Ben Hur, Moses and Michelangelo- an epic life

To many of the young generation the passing away of Charlton Heston might not be big news, but for a generation that grew up watching him play characters out of history time and time again, the death of Charlton Heston must have been a trip down memory lane. He was low profile off screen except of course for his activities with the Rifle Association

but he more than made up for that by playing great larger than life characters on screen. It cannot be mere coincidence or luck that got the same person the roles of Ben Hur, Moses and Michelangelo in different movies over a span of time. Any one of these roles is good enough to make the life of an actor worth remembering but Charlton had the unique and maybe enviable opportunity of playing three towering figures in history.

Which was his greatest? Well, that’s a question that is tough to answer and better left alone for his illustrious career is interesting and colorful enough without these comparisons. Of course, when we talk of the greatest the movies that automatically come to our mind are Ben Hur and the Ten Commandments and in terms of everything that concerns cinema these two are equals and even though there is a first among equals, let these two be given a place on the pedestal; not only as Charlton Heston’s greatest ever performances but also as movies that changed the face of world cinema, milestones in every right.

For an actor, he did have the greatest prize to show, the Oscar in 1959 for Ben Hur which was more than richly deserved. But it is not for the Oscar that he is remembered. He is immortal in the minds of many as Ben Hur and Moses. Every time you think Ben Hur or every time you think of Moses, it’s Charlton Heston that comes to mind. He is undoubtedly the actor who has played history on screen more times than anyone else and perhaps that is why he will have a very special place in the history of cinema forever. Charlton Heston might be missed but he will never be lost.