Claude Heater (who played Jesus Christ) - one of the last surviving main actors of Ben-Hur

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2016)

Along with Haya Harareet, I think Claude Heater is one of the last of the surviving main cast members from Ben-Hur (1959). Quite symbolic in a way given Mr Heater's moving performance as Jesus Christ in the movie. When I saw Ben-Hur at a church gathering night a few years ago, the Pastor(who was quite conservative) told us that even though Ben-Hur is a "Hollywood" movie, it's the one that probably came closest to honoring and glorifying the Son of God.
In Ben-Hur you never see the face of Jesus Christ, and that was a deliberate choice by the director. But Claude Heater gives the emotional gravitas required for the role.
Ben-Hur is a movie that stands the test of time. No wonder we say "It's bigger than Ben-Hur" to describe something spectacular. Ben-Hur is an epic, it's spectacular, and it's moving.