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line as Self
- Charlton Heston Presents the Bible as Self - Narrator
- Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis as Self - Host
1996
- Hamlet as Player King
- Alaska as Perry
- Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels as Self
- The Lord Protector as Narrator (voice)
- Love in Hollywood as Self
- The Mysterious Origins of Man as Self - Host
- Andersonville Diaries as Narrator
1995
- The Outer Limits as Chief Justice Haden Wainwright
- In the Mouth of Madness as Jackson Harglow
- The Avenging Angel as Brigham Young
- Charlton Heston: For All Seasons as Self
- MADtv as Self
- Eco-Challenge
- Texas as Narrator
1994
- Friends as Charlton Heston
- True Lies as Spencer Trilby
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast as Self
- The Legacy of Malthus as Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)
- A Century of Cinema as Self
- Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects as Self
- The Bible According to Hollywood as Self
1993
- seaQuest DSV as Abalon
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- Tombstone as Henry Hooker
- Wayne's World 2 as Good Actor
- Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses as Self - Host
- Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth as Self - Host
- The Mystery of the Sphinx as Narrator
1992
- Noël as Narrator
- Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 as Captain Al Haynes
- Solar Crisis as Adm. "Skeet" Kelso
- Symphony for the Spire
1991
- Pebble Mill as Self
- Noel's House Party as Star guest
- The Crucifer of Blood as Sherlock Holmes
- Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents as Host and Narrator
- Cults: Saying No Under Pressure as Narrator
1990
- Treasure Island as Long John Silver
- Almost an Angel as God
- The Little Kidnappers as James MacKenzie
- With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film as Self
- A Night on Mount Edna as Self
1989
- Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary as Self
- Call from Space as Alien (voice)
- Original Sin as Louis Mancini
1988
- A Man for All Seasons as Sir Thomas More
- Korea: The Unknown War as General Douglas MacArthur (voice)
1987
- Proud Men as Charley MacLeod Sr.
- The Dame Edna Experience as Self
- Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood as Self
- Eclipse of Reason as Narrator
- Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures as Self - Host
1986
- Directed by William Wyler as Self
- The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal as Self
1985
- The Colbys as Jason Colby
1984
- Nairobi Affair as Lee Cahill
- The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1983
- Chiefs as Hugh Holmes
1982
- Wogan as Self
- Mother Lode as Silas McGee / Ian McGee
- The Orson Welles Story as Self
- Barry Norman in Celebrity City as Self
- Let Poland Be Poland as Self - Co-Host
1981
- Dynasty as Jason Colby
- This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special as Self
1980
- The Mountain Men as Bill Tyler
- The Awakening as Matthew Corbeck
1978
- The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
- Gray Lady Down as Captain Paul Blanchard
1977
- The Prince and the Pauper as Henry VIII
- Energy: A National Issue as Narrator (voice)
1976
- Midway as Capt. Matthew Garth
- The Last Hard Men as Sam Burgade
- Two-Minute Warning as Capt. Peter Holly
- America at the Movies as Narrator
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
1974
- Spécial cinéma as Self
- Dinah! as Self
- Earthquake as Stewart Graff
- The Four Musketeers as Cardinal Richelieu
- Airport 1975 as Alan Murdock
1973
- Soylent Green as Detective Robert Thorn
- The Three Musketeers as Cardinal Richelieu
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green' as Self
1972
- Skyjacked as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
- The Call of the Wild as John Thornton
- Antony and Cleopatra as Marc Antony
- The Special London Bridge Special as Tennis Player
1971
- The Omega Man as Robert Neville
- V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
- Vietnam! Vietnam! as Narrator (voice)
- Film '72 as Self
- The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man as Self - Narrator
1970
- Julius Caesar as Marc Antony
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes as Taylor
- The Hawaiians as Whip Hoxworth
- King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis as Self (archive footage)
1969
- Number One as Ron "Cat" Catlan
1968
- The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- Planet of the Apes as George Taylor
- Elizabeth the Queen as Lord Essex
- Rowan & Martin at the Movies as Self
1967
- Counterpoint as Lionel Evans
- Will Penny as Will Penny
- While I Run This Race as Narrator
1966
- Khartoum as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
- Planet of the Apes Test Reel as Thomas
1965
- Major Dundee as Major Amos Charles Dundee
- The Greatest Story Ever Told as John the Baptist
- The Agony and the Ecstasy as Michelangelo
- The War Lord as Chrysagon
- Uncertain Verification as (archive footage)
- F.D.R. as Franklin Delano Roosevelt
1963
- 55 Days at Peking as Maj. Matt Lewis
- The Patriots as Thomas Jefferson
- The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time as Self
- Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting as Self
- The Five Cities of June as Narrator
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- Diamond Head as Richard 'King' Howland
- The Pigeon That Took Rome as Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- El Cid as El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
- Kraft Mystery Theatre as Paul Malone (archive footage)
1959
- Ben-Hur as Judah Ben-Hur
- The Wreck of the Mary Deare as John Sands
1958
- The Big Country as Steve Leech
- Shirley Temple's Storybook as Beast
- Touch of Evil as Ramon Miguel Vargas
- The Buccaneer as Gen. Andrew Jackson
- Fun in the Big Country as Self
1956
- The Ten Commandments as Moses
- The Steve Allen Show as Self - Actor
- Playhouse 90 as Col. Jesse Price
- Three Violent People as Colt Saunders
- Forbidden Area as Col. Jesse Price
- Stars of Cabaret as Self (archive footage)
1955
- Lucy Gallant as Casey Cole
- The Far Horizons as Lt. William Clark
- The Private War of Major Benson as Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
- The $64,000 Question as Substitute Host
1954
- Climax! as Lt. Paul Peterson
- Secret of the Incas as Harry Steel
- The Naked Jungle as Christopher Leiningen
1953
- The Oscars as Self
- Pony Express as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
- Arrowhead as Ed Bannon
- Three Lives as Self
- The President's Lady as Andrew Jackson
- Bad for Each Other as Dr. Tom Owen
- General Electric Theater as Tim
1952
- Omnibus as Self - Presenter
- The Savage as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
- The Greatest Show on Earth as Brad Braden
- Ruby Gentry as Boake Tackman
1951
- A Bolt of Lightning as James Otis
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Thomas Jefferson
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1950
- Robert Montgomery Presents as Cashel Bryon
- What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
- Dark City as Danny Haley
- Your Show of Shows as Self - Guest Performer
- Julius Caesar as Mark Antony
1948
- Studio One
- The Philco Television Playhouse
- Bambi as Self
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self
1941
- Peer Gynt as Peer Gynt