His characters had the ear of God (Moses in "The Ten Commandments"), survived apocalyptic plagues ("The Omega Man") and endured one of Hollywood's most-gruelling action sequences (the chariot race in "Ben-Hur," which earned him the best-actor Academy Award).
Better known in recent years as a fierce gun-rights advocate who headed the National Rifle Association, Heston played legendary leaders and ordinary men hurled into heroic struggles.
"In taking on epic and commanding roles, he showed himself to be one of our nation's most gifted actors, and his legacy will forever be a part of our cinema," Republican presidential candidate McCain, in tribute to Heston. He also noted Heston's involvement in the civil-rights movement and his stand against gun control.
Heston's jutting jaw, regal bearing and booming voice served him well as Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar" and "Antony and Cleopatra," Michelangelo in "The Agony and the Ecstasy," John the Baptist in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and an astronaut on a topsy-turvy world where simians rule in "Planet of the Apes." He appeared in more than 100 films.
"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life," Heston's family said in a statement. "We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather with an infectious sense of humour...He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity."
When Heston learned in July of 2002 that he had a neurological disorder with symptoms that resembled Alzheimer's disease, he delivered the news in a typical Heston manner.
He videotaped a farewell speech and released it to the media, ending it with a touch of Shakespeare's farewell for Prospero in "The Tempest":
"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep."
Is rounded with a sleep."
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