As you’ve no doubt heard, Charlton Heston died this weekend. It’s debatable what his greatest role was – Moses? Ben Hur? The human guy in Planet of the Apes? Hopefully he’s not remembered as the crazy head of the NRA. When a well known actor like Heston passes away I like to scan his works and see if there was any Shakespeare we can talk about. I found something interesting about Mr. Heston, who by the way played the Player King in Brannagh’s Hamlet. Check this out: Antony and Cleopatra (1972) …. Marc Antony Julius Caesar (1970) …. Marc Antony Julius Caesar (1950) …. Antony Seems the man was born to play Marc Antony! According to IMDB Heston actually directed the 1972 A&C himself. I wonder how often you get to see an actor play the same role with a 20 year difference between them? In 1950 he would have been just 26. You want something downright spooky? Heston played Sir Thomas More in the 1988 TV version of A Man for All Seasons. In the 1966 movie version the title role was played by Shakespearean actor Paul Scofield, who himself died less than a month ago. That’s a little eerie. Or, you know, coincidental. Take your pick.
Could just be they were of an age – about the same.
I did get to see Heston once live on stage – think he was playing in Manchester in The Caine Mutany (The Manchester – the one in England – same season I saw ironically, Lauren Bacall there I think).
I quite liked his Mark Antony.