Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
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.
Acted in 118
2020s
- 2025
Airports
Movie
2010s
- 2019
Emergency: Donald Trump’s "Touch of Evil"
(archive footage)
- 2010
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
(archive footage)
2000s
- 2009
- 2003
My Father
Josef Mengele
Ben Hur
Ben Hur (voice)
Lasting Love
Movie
- 2001
Town & Country
Mr. Clayborne
- 2000
The Weber Show
Charlton Heston · 1 episode
1990s
- 1999
Camino de Santiago
Professor Marcelo Rinaldi · 3 episodes
- 1998
Gideon
Addison Sinclair
- 1996
Alaska
Perry
- 1995
Eco-Challenge
TV
The Avenging Angel
Brigham Young
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
Symphony for the Spire
Movie
- 1991
The Crucifer of Blood
Sherlock Holmes
- 1990
Almost an Angel
God
The Little Kidnappers
James MacKenzie
1980s
- 1989
Original Sin
Louis Mancini
Call from Space
Alien (voice)
- 1988
A Man for All Seasons
Sir Thomas More
Korea: The Unknown War
General Douglas MacArthur (voice) · 6 episodes
- 1987
- 1985
- 1984
Nairobi Affair
Lee Cahill
- 1983
Chiefs
Hugh Holmes · 3 episodes
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
1970s
- 1978
Gray Lady Down
Captain Paul Blanchard
- 1977
- 1976
Two-Minute Warning
Capt. Peter Holly
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
Skyjacked
Capt. Henry 'Hank' O'Hara
The Special London Bridge Special
Tennis Player
- 1971
- 1970
1960s
- 1969
- 1968
Elizabeth the Queen
Lord Essex
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
The War Lord
Chrysagon
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Michelangelo
Uncertain Verification
(archive footage)
- 1963
- 1962
Diamond Head
Richard 'King' Howland
The Pigeon That Took Rome
Captain Paul MacDougall / Benny the Snatch / Narrator
- 1961
1950s
- 1959
The Wreck of the Mary Deare
John Sands
- 1958
The Buccaneer
Gen. Andrew Jackson
- 1956
Three Violent People
Colt Saunders
- 1955
Lucy Gallant
Casey Cole
The Private War of Major Benson
Maj. Bernard R. 'Barney' Benson
The Far Horizons
Lt. William Clark
The $64,000 Question
Substitute Host · 31 episodes
- 1954
- 1953
Bad for Each Other
Dr. Tom Owen
Arrowhead
Ed Bannon
The President's Lady
Andrew Jackson
General Electric Theater
Tim · 1 episode
- 1952
Ruby Gentry
Boake Tackman
- 1951
A Bolt of Lightning
James Otis
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV
- 1950
Studio One: Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
Dark City
Danny Haley
The Taming of the Shrew
Petruchio
Julius Caesar
Mark Antony
1940s
- 1949
Jane Eyre
Edward Rochester
- 1948
- 1941
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Directed 3
1980s
- 1988
A Man for All Seasons
Director
- 1982
1970s
- 1972
Wrote 1
1970s
- 1972
Appearances115
2020s
- 2024
Planet of the Apes: A Milestone of Science Fiction
Self (archive footage)
- 2023
Charlton Heston: Radical to Right Wing
Self (archive footage)
- 2020
Yul Brynner, the Magnificent
Self - Actor (archive footage)
2010s
- 2019
Todos los nombres de Sara
Self - Actor (archive footage)
Sword-and-Sandal: The Story of the Period Epic
Self - Actor (archive footage)
- 2017
The Making of the Greatest Story Ever Told
Self
The Madding Crowd
Self (archive footage)
- 2016
Bienvenido Mr. Heston
Self (archive footage)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille
Self
- 2015
Spanish Western
Self (archive footage)
- 2014
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
Self - Actor (archive footage)
- 2013
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
Self (archive footage)
- 2011
A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King
Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston and Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey
Self (archive footage)
- 2010
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self – Interviewee
2000s
- 2008
Greatest Heroes and Legends: The Story of Moses
Self - Host / Moses
- 2007
AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
Self (archive footage)
- 2006
De Madrid a la Luna
Self (archive footage)
- 2005
Ben-Hur: The Epic That Changed Cinema
Self (archive footage)
- 2004
Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade
Self (archive footage)
Remembering Reagan at His Ranch
Host
- 2003
Christmas from Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Greatest Heroes and Legends of the Bible: Daniel and the Lion's Den
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: David and Goliath
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Jonah and the Whale
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Samson and Delilah
Self - Host
Greatest Heroes and Legends of The Bible: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho
Self - Host
- 2002
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Self (archive footage)
The Face of Evil: Reinhard Heydrich
Narrator (voice)
The Making of 'Tombstone'
Self
- 2001
Last Party 2000
Self
The Making of Midway
Self
- 2000
Hollywood at Your Feet: The Story of the Chinese Theatre Footprints
Self
1990s
- 1999
Yesterday's Tomorrows
Self
- 1998
Secrets of War: Shadows of The Reich
Self - Narrator (voice) · 10 episodes
Behind the Planet of the Apes
Self - 'Taylor'
Alaska: Spirit of the Wild
Self - Narrator (voice)
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Self
- 1997
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Genesis
Self - Host
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Self
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible
Self - Narrator
- 1996
Love in Hollywood
Self
- 1995
MADtv
Self · 1 episode
Charlton Heston: For All Seasons
Self
- 1994
The Bible According to Hollywood
Self
A Century of Cinema
Self
- 1993
Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: Jesus of Nazareth
Self - Host
Charlton Heston Presents The Bible: The Story of Moses
Self - Host
- 1992
Noël
Narrator
- 1991
Air Force One: The Planes and the Presidents
Host and Narrator
- 1990
A Night on Mount Edna
Self
1980s
- 1989
Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary
Self
- 1987
The Dame Edna Experience
Self · 1 episode
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
Eclipse of Reason
Narrator
- 1986
The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal
Self
Directed by William Wyler
Self
- 1985
All Star Party for 'Dutch' Reagan
Self
- 1984
The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team
Self - Performer
- 1982
Barry Norman in Celebrity City
Self
The Orson Welles Story
Self
Let Poland Be Poland
Self - Co-Host
1970s
- 1978
- 1977
Energy: A National Issue
Narrator (voice)
- 1976
America at the Movies
Narrator
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
A Look at the World of 'Soylent Green'
Self
- 1971
Vietnam! Vietnam!
Narrator (voice)
The Last Man Alive: The Omega Man
Self - Narrator
- 1970
1960s
- 1968
Rowan & Martin at the Movies
Self
- 1967
While I Run This Race
Narrator
- 1963
The Greatest All-Star Advertial of All Time
Self
- 1962
- 1961
1950s
- 1958
Fun in the Big Country
Self
- 1956
Stars of Cabaret
Self (archive footage)
- 1953
- 1952
- 1950
1940s
- 1948
- 1944
No release date
Science Fiction Film Awards
Self · 1 episode