Posted on 04/06/2008 3:49:37 PM PDT by devere
Charlton Heston, 84, an Academy Award-winning actor who starred in epics such as "Ben-Hur" and "The Ten Commandments" and then became a conservative political activist and influential president of the National Rifle Association, died last night at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
A family spokesman did not release the cause of death, but Heston said in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease. In a message at the time, he told fans, "I've lived my whole life on the stage and screen before you. I've found purpose and meaning in your response. For an actor there's no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you."
With his deep voice and noble physique, Heston was for five decades the symbol of confident authority on film. He parted the Red Sea as Moses in "The Ten Commandments" and won an unforgettable chariot race in "Ben-Hur." In 1994, he was the boss of spy Arnold Schwarzenegger in "True Lies" and joked that the film's director, James Cameron, "said that I was the only actor who could plausibly intimidate Arnold."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Just damn. Another of the Golden Age is gone.
We cannot replace these great people we are losing. There is no one like Mr. Heston.
Now Arnold has been sufficiently "whipped" by Maria Shriver.
Heston, thank you for defending our rights.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.