Legendary actor Charlton Heston died early Sunday morning. He was 84. Heston is most notably remembered for his roles in epic films like BEN-HUR (1959) and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956). I most recently saw him in THE OMEGA MAN (1971) loving every world-ending second.

But it is PLANET OF THE APES (1968) that automatically comes to my mind when I think of Mr. Heston. It would seem that the damn dirty apes finally got him so to speak.

Grandiose, macho, over-the-top, smooth, eloquent, poetic. His style was all of these things. I wrote to him in middle school during a letter-writing campaign to collect autographs from Hollywood celebrities. Most people sent back nothing at all. Some sent back a copied head shot with a printed signature. But a few sent me what looks like the real thing. Mr. Heston was one of those gracious enough to indulge such a young fan. It’s one of the jewels of my collection.

RIP Chuck.

Here’s the trailer for THE OMEGA MAN.