And gemdiva, don’t forget that Mr. Heston marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. (far before it was socially acceptable to be part of the civil rights movement), as well as being a vocal supporter of the Second Amendment. He stood up for his beliefs, whether or not they were popular, and his career did suffer. I wonder how many current actors in Hollywood would do the same?

Like him or not, he was one of the few remaining actors who had that “larger-than-life” aura about him. His roles were very memorable, and look how much they’ve penetrated our consciousness and popular culture. He definitely left his mark upon the world, and will not soon (if ever) be forgotten.

If nothing else, where would Mystery Science Theater 3000 be without Heston.

And now if you’ll excuse me, the puppy is biting my toes to get my attention, so I’d better get off the Intertubes.

I think you might appreciate the following “article”:

http://www.imao.us/archives/009883.html#comments

Recognizing that many commenters endeavor to keep Manolo politics-free, I will note that the above link goes to a site that specializes in political satire. I provide the link only in response to valawhoo’s comment, because I think she will find it amusing. But it will certainly not be to everyone’s taste.

Suffice it to say that I’m just saying I think people are too quick to judge a person’s character by his support for certain issues. Maybe you disagree vehemently with Heston, but I don’t think he as a person ever called for the scorn that was heaped upon him (see, e.g., “Bowling for Columbine”). I don’t understand the tendency we have today to conflate the quality of a person with his or her political views. It’s not limited to one end of the political spectrum or another, and I see it in myself as well. But I try to judge the person’s work and character, rather than their ideas. (I mean, I judge the ideas as ideas, but not as a reflection of whether the person has added something to the universe by his or her life.) Granted some people make it easier than others. I’m far more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to, for example, Matt Damon than Jane Fonda. But then, Matt is hot, and Jane is… Jane.

And re: the overacting - wasn’t that sort of called for in the roles he played? I mean, most of his famous roles were in grand melodramas. One of them featured guys dressed as apes fairly prominently. Seems to me that a subtle, nuanced performance wouldn’t have been as memorable.

Besides, maybe he wasn’t the greatest actor of his generation, but he acted in a tenor suiting the medium in which he was cast. I mean, how do you NOT overact playing (a) Moses, or (b) the dude who figures out the damn dirty apes destroyed the earth. He was acting in melodramas. It was okay to be melodramatic.

Oh, and by the way, Soylent Green is people.