Biography
American actor with a
commanding physical presence and a legacy that includes over 100 films,
several books, and leadership roles in the Screen Actors’ Guild and the
National Rifle Association. Heston won an Oscar for his role in "Ben Hur."
He is equally well-known for his memorable screen performances in a
variety of other roles including Moses in "The Ten Commandments," Marc
Anthony in “Anthony and Cleopatra” earthling George Taylor in “Planet of
the Apes,” a narcotics investigator in “Touch of Evil” and a cowboy in
"The Big Country."
Heston grew up in Michigan. In 1941 he enrolled in Northwestern
University where he studied speech and drama and performed in college
shows and in radio dramas. He first appeared before the camera in an
amateur production of "Peer Gynt" in 1942. After a three-year tour of
duty in the Air Force as a radio-gunner from 1944-1947, he returned to
the U.S. to debut in a Broadway production of Shakespeare’s "Anthony and
Cleopatra." His early career consisted of a series of TV roles in the
late 1940s, until he made his film debut in "Dark City," 1950. His
performance in the award winning movie “The Greatest Show on Earth”
(1952) and his subsequent role as Moses in “The Ten Commandments” (1956)
ensured a place on the list of Hollywood greats. “Ben-Hur” and
subsequent performances cemented his fame. He continued working well
into his early 80s, with more than a hundred films to his credit.
An inveterate diarist and letter writer, Heston is the author of several
books and dozens of missives to the newspapers. His autobiography, "The
Actor's Life: A Journal," covers his life from 1956-1976. "Beijing
Diary: 1990" is a lively account of his trip to China to direct "The
Caine Mutiny Court Martial" with a Chinese cast, in Chinese. His
autobiography, "In the Arena," 1995, is confident, eloquent, candid, and
often funny. An artist as well as an actor and writer, Heston exhibited
his pen and ink sketches in art galleries. Putting his ideals into
action, he headed the Artists' Committee that joined with Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington. He also joined in other,
smaller demonstrations for civil rights. He served actively in Hollywood
politics as head of the Screen Actor's Guild for six years, raised money
for dozens of charitable causes including the fight against breast
cancer, and championed many an underdog. Believing in the right to bear
arms, Heston became head of the NRA (National Rifle Association) in
1998.
On March 17, 1944 he married his college sweetheart, Lydia Clarke. The
couple had two children and by all accounts lived happily together until
his death. In early August 2002, Heston made public that he was
diagnosed with neurological symptoms "consistent with" Alzheimer's
disease. He died at age 84 on April 5, 2008 at his Beverly Hills, CA
home.
|
