Charlton Heston

[[File:Poitier Belafonte Heston Civil Rights March 1963.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Heston with Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte on a 1963 civil rights march in [[Washington DC]].]]{{uspolitics}}{{Sources needed}}'''Charlton Heston''' (born John Charles Carter) and also known as "[[Moses]]" {{lived|1923|2008}} was an [[American]] actor, Screen Actor's Guild [[Trade union|union]] president (1965-71),<ref>[https://www.sagaftra.org/content/sag-presidents SAG Presidents]</ref> and the figurehead of the [[National Rifle Association]] for many years. As an actor, he appeared in over 100 films over the course of 60 years and is a decent one by most accounts, but his acting career, unfortunately, has been largely overshadowed by his legacy as a [[gun nut|gun rights spokesperson]]. 

Heston's role as an N.R.A. activist is perhaps best remembered for his use of the slogan 
'''"Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!"'''
 "from my cold, dead hands." Contrary to popular opinion, {{wpl|From_my_cold,_dead_hands|he did not coin it|.}} In his 2002 documentary film ''[[Bowling for Columbine]]'' filmmaker [[Michael Moore]] 
ambushed
 conducted an interview with Heston in which it was apparent that the actor was quite obviously suffering from dementia, but Moore still used the footage to stand as an explanation for the logic of [[Second Amendment]] activists. Then Moore filmed himself shouting at an empty driveway and spliced footage of Heston walking away over it.

Heston's legacy stands as a reminder of how complex and contradictory human beings can be: While he had a solid career and worked for good causes, in all likelihood he will, unfortunately, be remembered for his embrace of an extreme position in later life. 

==Reasons to ''like'' him==
Because of his gun-totin' antics in later life, people forget his achievements, especially those of a so-called "[[liberal]]" character:
* He was a vocal campaigner for the cause of [[African-American]] equality and one of the most prominent white celebrities to support the [[civil rights]] struggle.
* He opposed the [[Vietnam War]] at the time (although later recanted).
* He was open about his problems with [[alcohol]] and Alzheimer's Disease.
* He starred in ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'', an excellent satire of religious [[fundamentalism]], and [[racism]].
* He also starred in  ''Ben-Hur'', ''The Big Country'', ''El Cid'', ''Touch of Evil'', ''Major Dundee'', ''The Three Musketeers'', ''The Omega Man'', ''[[Soylent Green]]'', ''The Agony and the Ecstasy'' and many other great performances.
* If four-hour [[biblical]] epics are your kick, ''The [[Ten Commandments]]'' and ''The Greatest Story Ever Told'' are worth seeing. They're good. For that sort of thing.
* No less than Orson Welles thought Heston was one of the greatest actors he had ever directed.

==The case the other way==
Heston seems to have undergone a kind of political transformation in the 1980s. Maybe he just became a grumpy old man.
* He narrated some dodgy documentaries on various aspects of [[pseudohistory]], etc.
* He supported the [[Iraq War]] (so did [[Christopher Hitchens]], if that means anything).
* He supported [[Reagan]] and both [[George H.W. Bush|the greater]] and [[George W. Bush|the lesser]] George Bush.
* He was a [[Creationism|creationist]].
* He was a [[gun nut]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|United States politics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heston, Charlton}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Booze]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Creationists]]
[[Category:Culture wars]]
[[Category:Gun nuts]]
[[Category:Leftists who turned right with age]]
[[Category:Machismo]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory promoters]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[category:Right-wing activists]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]

Categories: Actors, Anti-abortion activists, Authors, Booze, Christians, Creationists, Culture wars, Gun nuts, Leftists who turned right with age, Machismo, Pseudohistory promoters, Pseudoscience promoters, Right-wing activists, United States politicians