Charlton Heston Political Views

Charlton Heston (born October 4, 1924) is an Academy Award-winning American film actor noted for heroic roles and his long involvement in political issues. Heston was born John Charlton Carter in St. Helen, Michigan to Lila Charlton and Russell Whitford Carter. He was raised in the north woods of Michigan, where he enjoyed hunting, shooting, and fishing.

In his earlier years, Heston was a Democrat, campaigning for Presidential candidates Adlai Stevenson in 1956 and John F. Kennedy in 1960. A civil rights activist, he accompanied Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights march held in Washington, D.C. in 1963. In 1968, following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Heston appeared on The Joey Bishop Show and, along with fellow actors Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and James Stewart, called for gun controls to be introduced by Congress. Heston later changed his stance and was elected President of the National Rifle Association of America.

In the 1980s, however, Heston began to support more conservative and libertarian positions on such issues as affirmative action and gun rights. He has campaigned for Republican candidates and Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Heston has been harshly criticized by advocates of gun control. Michael Moore interviewed Heston in his home in the 2002 documentary film Bowling for Columbine asking questions of him regarding NRA meeting being held in Denver, Colorado in April 1999, shortly after the Columbine high school massacre in nearby Littleton.

He is also an opponent of abortion and gave the introduction to a pro-life documentary by Bernard Nathanson called “Eclipse of Reason” which focuses on late-term abortions.

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