Charlton Heston Dead At 84

Hollywood Legend Charlton Heston Dead At 84 Hollywood is remembering a film legend. Movie icon, Charlton Heston, best known for playing heroic roles such as Moses in "The Ten Commandments," and Ben-Hur in the movie of the same name, died at his home in Beverly Hills, California Saturday. He was 84 years old. The tall, muscular, square-jawed actor was born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois. Heston began acting at an early age, eventually receiving a scholarship in drama to Northwestern University. After graduating from college, he joined the military, serving two years in the United States Army Air Force as a radio operator and gunner. Upon leaving the service, Heston moved to New York with wife Lydia Marie Clarke, and began working in theater, appearing in the Broadway revival of Shakespeares "Antony and Cleopatra." "MacBeth," "A Man For All Seasons," and "Julius Caesar" are also among his theatrical credits. Heston went on to film, getting his first big break in 1952s "The Greatest Show On Earth." Not long after, Heston made an indelible mark on Hollywood with his portrayal of Biblical figure Moses in the 1956 epic "The Ten Commandments." He later went on to win the Best Actor Academy Award for playing another larger-than-life role as the chariot-racing hero of 1959s "Ben-Hur." Heston also starred in a number of science fiction films that went on to become classics. Films like 1968s "Planet of the Apes" and 1973s "The Omega Man," were huge hits for the times. Off screen, Charlton Heston became known for his political activism, having campaigned for presidential candidates such as Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1966 to 1971 and also wore the label of civil right activist, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the 1963 march on Washington, DC. While Heston stumped for gun control in the 1960s and early 1970s, he later took a more conservative stance on such issues in later years. He served as president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 through 2003. It was during an NRA convention in 2000 that he uttered his now-infamous words while raising a rifle over his head, saying, quote, "You can take my rifle, when you pry it from my cold dead hands." Hestons diagnosis with Alzheimers Disease in 2002, led to his resignation as president of the NRA. In 2003, President George W. Bush presented Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian award. Charlton Heston died with his wife Lydia at his side. He is also survived by his two children and three grand children. (Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-04-07-08 0246CDT