Charlton Heston was one of Hollywood’s most iconic action heroes of the ’50s, responsible for such roles as George Taylor in Planet of the Apes and the тιтular Ben-Hur. Throughout his decade-spanning career, however, there was one character that Heston played not once, not twice, but three times: the famed Roman politician, general, and doomed lover of Cleopatra, Mark Antony.
Interestingly, these three roles weren’t part of a trilogy, and Heston played the tragic Roman commander long before the introduction of sweeping cinematic universes in Hollywood. Instead, the Ten Commandments actor played Mark Antony over a span of 22 years in three unrelated films. These roles were hardly Heston’s first foray into portraying characters from history; after all, Charlton Heston played 14 different historical figures across his 60-year career. However, Heston clearly held an affinity for Antony, since he never revisited any role as frequently as the tragic Roman commander.
Charlton Heston Played Mark Antony 3 Times In His Career
Heston Reprised The Role After 20 Years—Twice
Heston first took up the role of Mark Antony in 1950’s Julius Caesar, a small adaptation of the William Shakespeare play that is often overlooked for its 1953 counterpart of the same name, helmed by Marlon Brando. Heston was still unknown at the time, but would soon break through into Hollywood stardom with his role as circus manager Brad Braden in The Greatest Show on Earth. 20 years later, Heston would reprise his role as Antony in Stuart Burge’s Julius Caesar (1970), a far more extravagant production whose cast included prolific actors like Jason Robards as Brutus and John Gielgud as Caesar.
Heston’s final performance as the Roman general came two years later with Antony and Cleopatra (1972), a production that received decent critical acclaim. Adapted once again from a Shakespeare play, the film covers the fallout of Julius Caesar’s ᴀssᴀssination from the eyes of doomed lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra as they wage war against Rome’s mighty emperor, Octavian. With a broad understanding of the character at this point in his career, Heston offers a fitting portrayal of the tragic Roman figure in the final days before his death at the hands of Caesar’s adopted nephew.
Why Charlton Heston Played Mark Antony So Many Times
The Actor’s Performances Became More Nuanced Over Time
Charlton Heston didn’t reprise his role as Antony out of pure coincidence or happenstance: he returned because of the character’s history and deep pathos. It’s not an exaggeration to call Mark Antony one of theater’s most tragic figures—a brutal Roman military commander who chooses love with Cleopatra over service to Rome, which ultimately spells his downfall at the hands of the republic-turned-empire he spent his life serving.
Heston, who was no stranger to filming historical Roman epics like Ben-Hur, wanted to leave his own mark on the character in the early ’70s.
It’s clear why Heston was so attracted to the larger-than-life role, given the history of other noteworthy actors taking up the tragic character, such as Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, and even the acclaimed Laurence Olivier. Heston, who was no stranger to filming historical Biblical epics in Rome like Ben-Hur, wanted to leave his own mark on the character in the early ’70s. Therefore, the actor directed and starred in his 1972 adaptation of Antony and Cleopatra in order to perfect his own nuanced vision of the doomed Roman lover in the legendary Shakespearean tragedy.
Mark Antony Isn’t The Only Historical Figure Charlton Heston Played More Than Once
Heston Had The Gravitas To Portray Historical Figures
Mark Antony isn’t the only real-life character that Charlton Heston played more than once. One of Heston’s most famous roles is undoubtedly his iconic performance as Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956), which made the actor a household name and sH๏τ him to international stardom. However, many are unaware that Heston returned to the biblical story 42 years later when he lent his voice to the roles of God and Moses in the DreamWorks animated classic The Prince of Egypt (1998).
Another figure from history that Heston has portrayed several times is American President Andrew Jackson, whom the actor first played in The President’s Lady (1953), and then five years later in The Buccaneer (1958), which takes place during the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. As a performer, Heston had the emotional gravitas to take on these epic, larger-than-life roles of powerful leaders and tragic figures from history.
When one looks at a list of Heston’s best films, they will find striking, dramatic characters whose performances rival even the illustrious Marlon Brando. At the end of the day, Charlton Heston may be an actor of a bygone age, but his work in portraying figures from history- particularly as Mark Antony – makes his cinematic appeal immortal.
