Acting · Wilmette, Illinois, USA · Born October 4, 1923
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.
MovieAirports
2025
MoviePlanet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction
2024
as Self (archive footage)
MovieCharlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing
2023
as Self (archive footage)
MovieYul Brynner, the Magnificent
2020
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieTodos los nombres de Sara
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieHail Satan?
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieSword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieI Am Richard Pryor
2019
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieEmergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
2019
as (archive footage)
MovieThe Madding Crowd
2017
as Self (archive footage)
MovieBienvenido Mr. Heston
2016
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
2016
as Self
MovieSpanish Western
2015
as Self (archive footage)
Children of the Civil Rights
2015
as Self (archival footage)
MovieMagician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieMarlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
MovieGore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
2013
as Self (archive footage)
TVTalking Pictures
2013
as Self (archive footage)
MovieCharlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
2011
as Self (archive footage)
Movie2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
2010
as (archive footage)
MovieCameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2010
as Self – Interviewee
MovieHollywood sul Tevere
2009
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses
2008
as Self - Host / Moses
MovieAFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007
as Self (archive footage)
MovieDe Madrid a la Luna
2006
as Self (archive footage)
MovieBen-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
2005
as Self (archive footage)
MovieSam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
2004
as Self (archive footage)
MovieRemembering Reagan at His Ranch
2004
as Host
MovieChristmas in Hollywood
2003
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Making of The Ten Commandments
2003
as Self (archive footage)
MovieMy Father
2003
as Josef Mengele
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den
2003
as Self - Host
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath
2003
as Self - Host
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale
2003
as Self - Host
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah
2003
as Self - Host
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden
2003
as Self - Host
MovieGreatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
2003
as Self - Host
MovieBen Hur
2003
as Ben Hur (voice)
MovieLasting Love
2003
MovieEdith Head: The Paramount Years
2002
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich
2002
as Narrator (voice)
MovieBowling for Columbine
2002
as Self - NRA President
MovieThe Making of 'Tombstone'
2002
as Self
MovieLast Party 2000
2001
as Self
MovieThe Making of Midway
2001
as Self
MoviePlanet of the Apes
2001
as Zaius (uncredited)
MovieCats & Dogs
2001
as The Mastiff (voice)
The Gun Deadlock
2001
as Self
MovieThe Order
2001
as Professor Finley
MovieTown & Country
2001
as Mr. Clayborne
TVThe Weber Show
2000
as Charlton Heston
MovieHollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints
2000
as Self
MovieAny Given Sunday
1999
as AFFA Football Commissioner
TVCamino de Santiago
1999
as Professor Marcelo Rinaldi
MovieYesterday's Tomorrows
1999
as Self
Television: The First Fifty Years
1999
as Self
MovieForever Hollywood
1999
as Self
TVSecrets of War: Shadows of The Reich
1998
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Private Screenings: Charlton Heston
1998
as Self
MovieGideon
1998
as Addison Sinclair
TVSworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War
1998
as Self - Narrator (voice)
MovieBehind the Planet of the Apes
1998
as Self - 'Taylor'
MovieAlaska: Spirit of the Wild
1998
as Self - Narrator (voice)
MovieArmageddon
1998
as Narration (voice)
MovieGary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998
as Self
MovieCharlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis
1997
as Self - Host
MovieBig Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
1997
as Self
MovieHercules
1997
as Narrator (voice)
MovieBarbara Stanwyck: Straight Down the Line
1997
as Self
MovieCharlton Heston Presents the Bible
1997
as Self - Narrator
MovieHamlet
1996
as Player King
MovieLove in Hollywood
1996
as Self
MovieAlaska
1996
as Perry
MovieShirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
1996
as Self
Andersonville Diaries
1996
as Narrator
MovieThe Mysterious Origins of Man
1996
as Self - Host
MovieThe Lord Protector
1996
as Narrator (voice)
TVMADtv
1995
as Self
MovieTexas
1995
as Narrator
TVEco-Challenge
1995
TVThe Outer Limits
1995
as Chief Justice Haden Wainwright
MovieCharlton Heston: For All Seasons
1995
as Self
MovieIn the Mouth of Madness
1995
as Jackson Harglow
MovieThe Avenging Angel
1995
as Brigham Young
TVFriends
1994
as Charlton Heston
MovieTrue Lies
1994
as Spencer Trilby
MovieMasters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994
as Self
TVSpace Ghost Coast to Coast
1994
as Self
MovieThe Legacy of Malthus
1994
as Self (Population Institute, 1993) (archive footage)
MovieThe Bible According to Hollywood
1994
as Self
MovieA Century of Cinema
1994
as Self
MovieTombstone
1993
as Henry Hooker
MovieWayne's World 2
1993
as Good Actor
MovieThe Mystery of the Sphinx
1993
as Narrator
TVLate Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
TVseaQuest DSV
1993
as Abalon
MovieCharlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth
1993
as Self - Host
MovieCharlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses
1993
as Self - Host
MovieNoël
1992
as Narrator
MovieSolar Crisis
1992
as Adm. "Skeet" Kelso
MovieCrash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232
1992
as Captain Al Haynes
MovieSymphony for the Spire
1992
TVNoel's House Party
1991
as Star guest
MovieThe Crucifer of Blood
1991
as Sherlock Holmes
Pebble Mill
1991
as Self
Cults: Saying No Under Pressure
1991
as Narrator
MovieAir Force One: The Planes and the Presidents
1991
as Host and Narrator
MovieAlmost an Angel
1990
as God
MovieA Night on Mount Edna
1990
as Self
MovieThe Little Kidnappers
1990
as James MacKenzie
MovieTreasure Island
1990
as Long John Silver
With Orson Welles: Stories from a Life in Film
1990
as Self
MovieSaturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
1989
as Self
MovieOriginal Sin
1989
as Louis Mancini
MovieCall from Space
1989
as Alien (voice)
MovieA Man for All Seasons
1988
as Sir Thomas More
TVKorea: The Unknown War
1988
as General Douglas MacArthur (voice)
All-Time Movie Greats
1988
as Self (archive footage)
MovieProud Men
1987
as Charley MacLeod Sr.
TVThe Dame Edna Experience
1987
as Self
Andrew Weyth, The Helga Pictures
1987
as Self - Host
MovieHappy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
as Self
MovieEclipse of Reason
1987
as Narrator
MovieThe Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
1986
as Self
MovieDirected by William Wyler
1986
as Self
TVThe Colbys
1985
as Jason Colby
MovieThe Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
1984
as Self - Performer
MovieNairobi Affair
1984
as Lee Cahill
TVChiefs
1983
as Hugh Holmes
MovieBarry Norman in Celebrity City
1982
as Self
MovieMother Lode
1982
as Silas McGee / Ian McGee
MovieThe Orson Welles Story
1982
as Self
TVWogan
1982
as Self
MovieLet Poland Be Poland
1982
as Self - Co-Host
This Is Your Life: 30th Anniversary Special
1981
as Self
TVDynasty
1981
as Jason Colby
MovieThe Awakening
1980
as Matthew Corbeck
MovieThe Mountain Men
1980
as Bill Tyler
TVThe Kennedy Center Honors
1978
as Self
MovieGray Lady Down
1978
as Captain Paul Blanchard
MovieEnergy: A National Issue
1977
as Narrator (voice)
MovieThe Prince and the Pauper
1977
as Henry VIII
MovieTwo-Minute Warning
1976
as Capt. Peter Holly
MovieAmerica at the Movies
1976
as Narrator
MovieMidway
1976
as Capt. Matthew Garth
MovieThe Last Hard Men
1976
as Sam Burgade
TVSaturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
TVLes Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
MovieEarthquake
1974
as Stewart Graff
MovieThe Four Musketeers
1974
as Cardinal Richelieu
TVDinah!
1974
as Self
MovieAirport 1975
1974
as Alan Murdock
TVSpécial cinéma
1974
as Self
MovieThe Three Musketeers
1973
as Cardinal Richelieu
MovieSoylent Green
1973
as Detective Robert Thorn
TVThe American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
MovieA Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
1973
as Self
MovieThe Call of the Wild
1972
as John Thornton
MovieSkyjacked
1972
as Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
MovieAntony and Cleopatra
1972
as Marc Antony
MovieThe Special London Bridge Special
1972
as Tennis Player
Film '72
1971
as Self
MovieVietnam! Vietnam!
1971
as Narrator (voice)
MovieThe Omega Man
1971
as Robert Neville
V.I.P. Schaukel
1971
as Self
MovieThe Last Man Alive: The Omega Man
1971
as Self - Narrator
MovieThe Hawaiians
1970
as Whip Hoxworth
MovieJulius Caesar
1970
as Marc Antony
MovieBeneath the Planet of the Apes
1970
as Taylor
MovieKing: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970
as Self (archive footage)
MovieNumber One
1969
as Ron "Cat" Catlan
TVThe Dick Cavett Show
1968
as Self - Guest
MoviePlanet of the Apes
1968
as George Taylor
MovieElizabeth the Queen
1968
as Lord Essex
MovieRowan & Martin at the Movies
1968
as Self
MovieCounterpoint
1967
as Lionel Evans
MovieWill Penny
1967
as Will Penny
MovieWhile I Run This Race
1967
as Narrator
MovieKhartoum
1966
as Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon
MoviePlanet of the Apes Test Reel
1966
as Thomas
MovieThe War Lord
1965
as Chrysagon
Night of the Dragon
1965
as Narrator
MovieThe Agony and the Ecstasy
1965
as Michelangelo
MovieUncertain Verification
1965
as (archive footage)
MovieThe Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as John the Baptist
MovieMajor Dundee
1965
as Major Amos Charles Dundee
F.D.R.
1965
as Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The Patriots
1963
as Thomas Jefferson
MovieThe Five Cities of June
1963
as Narrator
Movie55 Days at Peking
1963
as Maj. Matt Lewis
MovieThe Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time
1963
as Self
Look at Life: The City's Built for Shooting
1963
as Self
MovieDiamond Head
1962
as Richard 'King' Howland
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
TVThe Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
MovieThe Pigeon That Took Rome
1962
as Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
TVThe Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self - Guest
MovieEl Cid
1961
as El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar
TVKraft Mystery Theatre
1961
as Paul Malone (archive footage)
MovieBen-Hur
1959
as Judah Ben-Hur
MovieThe Wreck of the Mary Deare
1959
as John Sands
MovieThe Buccaneer
1958
as Gen. Andrew Jackson
MovieThe Big Country
1958
as Steve Leech
MovieTouch of Evil
1958
as Ramon Miguel Vargas
TVShirley Temple's Storybook
1958
as Beast
MovieFun in the Big Country
1958
as Self
MovieThree Violent People
1956
as Colt Saunders
MovieThe Ten Commandments
1956
as Moses
Forbidden Area
1956
as Col. Jesse Price
TVPlayhouse 90
1956
as Col. Jesse Price
TVThe Steve Allen Show
1956
as Self - Actor
MovieStars of Cabaret
1956
as Self (archive footage)
MovieLucy Gallant
1955
as Casey Cole
MovieThe Private War of Major Benson
1955
as Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
MovieThe Far Horizons
1955
as Lt. William Clark
TVThe $64,000 Question
1955
as Substitute Host
TVClimax!
1954
as Lt. Paul Peterson
MovieSecret of the Incas
1954
as Harry Steel
MovieThe Naked Jungle
1954
as Christopher Leiningen
MovieBad for Each Other
1953
as Dr. Tom Owen
Three Lives
1953
as Self
MovieArrowhead
1953
as Ed Bannon
MoviePony Express
1953
as Captain William Frank 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
MovieThe President's Lady
1953
as Andrew Jackson
TVThe Oscars
1953
as Self
TVGeneral Electric Theater
1953
as Tim
MovieRuby Gentry
1952
as Boake Tackman
TVOmnibus
1952
as Self - Presenter
MovieThe Savage
1952
as James 'Jim' Aherne Jr. / War Bonnet
MovieThe Greatest Show on Earth
1952
as Brad Braden
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Thomas Jefferson
MovieA Bolt of Lightning
1951
as James Otis
TVSchlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
MovieStudio One: Wuthering Heights
1950
as Heathcliff
MovieDark City
1950
as Danny Haley
TVThe Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
MovieThe Taming of the Shrew
1950
as Petruchio
MovieJulius Caesar
1950
as Mark Antony
TVYour Show of Shows
1950
as Self - Guest Performer
TVWhat's My Line?
1950
as Self
TVRobert Montgomery Presents
1950
as Cashel Bryon
MovieJane Eyre
1949
as Edward Rochester
TVSuspense
1949
TVStudio One
1948
TVThe Philco Television Playhouse
1948
TVThe Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
TVBambi
1948
as Self
TVGolden Globe Awards
1944
as Self
MoviePeer Gynt
1941
as Peer Gynt
TVScience Fiction Film Awards
as Himself
