Charlton Heston (October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008), born John Charles Carter, was an American actor in film, theatre and television and a political activist. As a Hollywood star he appeared in 100 films over the course of 60 years. He is best known for his roles in The Ten Commandments (1956); Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (1959); El Cid (1961); and Planet of the Apes (1968).