He was a star in the greatest sense of the word. There was never a word or a hint of scandal about his personal life. He led his life with both respect for his craft, and dignity as a human being. Whether you agreed with his political views or not (personally, I did not) you could not help but admire the man. He loved acting, and was dedicated to his work. He was a consummate professional who took his art seriously, and never compromised either his work or his integrity. His was a larger than life persona that, sadly, no longer exists in today's crass, superficial society. The face...the voice...the commanding presence can never be erased from memory. Like Richard Widmark before him, his death leaves a tremendous void that will never be filled. He was the personification of a "star."
Whether bringing giants of history to vivid life and memory... such as Moses in "The Ten Commandments," Ben Hur in Willie Wyler's masterpiece of the same name, or El Cid in that magnificent recreation of Spain's greatest hero...or playing an Hispanic attorney in Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and the boss of the circus troupe in "The Greatest Show On Earth," not to mention the courageous astronaut in the much imitated "Planet of the Apes"... he brought the flickering image on the motion picture screen to vivid, spectacular life.
He was one of a kind. Even in torturous decline with the dreaded Alzheimer's Disease robbing him of his will, memory, and speech, he passed privately with quiet heroism. He had enormous respect for fellow artists, directors, musicians and technicians and always spoke with ultimate respect and admiration for co-creators such as Cecil B. DeMille, Orson Welles (whom he persuaded Universal to hire as a director on "Touch of Evil"), William Wyler and Miklos Rozsa. We will not see his like again. Sleep well, Mr. Heston.
Scott Essman
VISIONARY MEDIA
scottessman@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 1722
Glendora, CA 91740
Ph 1 (626) 963-0635
FX 1 (626) 608-0309
