Charlton Heston

Guide Note:Academy Award winning actor Charlton Heston starred in films including The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, and Planet of the Apes. Heston, a World War II veteran, also served from 1998 to 2003 as president of the National Rifle Association, and from 1965 to 1971 as president of the Screen Actors Guild. Heston died on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at the age of 84.

Civil rights activism: In the 1950s and early 1960s, Heston was a strong supporter of the civil rights movement, marching with Martin Luther King Jr. and taking part in demonstrations to end segregation. As the '60s progressed, he became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, and became active in other issues, including that of gun control. Conservatism: As what would later be called the Reagan revolution began to coalesce in the late 1970s, Heston's views shifted toward the conservative, until in the 1980s, he became a prominent spokesman for gun rights and against political correctness. During the Reagan administration, Heston was a co-chairman of the president's Task Force on the Arts and Humanities. He campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000. Illness and death: Heston was at home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia by his side. As of April 7, the cause of death had not been announced, although Heston was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. In 2002, Heston revealed that he had symptoms indicating Alzheimer's Disease, and said, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure." Fast Facts:

1. Birth name: John Charles Carter
2. Born: October 4, 1923
3. Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois
4. Died: April 5, 2008 in Beverly Hills California
5. Former President of the National Rifle Association
6. Received Kennedy Center Honors in 1997
7. Voting member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8. Won only Academy Award for Ben-Hur

Quotes:

• "I've played three presidents, three saints and two geniuses - and that's probably enough for any man"

• "It's been quite a ride. I loved every minute of it."

• "I'm enormously impressed, ... Indeed, I'm overwhelmed. I hardly know how to go on from here, and for an actor to not know how to go on from someplace is unbelievable."

• "You can spend a lifetime, and, if you're honest with yourself, never once was your work perfect."