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Charlton Heston as Moses in the 1956 movie 'The Ten Commandments.' (AP)
Charlton Heston, silver screen's Moses and Ben-Hur, dies at 84
By The Associated Press
Tags: Charlton Heston 

Charlton Heston, who won the 1959 best actor Oscar as the fictional, chariot-racing Jewish noble Ben-Hur and also portrayed Moses in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille epic The Ten Commandments, 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.

Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.
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Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's
disease, saying, "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates, serving as president and spokesman of the NRA from 1998 to 2003.

Later that year, Heston was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Heston lent his strong presence to some of the most acclaimed and successful films of the midcentury. Ben-Hur won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Heston's other hits include: The Ten Commandments, El Cid, 55 Days at Peking, Planet of the Apes and Earthquake.

The director had long planned a new version of The Ten Commandments, which he had made as a silent in 1923 with a radically different approach that combined biblical and modern stories. He was struck by Heston's facial resemblance to Michelangelo's sculpture of Moses, especially the similar broken nose, and put the actor through a long series of tests before giving him the role.

In later years, Heston drew as much publicity for his crusades as for his
performances. In addition to his NRA work, he campaigned for Republican
presidential and congressional candidates and against affirmative action
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  1.   Heston the promoter of Gun culture 09:20  |  SJ 06/04/08
  2.   Charlton Heston 10:03  |  Dr. Zaius 06/04/08
  3.   AN END OF AN ERA 11:38  |  indrajaya 06/04/08
  4.   His face was ... 13:20  |  Joe 06/04/08
  5.   did he take his guns with him? 13:20  |  eduardo 06/04/08
  6.   Censorship 13:25  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
  7.   TO NO 3 INDREDJAYA 13:32  |  DANNY. 06/04/08
  8.   The NRA`s One Minute Pause 13:45  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
  9.   little little people 14:01  |  MarkC 06/04/08
  10.   # 7, DANNY 14:07  |  indrajaya 06/04/08
  11.   For Mark C # 9 14:21  |  Clickfool 06/04/08
  12.   Heston 14:48  |  Sammy 06/04/08
  13.   Anyone seen the interview with Michael Moore 14:55  |  Mark B. 06/04/08
  14.   #3 indrajaya 15:24  |  Sarah 06/04/08
  15.   Heston known for honor and integrity 15:26  |  The Equalizer 06/04/08
  16.   Charlton Heston, great actor of his generation 16:27  |  Smadar 06/04/08
  17.   SJ # 1 You are showing your ignorance..in the US 16:28  |  The Equalizer 06/04/08
  18.   Mark B of Amsterdam 16:33  |  Lynn 06/04/08
  19.   Clickfool #11 16:56  |  MarkC 06/04/08
  20.   Thank you Charlton 17:07  |  Danite 06/04/08
  21.   Good actor, legendary screen presence, ordinary human being 17:39  |  Ben Alofs 06/04/08
  22.   Cold and Dead, Finally 17:43  |  Steve 06/04/08
  23.   To Lynn 17:52  |  Mark B. 06/04/08
  24.   About time. 18:38  |  Dan 06/04/08
  25.   new version of 10 commandments !!! 20:23  |  Rob of melbourne 06/04/08
  26.   To Steve #22 04:36  |  Conservative 17/11/08
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