Charlton Heston succumbs to those damn dirty apes

Charlton Heston dies at age 84

Heston was one of my favorite actors. Everyone knows him from Planet of the Apes, and perhaps Ben-Hur or Moses, but he was always memorable. Even playing a Mexican police officer in Touch of Evil! With the Alzheimer's, we can only hope that he didn't suffer. I can't imagine a worse fate, seeing your own mind go.

He had a memorable cameo in True Lies, and was an awesome villain as Cardinal Richelieu in the Musketeer trilogy in the 70's. Add Soylent Green and the Omega Man, and he was in many of the iconic science fiction films of the 70's as well.

Being an NRA member myself, I never held his presidency of the organization against him, and felt that Michael Moore was pretty disgusting in his treatment of him, and it was a sad end to a great career.

Major Dundee is being shown on Turner Classic Movies in an extended cut on April 8th, under their "starring Richard Harris" feature this month, but Heston was also in it, and it's directed by Peckinpah. It's hard to pass up Harris, Peckinpah, and Heston working together. I'll be glued to the set. I'll probably watch Planet of the Apes tonight in his honor. RIP, Charlton. I hope they bury you with that antique shotgun the NRA gave you, lest no gun-grabbing fat weasel like Moore pry it from your cold, dead hands.