Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the chariot-racing "Ben-Hur" and portrayed Moses, Michelangelo, El Cid and other figures in movie epics of the '50s and '60s, has died. He was 84. The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.
Honestly, it's hard to argue against his place in movie history given the iconic movies he's been a part of over the years. How many times have you made a quote from a movie and it was one of his movies?
Yet one who kept in touch with the times, and one who didn't mind lending a hand or even poking fun at himself, among other things. He wasn't just a great actor, but a great person too.
"You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down. Tells you she's hurting before she keens. Makes her a home."