"[Fame] has complicated my life a little, but not enormously. I had to learn to be a public person, but fame has given me a good deal of control over my career, which I otherwise would not have had. Also, chances to work with some extraordinary men and women." (Charlton Heston)

"Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession and to his country." (An official statement made by Heston's family after his death.)

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Charlton Heston had one of the longest and most critically acclaimed careers of any man in Hollywood during the second half of the 20th century, winning an Academy Award for Best Actor and appearing in some of Hollywood's most beloved classics, including The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), The Ten Commandments (1956), Touch of Evil (1958), Ben-Hur, (1959), El Cid (1961), The Agony and the Ecstasy, and Planet of the Apes (1968). Given so many popular and memorable roles, Heston became known across the nation for playing strong, moral men who were not just fatherly role models, but who were also voices of authority and forces for good.