The vast majority of the book is about the same as his own autobiography (which I’ve read, twice!) with just additional interviews from family and friends. Towards the end, there’s more details surrounded the shitshow that is/was the NRA. The ending about his battle with Alzheimer’s is very moving.

Well written and researched biography

I was not a fan of Heston or his movies but I like film star biographies and this one is well done and fairly engrossing. I have to admit when the book reaches the early 70s when Heston begins his involvement in politics and the NRA, I started skimming. These sections are detailed and long drawn out but some may find them interesting. Interviews with family members, friends and those close to Heston are quoted at length. The book captures who the man was and what made him tick.

Aside from loving a handful of Heston's work (Planet of the Apes, Ten Commandments, and that brief but hilarious cameo in Wayne's World 2), I didn't know much about Heston's life, so I was drawn into this from the start. While I can't say it's the most well-written biography I've ever read (I feel the author takes a few liberties with sentimental phrases), it was still an enjoyable read from start to finish. What an actor. What a man. Honestly, once I learned he was married to the same woman his whole life after falling in love with her at first sight, that's when I was taken. Now I very much want to rewatch a lot of his classic films and view others I've never seen, knowing all that Heston put into the roles and how much he enjoyed them. A definite delight!

Well written and researched biography

I was not a fan of Heston or his movies but I like film star biographies and this one is well done and fairly engrossing. I have to admit when the book reaches the early 70s when Heston begins his involvement in politics and the NRA, I started skimming. These sections are detailed and long drawn out but some may find them interesting. Interviews with family members, friends and those close to Heston are quoted at length. The book captures who the man was and what made him tick.

Marc Eliot has published many biographies of Hollywood stars, though this is the first I've read. The book's pace is just about perfect, moving quickly through his childhood into his early struggle to establish himself as an actor. After reluctantly taking film roles in Hollywood, Heston landed the role of Moses in Cecil B DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" early in his career, which, after some fits and starts, established him as a leading actor. Eliot's book is at its best while weaving Charlton Heston's personal life around the series of acting roles he took on. This well-written biography was enjoyable to read, presenting a definitive though not exhausting account of the actor's life.