I watched Planet of the Apes last night, too. Before my times, he was a great supporter of causes I agree with. Not quite so much after I became an adult. He was, however, an important actor who starred in a number of films that I loved as a youngster. He should be remembered by those on this board as an important figure in the rise of Science Fiction - Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, The Omega Man, etc.
RIP Charlton Heston.
Oh NO!
This is sad news. Heston was the man.
I guess they’ll get his gun now.
ETA: Dammit, Sam. Great minds, huh.
There’s a poster here who worked with Heston once. Spoke rather highly of him, as well. I’m just sorry that he had to spend the last years of his life suffering from Alzheimers.
My absolute favorite role of his: in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet. Only a small part, but it shone. And you sat there thinking, “Why wasn’t there more of this?”
This thread beat mine by one minute.
As noted in mine, now they can pry that gun from his cold, dead hands.
Rest In Peace, Chuck.
You were always larger than life. May the Red Sea part for you one last time on the journey to the Promised Land.
I didn’t agree with his later views on gun rights, but he was quite liberal until the 1980s and was active in the civil rights movement (including being with Dr. King at the 1963 March on Washington). So I’ll remember him for that. (Also for some fun roles, like in Planet of the Apes.)
I was at Heston’s house with my buddy to interview him in the mid 90s, for Japanese public tv.
He was plenty nice about the whole thing. We did it on the deck by his hot tub, above his tennis court.
He had a small statue of himself as some mountain man from a movie (sorry, don’t remember which), a life sized painting of himself as Cardinal Richelieu from The Three Musketeers, and some other poster out there.
The only slight difficulty was that even at that point he didn’t want to be filmed walking, so the fakey walk-and-talk shot was killed.
I’d rather not have the points I’ll get now.
I once watched Ben-Hur on television with my grandfather. In one scene, where Judah is watching Christ on the cross, he doesn’t speak at all, but you can see the emotions rippling across his face. My grandfather said “Now that’s acting!” of that scene. It helps me rememeber Grandpa.
I liked some of his earlier roles, before he became a big star. He seemed to play characters who had anti-social tendencies, or were looking out for #1. He said, in regards to Ben-Hur, that he was originally offered the part of Messala, the bad guy. Now that would have been interesting!
DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!
How was he?
RIP.
Sir Rhosis
Another old time great. RIP
Say it isn’t so. I think I need to look for my favorite Space Ghost Coast To Coast (“Dam”) and rewatch it. It’s not wrong that his guest spot there was my favorite of his roles, is it?
Oops/dupes
He was one of the greats.
OTOH, his death was pretty much a formality as my understanding was his mind and body were already gone. At least his family can get on with their lives.
He was really the last of the Titans of the post-War era. I said while he was alive, in decent health, and on these boards that while he was no Olivier or Brando neither was he bad and I never thought he got the props he deserved as an actor. Some of his later roles were actually some of my favorite of his work- his Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons was a very different take from Paul Scofield’s but I liked it (plus the version restored the Everyman narrator) and his Long John Silver was also very good. He had a good sense of humor as evidenced by his numerous parodies of himself on SNL and in Wayne’s World and, as much as I diagree with many of his views, he seemed a real class act.
My favorite SNL/Heston moment was when he played God coming to collect the millions owed him by (or the life of) Oral Roberts when that scandal was high. The door opened and Heston, bathed in light and angelic chorus as several people go onto their knees, simply asks “You got the money?”
I also loved an interview of him on Whoopi Goldberg’s brief talk-show many years ago when she admitted to a lifelong crush and an envy of Anne Baxter for her makeout scenes with him. Heston, then still fairly fit, grabbed her and did the same embrace/kiss with Moses dialogue thrown in before and after. Whoopi said later that it was one of her biggest but greatest surprises in her career.
RIP Chuck.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking of an extraordinarily poor-taste alternate title for this thread title (one involving a gun being…uh… moved) but in interest of decorum I’ll contain the urge.
He was a great actor. He will be missed.
His rant at the end of “Planet of the Apes” stays with me to this day.
“You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to Hell!”
I recommend “The Actor’s Life” and “In The Arena.” Wonderful insights into the craft and everyday life of a classic actor.
I admired his work, though I don’t think he was a truly great actor. However, I always miss the passing of someone of his stature. He and Widmark so close.
You might be thinking of me and what I have said in past threads.
Yes, I had the privilege, and I do mean privilege, to have worked briefly with Charlton Heston.
As an actor, he was the epitome of professional - unlike many lesser talents, Charlton Heston did not travel with some silly entourage - he arrived by himself and fully prepared; he knew his lines, knew his cues, had memorized the blocking and never complained about rehearsals. He always greeted cast members, and even us lowly crew, with his broad smile and a hearty hello. He was great with his fans back stage before and after the shows, signed all of their posters, pictures and memorabilia and even took a few minutes to chat with them.
It was no secret that I, like others in the crew, am a Gay, liberal Democrat and disagreed with almost all of his political views. Even though Charlton Heston was a man of strong convictions, he never showed any disrespect to anyone who disagreed with him. Simply put, the man had class.
I also remember that his wife, Lydia, was just as classy and down-to-earth as her husband and my deepest sympathies go out to her. I am sure these past few years of Alzheimer’s have been devastating.
I will leave you with my favorite memory of Charlton Heston.
He was on stage rehearsing and I had to go put some supplies (I think it was to re-fill the water cooler) in his dressing room. There, on his dressing room table, was a beat up, old brown tackle box - just like you would see a fisherman take to the local lake. In it was his make-up - basic stuff like you would see in any theatrical dressing room. And next to the tackle box was a yellowed-with-age telegram in a small frame; It read (and I am paraphrasing), “Congratulations. You have the role of Ben Hur.”
A simple memento, but one that showed me Charlton Heston never forgot his big break and he was proud to show the simple words that got him where he was today.
It is a sad day. Charlton Heston was a Hollywood legend who deserves every accolade.
Just to put it straight. I agree with Dmark that Heston was a true professional and I greatly admire him. I would put him in the same class as Barbara Stanwyck- not hugely gifted but totally dedicated and a credit to their profession.