Charlton Heston, born John Charles Carter in 1923, rose from Illinois school stages to Hollywood’s epic screens, embodying the swashbuckling heroism of mid-20th-century cinema. His breakthrough in “The Greatest Show on Earth” predated his iconic turns as Moses and Ben-Hur, the latter earning him an Academy Award. Heston’s filmography includes “El Cid,” “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” “Planet of the Apes,” and “The Omega Man,” each cementing his status as a leading man. Off-screen, he was a vocal advocate for civil rights and later embraced conservative politics, serving as president of the National Rifle Association. Heston’s legacy is marked by both cinematic triumphs and political controversy, culminating in a quiet retirement after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2002.
The roles that explain the career.
80 credits across 2 departments.
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 2011 | Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 2010 | 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift | (archive footage) | Film |
| 2010 | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Self – Interviewee | Film |
| 2005 | Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: The Garden of Eden | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | Ben Hur | Ben Hur (voice) | Film |
| 2003 | Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den | Self - Host | Film |
| 2003 | My Father | Josef Mengele | Film |
| 2002 | Bowling for Columbine | Self - NRA President | Film |
| 2001 | The Order | Professor Finley | Film |
| 2001 | Town & Country | Mr. Clayborne | Film |
| 2001 | Cats & Dogs | The Mastiff (voice) | Film |
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | AFFA Football Commissioner | Film |
| 1999 | Forever Hollywood | Self | Film |
| 1998 | Alaska: Spirit of the Wild | Self - Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 1998 | Gideon | Addison Sinclair | Film |
| 1998 | Behind the Planet of the Apes | Self - 'Taylor' | Film |
| 1997 | Hercules | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 1996 | Alaska | Perry | Film |
| 1996 | The Lord Protector | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 1996 | Love in Hollywood | Self | Film |
| 1996 | Hamlet | Player King | Film |
| 1995 | Eco-Challenge | TV | |
| 1995 | Texas | Narrator | Film |
| 1995 | The Avenging Angel | Brigham Young | Film |
| 1995 | In the Mouth of Madness | Jackson Harglow | Film |
| 1994 | True Lies | Spencer Trilby | Film |
| 1993 | Tombstone | Henry Hooker | Film |
| 1993 | The Mystery of the Sphinx | Narrator | Film |
| 1993 | Wayne's World 2 | Good Actor | Film |
| 1992 | Solar Crisis | Adm. "Skeet" Kelso | Film |
| 1992 | Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 | Captain Al Haynes | Film |
| 1991 | The Crucifer of Blood | Sherlock Holmes | Film |
| 1990 | The Little Kidnappers | James MacKenzie | Film |
| 1990 | Almost an Angel | God | Film |
| 1990 | Treasure Island | Long John Silver | Film |
| 1988 | A Man for All Seasons | Sir Thomas More | Film |
| 1988 | All-Time Movie Greats | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 1987 | Proud Men | Charley MacLeod Sr. | Film |
| 1986 | Directed by William Wyler | Self | Film |
| 1986 | The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal | Self | Film |
| 1985 | The Colbys | Jason Colby | TV |
| 1984 | Nairobi Affair | Lee Cahill | Film |
| 1982 | Mother Lode | Silas McGee / Ian McGee | Film |
| 1980 | The Awakening | Matthew Corbeck | Film |
| 1980 | The Mountain Men | Bill Tyler | Film |
| 1978 | Gray Lady Down | Captain Paul Blanchard | Film |
| 1977 | The Prince and the Pauper | Henry VIII | Film |
| 1976 | Midway | Capt. Matthew Garth | Film |
| 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | Capt. Peter Holly | Film |
| 1976 | The Last Hard Men | Sam Burgade | Film |
| 1974 | Airport 1975 | Alan Murdock | Film |
| 1974 | The Four Musketeers | Cardinal Richelieu | Film |
| 1974 | Earthquake | Stewart Graff | Film |
| 1973 | The Three Musketeers | Cardinal Richelieu | Film |
| 1973 | Soylent Green | Detective Robert Thorn | Film |
| 1972 | The Call of the Wild | John Thornton | Film |
| 1972 | Skyjacked | Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara | Film |
| 1972 | Antony and Cleopatra | Marc Antony | Film |
| 1971 | The Omega Man | Robert Neville | Film |
| 1970 | King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 1970 | Beneath the Planet of the Apes | Taylor | Film |
| 1970 | Julius Caesar | Marc Antony | Film |
| 1970 | The Hawaiians | Whip Hoxworth | Film |
| 1969 | Number One | Ron "Cat" Catlan | Film |
| 1968 | Planet of the Apes | George Taylor | Film |
| 1967 | Will Penny | Will Penny | Film |
| 1967 | Counterpoint | Lionel Evans | Film |
| 1966 | Khartoum | Gen. Charles 'Chinese' Gordon | Film |
| 1965 | Uncertain Verification | (archive footage) | Film |
| 1965 | The Agony and the Ecstasy | Michelangelo | Film |
| 1965 | The War Lord | Chrysagon | Film |
| 1965 | Major Dundee | Major Amos Charles Dundee | Film |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | John the Baptist | Film |
| 1963 | 55 Days at Peking | Maj. Matt Lewis | Film |
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