OPINION:
The world lost a good guy last week. Not someone who has been in the news of late, but a fellow who often was in the past. Actor and conservative Christian activist Charlton Heston passed away.
Older Americans recall Mr. Heston as a Hollywood movie star from the 1940s through the ’80s. He is best remembered for portraying Moses in the epic The Ten Commandments, and for his larger than life role in Ben Hur. There were probably 100 other films, such as the Planet of the Apes series and Omega Man, but we loved Charlton as Moses. He is the man to us. It stayed with him.
Mr. Heston also served as a longstanding president of the Screen Actors Guild, and later as the honorary chairman of The National Rifle Association. Still, these accomplishments tend to overshadow the man as a real human being.
Charlton Heston was married to the same woman for five decades, if not longer. This is quite an accomplishment by Hollywood standards. He also maintained a devotion to morality and traditional values after maturing. This, in part, directed him toward other important undertakings. He was not shy about participating in everyday events.
Mr. Heston’s narrated version of the Holy Bible is among the best ever done. It was thought to be a great idea for the actor to read it on tape due to his wonderful voice and the public’s identification with him as a biblical character. It worked. Something about that voice adds a bit of realism.
At this time, I suggest we remember Charlton Heston the person, as opposed to the actor and activist. Unlike so many, his private demeanor and personality outweighed his considerable public glory.
Like former President Reagan, Chuck stuck with his personal values as his affiliates sometimes changed theirs. Also like Mr. Reagan, Mr. Heston publicly announced he was battling a memory-erasing disease. In addition to both serving in the Screen Actor presidency, these two great Americans certainly had similar lives.
I bid Farewell to the everyday guy who played Moses, and may God bless his memory.
JIMMY W. HALL
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