From this morning’s Washington Post:
Oscar-winning actor Charlton Heston, whose chiseled features and commanding presence won him epic roles from Moses to Michelangelo, died on Saturday night at the age of 84, his family said. Heston, a former president of the influential National Rifle Association lobbying group, died at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, the family said in a statement.
I guess when you have to go, dying in your own home in Beverly Hills with your wife of 64 years at your side ain’t a bad way to go.
Charlton Heston was an interesting guy. During the civil right movement, he was a tree hugging liberal. He once picketed a premiere of his own movie because it was segregated. He also marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington D. C. He later became a Republican and opposed affirmative action and gun control. He eventually became the figure head for the National Rifle Association (NRA). Most people go their entire life without taking a stand for something. Charlton Heston took many stands. His views were all over the place.
As a kid, I was a big fan of the Planet of the Apes. Mostly it was because it featured people made up to look like apes. Not only could they speak English, they used guns and rode horses. That appealed to me. Charlton Heston was also one of the reasons I dug the movie so much.
