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FACTBOX: Key movies in the career of Charlton Heston

Sun Apr 6, 2008 8:10am EDT

(Reuters) - Actor Charlton Heston, who also president of the influential National Rifle Association lobbying group, died on Saturday night, at the age of 84, his family said.

U.S.  |  Entertainment

Following are the key movies in his career:

* "Peer Gynt," 1941: played the title role in his movie debut, which was made by a fellow Northwestern University student.

* "The Greatest Show on Earth," 1952: starred as the circus manager Brad Braden under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille.

* "The Ten Commandments," 1956: played Moses in the biblical epic that was DeMille's last film as a director.

* "Touch of Evil," 1958: Heston was a Mexican narcotics official opposite Orson Welles; Heston reportedly insisted that Welles be allowed to direct the film, too.

* "Ben Hur," 1959: Heston won his only Academy Award for the title role; the movie also won 10 other Oscars, including best picture.

* "El Cid," 1961: another historical epic, co-starring Sophia Loren.

* "The Greatest Story Ever Told," 1965: played John the Baptist.

* "The Agony and the Ecstasy," 1965: portrayed Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel.

* "Planet of the Apes," 1968: Heston's astronaut character ends up in a world where apes are more advanced than men; snarled the memorable line "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

* "Will Penny," 1968: a Western that reportedly was Heston's favorite among his films.

* "Soylent Green," 1973: set in 2022 in a vastly overcrowded New York, Heston's detective character discovers the secret ingredient in a mysterious food source and proclaims: "Soylent Green is people!"

* "Airport 1975," 1974: disaster film was a sequel to the 1970 hit "Airport" and was followed by two more "Airport" movies.

(Writing by Bill Trott in Washington, Editing by Sandra Maler)



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