Charlton Heston Dead at 84

Critics reflect on legend's career

(NEWSER) - Charlton Heston was “the man-deity of movies,” writes Richard Corliss in a Time appreciation, declaring of the actor who stepped into the shoes of no less than the Almighty, "God is dead." Indeed, from Moses to Ben-Hur. “He was the epic hero,” Corliss notes. “Heston didn't just play great roles, he imposingly, thrillingly embodied them.” More»

(NEWSER) - Down-to-earth stage and screen actor James Whitmore died of lung cancer in Malibu today, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 87. Known for his supporting roles and leads in films such as Battleground, Planet of the Apes, and The Shawshank Redeption, the Emmy and Tony Award winner preferred theater. "The stage is human beings sharing something together—flesh and blood together," Whitmore said. More»

Pat Hingle, veteran tough-guy actor, mentored young

(NEWSER) - Actor Pat Hingle—whose characters included Commissioner Gordon in the '90s Batman movies and Norma Rae's father in the 1979 film—has died of blood cancer at his Carolina Beach home at the age of 84, the Wilmington Star-News reports. The Tony Award nominee and Broadway star had said he was happy to spend his last days in North Carolina, where he launched an endowment to mentor student actors. More»

(NEWSER) - Former film and TV heartthrob Van Johnson died today in New York of natural causes, Variety reports. He was 92. Johnson starred in many movies in the 1940s and 1950s, and was later nominated for an Emmy for his appearance on the TV show Rich Man, Poor Man. Dubbed the "non-singing Sinatra," the wholesome star married only once—a union that ended in what he called "the ugliest divorce in Hollywood history." More»

Falcon Crest star was best known as Reagan's first wife

(NEWSER) - Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman, who was Ronald Reagan's first wife, died today at her home in Rancho Mirage. She was 93—or, according to some sources, 90. Wyman was named best actress for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda. She was married to Reagan from 1940 to 1948. More»