Running the Race

"From Moses and Michelangelo to Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson . . . Wills provides a compelling treatment of Heston's long and successful career." -Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War Brian Steel Wills captures for the first time a comprehensive view of Charlton Heston's climb to fame, his search for the perfect performance, and the meaningful roles he played in support of the causes he embraced in Running the Race: The "Public Face" of Charlton Heston. The actor was born and raised in the Michigan woodlands and suburbs of Chicago, where he found his love of acting in the books he read and the movies he saw. After the Second World War interrupted his journey when he served his country, the lights of New York City and Broadway beckoned. Live television offered an important platform, but Hollywood and feature films were his destiny. His roles were as varied as they were powerful, and included stints as Moses, Ben-Hur, El Cid, Michelangelo, Mike Vargas, and Charles "Chinese" Gordon under legendary directors like Cecil B. DeMille, William Wyler, Franklin Schaffner, and Orson Welles. He shifted to science fiction in Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green, a wide range of action and disaster films, and more nuanced roles such as Will Penny. Over his decades of performance Heston defined and redefined his "public face" in a constant quest for an audience for his work. He undertook wide-ranging public service roles for the government, the arts, and other causes. In Running the Race, award-winning historian Brian Steel Wills digs deep to paint a rich portrait of Heston's extraordinary life-a mix of complications and complexities that touched film, television, theater, politics, and society.