Actor Charlton Heston has died at age 83. Here are the opening lines of some of his obituaries:
“Charlton Heston, the successful but controversial movie actor whose hawklike features, air of authority and resonant bass voice made him the star of choice in historical epics for half a century…” –The Chicago Tribune
“Charlton Heston, whose chiseled-granite looks and commanding manner led him to portray some of history’s most extraordinary men — from Moses to Michelangelo, John the Baptist to El Cid…” –The Hollywood Reporter
“Charlton Heston, who appeared in some 100 films in his 60-year acting career but who is remembered chiefly for his monumental, jut-jawed portrayals of Moses, Ben-Hur and Michelangelo…” –The New York Times
“Charlton Heston, an actor forged at a time when America produced unashamedly male stars…” –The Australian
“Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson and went on to become an unapologetic gun advocate and darling of conservative causes…” –The Los Angeles Times
That Chicago Tribune piece takes a pass at listing all the prominent people Heston played during his career:
“…American presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, Moses, Michelangelo, Marc Antony, Gen. Charles ‘Chinese’ Gordon, the Earl of Essex, Cardinal Richelieu, ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, Sir Thomas More (as well as his antagonist, Henry VIII), and John the Baptist — along with such fictional luminaries as Sherlock Holmes, El Cid, Heathcliff, and the role that won Heston the best actor Oscar: biblical adventurer/charioteer Judah Ben-Hur in William Wyler’s classic 1959 movie Ben-Hur.”