Academy Award winner, Charlton Heston, who portrayed many heroic characters in Hollywood film's of the 50s and 60s passed away on Saturday, at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 84. His wife Linda and family spokes person Bill Powers refused to comment on his death or give any further details. It was in 2002 that he had symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

 

With large muscular built, well boned faced and sonorous voice Heston rocked the screens, when Hollywood was filling movie screens with films depicting religious and historical past. Heston often remarked that he had a face that belonged to another country. Heston was not only an on screen hero, but also an off screen one.

 

He served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and played a vital role in the civil rights movement of the 1990s. In June 1998, Heston was elected as the president of NRA. Heston was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civil honor in 2003 by President George W Bush. Heston was also involved in a feud with Ed Asner, when the latter was the president of Screen Awards Guild.

 

Heston made his movie debut in 1940. He played the role of the protagonist in "Peer Gynt" in 1942 and was Mark Antony in Bradley's 1949 version of Julius Caesar. Heston's first Hollywood movie was "Dark City". In 1952 he acted as the circus manager in the Film "The Greatest Show On Earth", which was named the best picture of 1952 by Motion Picture Academy. Some of the other movies which followed thereafter were Touch of Evil, The Big Country, Mary Deare etc.

 

He is remembered for his greatest role as Ben Hur in the remake of the 1925 Biblical epic. Stars like Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster and Rock Hudson had declined the role, but Heston showed the courage to do it. For two months, he rehearsed the furious chariot race. Ben Hur was a huge success and so was Heston and the movie bagged 11 Academy awards. It also made him one of the highest paid actors of Hollywood.

 

Heston also appeared in plays such as "A Long Day's Journey into Night", "A Man For All Seasons" etc. Charles Heston was born on October 4, 1923 in a Chicago suburb and his earlier name was Charles Carter. After his parents divorced and his mother married Chester Heston, a factory plant superintendent, Charles Carter began calling himself as Charlton Heston, borrowed from his mother's maiden name and his stepfather's last name.