Actor
Charlton Heston
Born 4 October 1923 · Wilmette, Illinois, USA — died 5 April 2008
Charlton Heston (1923–2008) was an American actor who became a defining star of Hollywood's epic era. He is best remembered for playing Moses in The Ten Commandments and the title role in Ben-Hur, and for science-fiction hits like Planet of the Apes. He later served as president of the NRA.
Key films
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
His first major screen success, in Cecil B. DeMille's Best Picture-winning circus drama.
The Ten Commandments (1956)On Cinespective
Playing Moses made him an international star and cemented his epic persona.
Touch of Evil (1958)
Orson Welles's noir classic, with Heston as a Mexican police official, showed range beyond epics.
Ben-Hur (1959)On Cinespective
His title performance won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in a record-setting epic.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
His astronaut Taylor anchored a landmark science-fiction classic with a famous ending.
Key awards
- 1959 Academy Award for Best Actor (Ben-Hur)
- 1960 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, Drama (Ben-Hur)
- 1978 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Academy Awards)
- 2003 Presidential Medal of Freedom
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 200
- 1941Peer Gynt · as Peer GyntActor
- 1949Jane Eyre · as Edward RochesterActor
- 1950Dark City · as Danny HaleyActor
- 1950Julius Caesar · as Mark AntonyActor
- 1950Studio One: Wuthering Heights · as HeathcliffActor
- 1950The Taming of the Shrew · as PetruchioActor
- 1951A Bolt of Lightning · as James OtisActor
- 1952The Greatest Show on Earth · as Brad BradenActor
- 1952Ruby Gentry · as Boake TackmanActor
- 1952The Savage · as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War BonnetActor
- 1953Pony Express · as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' CodyActor
- 1953Arrowhead · as Ed BannonActor
- 1953The President's Lady · as Andrew JacksonActor
- 1953Bad for Each Other · as Dr. Tom OwenActor
- 1953Three Lives · as SelfActor
- 1954The Naked Jungle · as Christopher LeiningenActor
- 1954Secret of the Incas · as Harry SteelActor
- 1955The Far Horizons · as Lt. William ClarkActor
- 1955The Private War of Major Benson · as Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' BensonActor
- 1955Lucy Gallant · as Casey ColeActor
- 1956The Ten Commandments · as MosesActor
- 1956Three Violent People · as Colt SaundersActor
- 1956Forbidden Area · as Col. Jesse PriceActor
- 1956Stars of Cabaret · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1958Touch of Evil · as Ramon Miguel VargasActor
- 1958The Big Country · as Steve LeechActor
- 1958The Buccaneer · as Gen. Andrew JacksonActor
- 1958Fun in the Big Country · as SelfActor
- 1959Ben-Hur · as Judah Ben-HurActor
- 1959The Wreck of the Mary Deare · as John SandsActor
- 1961El Cid · as El Cid Rodrigo de VivarActor
- 1962Diamond Head · as Richard 'King' HowlandActor
- 1962The Pigeon That Took Rome · as Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / NarratorActor
- 196355 Days at Peking · as Maj. Matt LewisActor
- 1963The Five Cities of June · as NarratorActor
- 1963The Patriots · as Thomas JeffersonActor
- 1963The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time · as SelfActor
- 1963Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting · as SelfActor
- 1965The Greatest Story Ever Told · as John the BaptistActor
- 1965Major Dundee · as Major Amos Charles DundeeActor
- 1965The Agony and the Ecstasy · as MichelangeloActor
- 1965The War Lord · as ChrysagonActor
- 1965Uncertain Verification · as (archive footage)Actor
- 1965Night of the Dragon · as NarratorActor
- 1966Khartoum · as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' GordonActor
- 1966Planet of the Apes Test Reel · as ThomasActor
- 1967Will Penny · as Will PennyActor
- 1967Counterpoint · as Lionel EvansActor
- 1967While I Run This Race · as NarratorActor
- 1968Planet of the Apes · as George TaylorActor
- 1968Rowan & Martin at the Movies · as SelfActor
- 1968Elizabeth the Queen · as Lord EssexActor
- 1969Number One · as Ron "Cat" CatlanActor
- 1970Beneath the Planet of the Apes · as TaylorActor
- 1970Julius Caesar · as Marc AntonyActor
- 1970The Hawaiians · as Whip HoxworthActor
- 1970King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1971The Omega Man · as Robert NevilleActor
- 1971Vietnam! Vietnam! · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1971The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man · as Self - NarratorActor
- 1972The Call of the Wild · as John ThorntonActor
- 1972Skyjacked · as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'HaraActor
- 1972Antony and CleopatraDirector
- 1972Antony and Cleopatra · as Marc AntonyActor
- 1972The Special London Bridge Special · as Tennis PlayerActor
- 1973Soylent Green · as Detective Robert ThornActor
- 1973The Three Musketeers · as Cardinal RichelieuActor
- 1973A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green' · as SelfActor
- 1974Earthquake · as Stewart GraffActor
- 1974Airport 1975 · as Alan MurdockActor
- 1974The Four Musketeers · as Cardinal RichelieuActor
- 1976Midway · as Capt. Matthew GarthActor
- 1976Two-Minute Warning · as Capt. Peter HollyActor
- 1976The Last Hard Men · as Sam BurgadeActor
- 1976America at the Movies · as NarratorActor
- 1977The Prince and the Pauper · as Henry VIIIActor
- 1977Energy: A National Issue · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1978Gray Lady Down · as Captain Paul BlanchardActor
- 1980The Awakening · as Matthew CorbeckActor
- 1980The Mountain Men · as Bill TylerActor
- 1981This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special · as SelfActor
- 1982Mother Lode · as Silas McGee / Ian McGeeActor
- 1982Mother LodeDirector
- 1982The Orson Welles Story · as SelfActor
- 1982Let Poland Be Poland · as Self - Co-HostActor
- 1982Barry Norman in Celebrity City · as SelfActor
- 1984Nairobi Affair · as Lee CahillActor
- 1984The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team · as Self - PerformerActor
- 1985All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan · as SelfActor
- 1986The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal · as SelfActor
- 1986Directed by William Wyler · as SelfActor
- 1986An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.Actor
- 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 1987Proud Men · as Charley MacLeod Sr.Actor
- 1987Eclipse of Reason · as NarratorActor
- 1987Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures · as Self - HostActor
- 1988A Man for All SeasonsDirector
- 1988A Man for All Seasons · as Sir Thomas MoreActor
- 1988All-Time Movie Greats · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1989Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary · as SelfActor
- 1989Original Sin · as Louis ManciniActor
- 1989Call from Space · as Alien (voice)Actor
- 1990Treasure Island · as Long John SilverActor
- 1990Almost an Angel · as GodActor
- 1990The Little Kidnappers · as James MacKenzieActor
- 1990A Night on Mount Edna · as SelfActor
- 1990With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film · as SelfActor
- 1991The Crucifer of Blood · as Sherlock HolmesActor
- 1991Cults: Saying No Under Pressure · as NarratorActor
- 1991Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents · as Host and NarratorActor
- 1992Solar Crisis · as Adm. "Skeet" KelsoActor
- 1992Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 · as Captain Al HaynesActor
- 1992Noël · as NarratorActor
- 1992Symphony for the SpireActor
- 1993Tombstone · as Henry HookerActor
- 1993Wayne's World 2 · as Good ActorActor
- 1993The Mystery of the Sphinx · as NarratorActor
- 1993Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth · as Self - HostActor
- 1993Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses · as Self - HostActor
- 1994True Lies · as Spencer TrilbyActor
- 1994A Century of Cinema · as SelfActor
- 1994The Bible According to Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 1994The Legacy of Malthus · as Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)Actor
- 1994Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects · as SelfActor
- 1995In the Mouth of Madness · as Jackson HarglowActor
- 1995The Avenging Angel · as Brigham YoungActor
- 1995Texas · as NarratorActor
- 1995Charlton Heston: For All Seasons · as SelfActor
- 1996Hamlet · as Player KingActor
- 1996Alaska · as PerryActor
- 1996Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels · as SelfActor
- 1996The Lord Protector · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1996The Mysterious Origins of Man · as Self - HostActor
- 1996Love in Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 1996Andersonville Diaries · as NarratorActor
- 1997Hercules · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1997Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line · as SelfActor
- 1997Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western · as SelfActor
- 1997Charlton Heston Presents the Bible · as Self - NarratorActor
- 1997Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis · as Self - HostActor
- 1998Armageddon · as Narration (voice)Actor
- 1998Behind the Planet of the Apes · as Self - 'Taylor'Actor
- 1998Alaska: Spirit of the Wild · as Self - Narrator (voice)Actor
- 1998Gideon · as Addison SinclairActor
- 1998Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero · as SelfActor
- 1999Any Given Sunday · as AFFA Football CommissionerActor
- 1999Forever Hollywood · as SelfActor
- 1999Yesterday's Tomorrows · as SelfActor
- 1999Television: The First Fifty Years · as SelfActor
- 2000Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints · as SelfActor
- 2001Planet of the Apes · as Zaius (uncredited)Actor
- 2001Cats & Dogs · as The Mastiff (voice)Actor
- 2001The Order · as Professor FinleyActor
- 2001Town & Country · as Mr. ClayborneActor
- 2001Last Party 2000 · as SelfActor
- 2001The Gun Deadlock · as SelfActor
- 2001The Making of Midway · as SelfActor
- 2002Bowling for Columbine · as Self - NRA PresidentActor
- 2002Edith Head: The Paramount Years · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2002The Making of 'Tombstone' · as SelfActor
- 2002The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich · as Narrator (voice)Actor
- 2003Ben Hur · as Ben Hur (voice)Actor
- 2003My Father · as Josef MengeleActor
- 2003Christmas from Hollywood · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2003The Making of The Ten Commandments · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden · as Self - HostActor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den · as Self - HostActor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath · as Self - HostActor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah · as Self - HostActor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho · as Self - HostActor
- 2003Lasting LoveActor
- 2003Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale · as Self - HostActor
- 2004Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2004Remembering Reagan at His Ranch · as HostActor
- 2005Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2006De Madrid a la Luna · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2007AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2008Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses · as Self - Host / MosesActor
- 2009Hollywood sul TevereActor
- 2010Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff · as Self – IntervieweeActor
- 20102Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2011A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2011Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2013Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2014Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2015Spanish Western · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2015Children of the Civil Rights · as Self (archival footage)Actor
- 2016The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille · as SelfActor
- 2016Bienvenido Mr. Heston · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2017The Madding Crowd · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Hail Satan? · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2019I Am Richard Pryor · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Todos los nombres de Sara · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2019Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2020Yul Brynner, the Magnificent · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2023Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2024Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2025AirportsActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.