Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
L765 |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Description |
Publicity photo for Charlton Heston, in the costume for the movie Ben Hur, the role that first made him famous. Black and white copy print. When you think about iconic movie roles like Ben-Hur or Moses parting the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments, you probably picture actor Charlton Heston (1923-2008). Heston (whose given name was John Charlton Carter) was born in Evanston. When he was an infant, his father, Russell Carter, secured a job in his hometown, and the family of three relocated to northern Michigan where they lived until his parents divorced. His mother, Lilla, later married Chester Heston, and Charlton took his last name. The Hestons moved to 325 Maple Avenue in Wilmette when Charlton was about 10 years old, and Heston spent his formative years on the North Shore. In 1937, he graduated from Stolp School (then the junior high school for east Wilmette) and from New Trier High School in 1941. Chuck, as he was called from a young age, got involved in local theater at New Trier and at the Winnetka Theater Guild. He received a theater scholarship from the Guild to Northwestern University. There he met his wife, Lydia Clarke, also studying theater, and they married in 1944. World War II interrupted Heston's college years, and he enlisted in the Army. After the war, he and his wife returned to work in theater and in television. He secured his first movie contract in 1950, and from the first, he was smitten with Hollywood. Having starred in over 100 productions, he was particularly known for his portrayals of historical figures. Heston won an Academy Award for best actor in the title role of Ben-Hur (1959). He was honored with the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1978 and a Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Heston also lent his fame to different political causes over the years, from the civil rights movement to the NRA. Lilla A. Heston (1927-1984), Charlton's sister, was a highly-regarded Professor of Interpretation in the School of Speech at Northwestern University. She and their mother continued to live in Wilmette for most of their lives. This photo was featured in the "Local Legends" exhibit that opened in 2016. |
Date |
1959 |
Classification |
Entertainment |