Heston, Charlton

Heston, Charlton

 orig. John Charlton Carter

(born Oct. 4, 1924, Evanston, Ill., U.S.) U.S. actor. He made his Broadway debut in Antony and Cleopatra (1947) and his film debut in Dark City (1950). He became a star in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and was a muscular and dignified stalwart in epic films such as The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959, Academy Award), and The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965). He also starred in Touch of Evil (1958), Planet of the Apes (1968), and The Three Musketeers (1973) and directed and acted in Antony and Cleopatra (1972) and Mother Lode (1982). He was president of the Screen Actors Guild (1966–71) and the National Rifle Association (1998–2003).

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Heston, Charlton (b. John Charlton Carter) (1923–  ) film actor; born in Evanston, Ill. He studied at Northwestern University, starring in a student film version of Peer Gynt (1941) before entering the Air Force in World War II. After Broadway and television work, this strapping actor, with his aquiline profile and sonorous voice, made his Hollywood debut in Dark City (1950). Usually playing larger-than-life heroes, he won the Academy Award in the title role of Ben Hur (1959). He served six terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild and in later years became a frequent spokesman for Republican Party positions as well as for public service causes.