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The man many consider one of the best movie stars of all-time has passed away, and I – for one – will miss him.

Academy Award-winner Charlton Heston died April 5 at his home in Beverly Hills after a long illness. His classic performances ranged from classic sci-fi (Planet of the Apes), to the dramatic (El Cid), to cult classics (The Omega Man, recently remade with Will Smith as I Am Legend).

However, no matter what part he played, be it as a top-billed thespian or as a supporting actor, which was more frequent in the last years of his life (Tombstone immediately comes to mind, he always did it with class.

One of the first books I read on Hollywood was Heston's autobiography, which served not only to be a great view on Hollywood, but a great look-see at what motivates, and makes, a man leave the confines of the stage for the big lights of the production system.

Heston was larger than life, even though he came from nowhere to become an everyday part of our entertainment lives.

Born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois, Heston came from humble beginnings.

He was the son of a mill manager and came from a family where hard work, and not the pleasure of the boards, was the main concern.

However, when he decided to change his name to Charlton Heston to further his career, the movies changed along with him.

I doubt that the above-mentioned classics, as well as the award-winning movies Earthquake, The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur could have been lensed without him in the lineup.

I have The Ten Commandments on DVD and put it on from time-to-time to remind myself why film critics, like me, love the movies so much.

Today's top-of-the-line action stars, such as Bruce Willis and Will Smith, owe Heston a lot.

He made us think that a man's man could also be an actor, and do all his own stunts while, eventually, saving the day or getting the girl.

I remember going to the Bar-Drive In in Eel River Bar when I was still in grade school and watching him own the screen in Planet of the Apes.

I mean, the amount of screen time he was given - combined with the film's themes of destruction and end-of-world mayhem - would have made a lesser actor cringe and refuse the challenge.

But there he was. Model-style good looks combined with a raw acting style which made me decide that this guy had earned the cash my Dad put down for the tickets to get into the show.

The word which comes to mind in relation to Heston is respect.

He took stands which some, at the time, disagreed with.

Heston, to his last breath, was a staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association, as well as equal rights for blacks and other minorities.

He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild for many years, including in the era where working for actors' rights wasn't the popular thing to do in relation to the major studios.

Heston also took time to campaign tirelessly for countless other causes too numerous to mention here.

Heston was a movie star who wanted not only the movies he was lensing to be a success, but the industry as a whole.

If you have a chance this week, rent any of his major films from the 1950s and the 1960s.

If this column is the first time you have heard Heston's name, you've missed a lot.

Maybe now's the time to catch up.

Jeffrey Carrier is sports editor at the Bugle-Observer in Woodstock and is a longtime film buff.