My Cold, Dead Hands

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Charlton Heston, on of my favourite actors ever. Hewas alway a larger than life presence, on the big screen, on the TV, in an interview...He had an imposing stature, chiceled good looks, a very sexy voice, and also looked strong enough to pick me up and carry me away, too.

The Ten Commandments is one of my all-time favourite movies, a large, lush interpretation of some very interesting bible passages, and Cecil B. DeMille knew what he was doing, when he cast Mr. Heston as Moses. Imposing as the favoured son of Egypt, dirty and muddy as one of his fellow slaves, dignified and somewhat elegant as the older Moses, he played his role and interacted with the other peerless actors in a way that spoke volumes to me. (Certainly more than Edward G. Robinson did)

As Judah Ben-Hur, he was vulnerable, heart-wrenching, and loving to his family. I found that when I watched Gladiator, I felt Russell Crowe was channeling Chuck in his portrayal of a lost slave who really only wanted to be left alone with his family....

Let's face it, it takes an epic actor to drive an epic movie, and even in Planet of the Apes he was memorable.

I also saw him read the phone book on City TV News one night, with warmth and humour, and that same sparkle in his eyes that he always had..

Rest Well, Mr. Heston, you will be sadly missed...