Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Charlton Heston has passed away at 84

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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-06-2008, 12:57 AM:

Legendary actor Charlton Heston has passed away Saturday at age 84.

Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 04-06-2008, 01:16 AM:

May he rest in peace. He certainly was a great actor.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 04-06-2008, 02:09 AM:

From CNN:

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actor Charlton Heston died at Beverly Hills home at the age of 84 Saturday, his family said.

Heston was suffering the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Heston, known for portrayals of larger than life figure including Moses and Ben Hur, was suffering the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Heston's wife of 64 years, Lydia, was by his side at the time of his death, according to the family statement.

Heston is survived by a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

"We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor," the family said. "He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved."

While no funeral plans have been announced, the family said it would hold a private memorial service.

The Internet Movie Database listed 126 movies and television production credits for Heston, starting in 1941. He rose to fame in the 1950s with starring movie roles including Ben Hur, for which he won an Oscar. He played Moses in the Ten Commandments.

Heston's last acting credit was for playing an elderly Josef Mengele, the Auschwitz Nazi surgeon who performed medical experiments on concentration camp refugees during World War Two in the 2003 movie My Father, Rua Alguem 5555.

Heston was also known for his political activism.

He was a high-profile supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his civil rights movement. He attended King's 1963 March on Washington and stood near the podium as King delivered his "I have a dream" speech.

He was president of the National Rifle Association from 1998 to 2002, a role that cast him as a conservative.

Heston was Born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois on Oct. 4, 1924. He took the surname Heston after his mother divorced and remarried when he was 10.

Source

Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 04-06-2008, 06:24 AM:

Yes definitely legendary.

from 1941 PEER GYNT to 2002 PAPA RUA ALGUEM 5555 mostly an action man I recall many 70's disaster action films which entertained us ,His most noted I guess would be Ben Hur.

One of my favorites being Soylent Green.

RIP Charlton.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-06-2008, 06:58 AM:

[scowls at Ava Gardner] "GARDDAMMIT!!!"

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 04-06-2008, 09:25 AM:

Quick, someone pry that gun from his cold dead hands.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-06-2008, 09:44 AM:

His most perfectly cast role and my most favorite was in "Bowling For Columbine"! I'll second what Ian says...

Mark

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-06-2008, 10:04 AM:

Heston was one of the greatest - a true legend, and a larger-than-life presence. I always liked how he could make run of the mill curse words like, "hell" and "damn," sound powerful.

Well, it didn't take but five posts before it started. Nice of Ian to come out of the woodwork, after nearly a year since his last post, for that jab. You must've been waiting a long time to use that line.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 04-06-2008, 10:15 AM:

"It's a MADHOUSE!"

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 04-06-2008, 01:05 PM:

Yeah, I was wondering when this thread would go douchey, and it took only what 5 or 6 posts? That's a record. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 04-06-2008, 04:18 PM:

I cried a little on the inside.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-06-2008, 05:36 PM:

He certainly provided me with many hours of entertainment. Among my favorites of his:

Midway
Earthquake
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Omega Man
Two-Minute Warning
Gray Lady Down
Ben-Hur
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
and of course, The Ten Commandments

I never was into the Planet of the Apes series.

RIP Mr. Heston.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-06-2008, 05:39 PM:

Regardless of how people feel about Charlton Heston, no one can dispute the absolute fact Heston had one hell of a film career. Heston was a Hollywood icon. His memory will live on via the more than 100 films in which he appeared.

I thought it was pretty cool that he was able to repeat his immortal "God damn you all to hell" line in the remake of Planet of the Apes.

Heston is mainly known for older movies like Ben Hur, but played in quite a few more recent movies like Any Given Sunday, Tombstone and True Lies.

I'm hoping the attention now being paid to Heston's lifetime of film work might result in some additional push for a better DVD version and Blu-ray version of True Lies to get made. The Region 1 US market has been stuck with the old non-anamorphic DVD since the late 1990s. A new 1080p BD is clearly in order.

Oh, and no one who has seen Soylent Green can forget that line he says at the end of the movie.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-06-2008, 07:02 PM:

A legend, for sure. I never did care about his political agenda, he was a great actor and that's all that counts. I don't know if I like Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments better. They're both great movies.

I never saw ALL of Ben-Hur until we played it at the Roxy in about 1991. Up until then I'd only seen the chariot race and the crucifixion parts. Heston's commentary on the Ben-Hur DVD is really good.

I remember playing "Earthquake" back in our mono sound days, and cranking up the volume to give the best simulation of Sensurround that we could!

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 04-06-2008, 07:10 PM:

The world will never be the same without 'em.

He was a great actor.

Now that Moses has died, does that mean the world is going to end?

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 04-06-2008, 08:59 PM:

He grew up about 50 miles from where I live. We have pictures of him at our theatre shaking the hand of the previous owner. We were playing one of his films and he came to see it. His family still has about 2000 acres in the area, but he hadn't been up here in about 25 years. He will be missed.

Posted by Danny Hart (Member # 659) on 04-07-2008, 10:27 PM:

I bet his guns will be valuable.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 04-08-2008, 12:05 PM:

Married once for 64 years, in his line of work that has to be a record or near one.

How tall was he?

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 04-08-2008, 12:34 PM:

6 foot 4 inches....he died 40 years + 1 day after Martin Luther King; he was a very visible supporter of civil rights.