Charlton Heston
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 4, 1923
- Died
- April 5, 2008
- Birthplace
- 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
Actor
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction 2024
as Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing 2023
as Self (archive footage)
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent 2020
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Todos los nombres de Sara 2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Hail Satan? 2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic 2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
I Am Richard Pryor 2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil" 2019
as (archive footage)
The Making of the Greatest Story Ever Told 2017
as Self
The Madding Crowd 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Bienvenido Mr. Heston 2016
as Self (archive footage)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille 2016
as Self
Spanish Western 2015
as Self (archive footage)
- Children of the Civil Rights
Children of the Civil Rights 2015
as Self (archival footage)
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles 2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire 2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia 2013
as Self (archive footage)
A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King 2011
as Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey 2011
as Self (archive footage)
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift 2010
as (archive footage)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff 2010
as Self – Interviewee
Hollywood sul Tevere 2009
Actor
Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses 2008
as Self - Host / Moses
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition 2007
as Self (archive footage)
De Madrid a la Luna 2006
as Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema 2005
as Self (archive footage)
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade 2004
as Self (archive footage)
Remembering Reagan at His Ranch 2004
as Host
Christmas from Hollywood 2003
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of The Ten Commandments 2003
as Self (archive footage)
My Father 2003
as Josef Mengele
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho 2003
as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden 2003
as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah 2003
as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale 2003
as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath 2003
as Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den 2003
as Self - Host
Ben Hur 2003
as Ben Hur (voice)
Lasting Love 2003
Actor
Edith Head: The Paramount Years 2002
as Self (archive footage)
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich 2002
as Narrator (voice)
Bowling for Columbine 2002
as Self - NRA President
The Making of 'Tombstone' 2002
as Self
Last Party 2000 2001
as Self
The Making of Midway 2001
as Self
Planet of the Apes 2001
as Zaius (uncredited)
Cats & Dogs 2001
as The Mastiff (voice)
- The Gun Deadlock
The Gun Deadlock 2001
as Self
The Order 2001
as Professor Finley
Town & Country 2001
as Mr. Clayborne
Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints 2000
as Self
Any Given Sunday 1999
as AFFA Football Commissioner
Yesterday's Tomorrows 1999
as Self
Forever Hollywood 1999
as Self
- Television: The First Fifty Years
Television: The First Fifty Years 1999
as Self
Gideon 1998
as Addison Sinclair
Behind the Planet of the Apes 1998
as Self - 'Taylor'
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild 1998
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Armageddon 1998
as Narration (voice)
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero 1998
as Self
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis 1997
as Self - Host
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western 1997
as Self
Hercules 1997
as Narrator (voice)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line 1997
as Self
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible 1997
as Self - Narrator
Hamlet 1996
as Player King
Love in Hollywood 1996
as Self
Alaska 1996
as Perry
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels 1996
as Self
- Andersonville Diaries
Andersonville Diaries 1996
as Narrator
The Mysterious Origins of Man 1996
as Self - Host
The Lord Protector 1996
as Narrator (voice)
Texas 1995
as Narrator
Charlton Heston: For All Seasons 1995
as Self
In the Mouth of Madness 1995
as Jackson Harglow
The Avenging Angel 1995
as Brigham Young
True Lies 1994
as Spencer Trilby
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects 1994
as Self
A Century of Cinema 1994
as Self
The Bible According to Hollywood 1994
as Self
The Legacy of Malthus 1994
as Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)
Tombstone 1993
as Henry Hooker
Wayne's World 2 1993
as Good Actor
The Mystery of the Sphinx 1993
as Narrator
Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses 1993
as Self - Host
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth 1993
as Self - Host
Noël 1992
as Narrator
Solar Crisis 1992
as Adm. "Skeet" Kelso
Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 1992
as Captain Al Haynes
Symphony for the Spire 1992
Actor
The Crucifer of Blood 1991
as Sherlock Holmes
- Cults: Saying No Under Pressure
Cults: Saying No Under Pressure 1991
as Narrator
Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents 1991
as Host and Narrator
Almost an Angel 1990
as God
A Night on Mount Edna 1990
as Self
The Little Kidnappers 1990
as James MacKenzie
Treasure Island 1990
as Long John Silver
- With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film 1990
as Self
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary 1989
as Self
Original Sin 1989
as Louis Mancini
Call from Space 1989
as Alien (voice)
A Man for All Seasons 1988
as Sir Thomas More, Director
- All-Time Movie Greats
All-Time Movie Greats 1988
as Self (archive footage)
Proud Men 1987
as Charley MacLeod Sr.
- Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures
Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures 1987
as Self - Host
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood 1987
as Self
Eclipse of Reason 1987
as Narrator
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal 1986
as Self
Directed by William Wyler 1986
as Self
- An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. 1986
Actor
All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan 1985
as Self
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team 1984
as Self - Performer
Nairobi Affair 1984
as Lee Cahill
Barry Norman in Celebrity City 1982
as Self
Mother Lode 1982
as Silas McGee / Ian McGee, Director
The Orson Welles Story 1982
as Self
Let Poland Be Poland 1982
as Self - Co-Host
- This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special
This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special 1981
as Self
The Awakening 1980
as Matthew Corbeck
The Mountain Men 1980
as Bill Tyler
Gray Lady Down 1978
as Captain Paul Blanchard
Energy: A National Issue 1977
as Narrator (voice)
The Prince and the Pauper 1977
as Henry VIII
Two-Minute Warning 1976
as Capt. Peter Holly
America at the Movies 1976
as Narrator
Midway 1976
as Capt. Matthew Garth
The Last Hard Men 1976
as Sam Burgade
Earthquake 1974
as Stewart Graff
The Four Musketeers 1974
as Cardinal Richelieu
Airport 1975 1974
as Alan Murdock
The Three Musketeers 1973
as Cardinal Richelieu
Soylent Green 1973
as Detective Robert Thorn
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green' 1973
as Self
The Call of the Wild 1972
as John Thornton
Skyjacked 1972
as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
Antony and Cleopatra 1972
as Marc Antony, Director, Screenplay
The Special London Bridge Special 1972
as Tennis Player
Vietnam! Vietnam! 1971
as Narrator (voice)
The Omega Man 1971
as Robert Neville
The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man 1971
as Self - Narrator
The Hawaiians 1970
as Whip Hoxworth
Julius Caesar 1970
as Marc Antony
Beneath the Planet of the Apes 1970
as Taylor
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis 1970
as Self (archive footage)
Number One 1969
as Ron "Cat" Catlan
Planet of the Apes 1968
as George Taylor
Elizabeth the Queen 1968
as Lord Essex
Rowan & Martin at the Movies 1968
as Self
Counterpoint 1967
as Lionel Evans
Will Penny 1967
as Will Penny
While I Run This Race 1967
as Narrator
Khartoum 1966
as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
Planet of the Apes Test Reel 1966
as Thomas
The War Lord 1965
as Chrysagon
- Night of the Dragon
Night of the Dragon 1965
as Narrator
The Agony and the Ecstasy 1965
as Michelangelo
Uncertain Verification 1965
as (archive footage)
The Greatest Story Ever Told 1965
as John the Baptist
Major Dundee 1965
as Major Amos Charles Dundee
- The Patriots
The Patriots 1963
as Thomas Jefferson
The Five Cities of June 1963
as Narrator
55 Days at Peking 1963
as Maj. Matt Lewis
- Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting
Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting 1963
as Self
The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time 1963
as Self
Diamond Head 1962
as Richard 'King' Howland
The Pigeon That Took Rome 1962
as Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
El Cid 1961
as El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
Ben-Hur 1959
as Judah Ben-Hur
The Wreck of the Mary Deare 1959
as John Sands
The Buccaneer 1958
as Gen. Andrew Jackson
The Big Country 1958
as Steve Leech
Touch of Evil 1958
as Mike Vargas
Fun in the Big Country 1958
as Self
Three Violent People 1956
as Colt Saunders
The Ten Commandments 1956
as Moses
- Forbidden Area
Forbidden Area 1956
as Col. Jesse Price
Stars of Cabaret 1956
as Self (archive footage)
Lucy Gallant 1955
as Casey Cole
The Private War of Major Benson 1955
as Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
The Far Horizons 1955
as Lt. William Clark
Secret of the Incas 1954
as Harry Steel
The Naked Jungle 1954
as Christopher Leiningen
Bad for Each Other 1953
as Dr. Tom Owen
- Three Lives
Three Lives 1953
as Self
Arrowhead 1953
as Ed Bannon
Pony Express 1953
as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
The President's Lady 1953
as Andrew Jackson
Ruby Gentry 1952
as Boake Tackman
The Savage 1952
as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
The Greatest Show on Earth 1952
as Brad Braden
A Bolt of Lightning 1951
as James Otis
Studio One: Wuthering Heights 1950
as Heathcliff
Dark City 1950
as Danny Haley
The Taming of the Shrew 1950
as Petruchio
Julius Caesar 1950
as Mark Antony
Jane Eyre 1949
as Edward Rochester
Peer Gynt 1941
as Peer Gynt
Credits from TMDB.