Northwestern alumnus Charlton Heston died Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 84. Heston is best known for being a film actor, starring in The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, and for being the former president of the NRA, a gun-rights group. Heston, born in Evanston, came to Northwestern in 1941. To honor one of Northwestern’s most accomplished former students, let us take a look at some of his finest work available on YouTube.
First, the famous race scene from Ben-Hur, where Heston played the titular character. Parodied countless times, one of Hollywood’s best action sequences ever.
Next up, the trailer for the film Omega Man, a movie about Heston being the last man on Earth. Look familiar? Last year’s I Am Legend is a remake of it.
One of my favorite movie lines of all time, from Soylent Green. Heston played a detective investigating the food Soylent Green which turns out to be made of…well, play the clip.
The ending to Planet of the Apes, the film where Heston played a human surrounded by super-smart chimps. Spoiler if you have been avoiding pop culture for the past 30 years.
At a 2000 NRA gathering, Charlton Heston held up a rifle and said, “from my cold, dead hands.”
Michael Moore interviewing Heston about gun control. Very controversial, but still part of his legacy. You watch, and judge.
Finally, a nice tribute video showing every movie he was ever in. Very impressive body of work, if you ignore Cats and Dogs.