Biography: Charlton Heston was born on October 4, 1923 in Wilmette, Illinois to Lilla and Russell Whitford Carter. He attended Northwestern University. He married fellow drama student Lydia Clarke in 1944. From 1966-1971 he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. President Reagan appointed him co-chairman of the President’s Task Force on the Arts and Humanities in 1981.
Film/TV Credits: Film credits include: “The Ten Commandments,” “Ben-Hur,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Sworn to Secrecy: Secrets of War,” “Touch of Evil,” “Genghis Khan: The Story of a Lifetime,” “Hamlet, “ Alaska,” “True Lies,” “Tombstone,” “Earthquake,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Julius Caesar,” and “The Call of the Wild.” Television credits include: “Studio One in Hollywood,” “The Colbys,” and “Camino de Santiago.”
Other Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Bush in 2003. Recipient of the Kennedy Center honors in 1997. Recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Awards in 1978. Received a star on the Walk of Fame in 1960.
Trivia:
He was elected president of the National Rifle Association in 1998.