Charlton Heston Editorial Image

Oscar winning actor and author Charlton Heston addresses an audience at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois in 1979. Heston was one of the more prominent liberal civil rights supporters among Hollywood actors in the 1950s and 60s, but swung rightward as he supported Ronald Reagan. Eventually he became a 5-term president of the National Rifle Association. In his 60 year film acting career, he won an Oscar for his leading role as Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur in 1959. He was also known for playing Moses in The Ten Commandments and Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes. Heston, who appeared in over 100 films, died from complications from Alzheimer's Disease on April 5, 2008 at age 84.