Latest on Charlton Heston

For those of us who have watched Charlton Heston in "Will Penny” a dozen times, the recent occasion of the Hollywood icon’s 83rd birthday on Oct. 4 brought back those sharp memories of the laconic aging cowboy soon headed to his last round-up.

Despite intense interest in the star’s condition — he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2002 — his publicist and family are not responding to requests about his health.

Indeed, the last reliable update on Charlton Heston’s battle with the illness came in April of 2006 when his son Fraser Heston told Entertainment Tonight, "He’s doing as well as can be expected. It’s an insidious disease.”

At that time, Fraser added that his then-82-year-old father was under excellent care and would remain at home most likely for the rest of his life. He also revealed that his father was in relatively good health, good spirits, and exhibiting a kind of courage Fraser had never seen before.

Charlton and Lydia had recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. Fraser said, "He’s with his first and only love — my mother. She’s doing really well — very brave. She will endure.”

Heston’s son not only discussed his famous father’s health but talked about the animated full-length version of "The Ten Commandments" for television he was producing — one of the final projects the senior Heston helped develop. "It marks the end of an era,” Fraser noted.

The welcome update on Charlton came, perhaps intentionally, on the heels of various uncorroborated and apparently sensationalized tabloid reports that family and friends of Heston were shocked by the rapid progression of his illness, that Heston had been hospitalized with pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital, and that Heston’s illness was at an advanced stage and his family are worried he may not live out the year.

Since the ET comments by Fraser, the family has not volunteered any more information or answered any questions about the state of health of the actor.

Tony Makris of Alexandria, Va.’s Mercury Group public relations firm, a longtime friend and handler of the NRA public relations account, told NewsMax that only a very small group interacted with Heston these days.

Heston served as president of the National Rifle Association from 1998-2003.

"The family basically at this point has no comment on his condition. And there are plenty of requests,” Makris said.

Charton Heston announced he had Alzheimer's disease in 2002. It was a dramatic moment when he disclosed, "For an actor there is no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can’t part with you . . .”

Although best known for his roles as Ben-Hur and Moses, Heston toured for the State Department’s Cultural Presentation Program and had been a delegate to the Berlin Film Festival.

A World War II Army veteran, he visited troops fighting during the Vietnam War and was a strong supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1981, Heston was named co-chairman of then-President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on the Arts and Humanities. Charlton has served on the National Council on the Arts and was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild a record six times.

Furthermore, he has held the office of chairman and president of the American Film Institute and served four terms as president of the National Rifle Association of America. He has authored five books.

In 2003, Heston received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush.

Last year, MGM released a four-disc collector’s edition of "Ben-Hur,” the film that won an unprecedented 11 Academy Awards — including best actor for Heston.

The lavish four-hour epic shows off the 100,000 costumes, 8,000 extras, 300 sets, and a staggering budget, which in its day was the largest in movie history.

Meanwhile, Heston’s home and ultimate sanctuary is brimming with memorabilia of his remarkable Hollywood years. He and his wife have lived in the same house near Los Angeles’s Mulholland Drive for more than 40 years.

Built by the actor’s father after Heston won the Academy Award for best actor in 1959’s Ben-Hur, the postmodern style home — inside and out — is filled with the memorabilia of one of Hollywood’s most fabulous runs.

Sitting on a table in the back yard is the figure of a Roman, whip in hand, lashing vigorously at four straining horses harnessed to a chariot. Mounted on the entrance of his study are the two great brass ring knockers from the movie set’s House of Hur.

Hung above the fireplace is a painting of a lumbering Conestoga wagon and, nearby, a pencil sketch of friend Laurence Olivier portraying King Lear. From most windows sparkle views of canyons.

In the home’s central hallway hang 20 paintings of Heston in signature roles: Ben-Hur, Moses, Richelieu, Michelangelo, the "Planet of the Apes" marooned astronaut George Taylor, the steel-willed Major Dundee, "Soylent Green’s" detective Thorn, Andrew Jackson in "The President’s Lady,” tough ranch foreman Steve Leech riding through "The Big Country” — and, of course, cattle poke Will Penny.

"I’m confident about the future of America,” Heston said in the videotaped announcement of his illness in August of 2002. "I believe in you; I know that the future of our country, our culture, and our children is in good hands. I know you will continue to meet adversity with strength and resilience, as our ancestors did . . .”

Moses has spoken.