R.I.P. Bracket and Heston

Not only did I lose my bracket, (exactly wrong on Saturdays' games) but the world lost a great actor. Rest in peace, Charlton Heston. I think this Slate article about him from 10 years ago reads almost like an obituary. While it seems like a put-down from the author's point of view, I think his "unremarkable life" off-screen is admirable...

Unlike many actors of his generation, Heston has cheerfully adjusted to senior citizenship. He accepts lesser parts in bad movies (Call of the Wild) and worse television (The Colbys, a short-lived, dreadful Dynasty spinoff). He has become a hired-gun narrator, the guy you buy when you need God's voice. Heston's signature characters (Moses, Ben-Hur, El Cid) always took themselves seriously, but Heston doesn't. He has played self-mocking parts in Wayne's World 2 and Bud Light ads. He is a pro, a hack, the guy whose highest value is that he gets the job done.

Off-screen, too, Heston leads an unremarkable life. He has been married for 54 years and is extremely close to his two children. He lives quietly on a (well-armed) Los Angeles estate, eschewing parties for history books and his journal (author of three memoirs, he is an excellent, funny writer).