c. 1998 Religion News Service

LOS ANGELES _ He parted the Red Sea in”The Ten Commandments.”He baptized Jesus in”The Greatest Story Ever Told.”He painted the Sistine Chapel in”The Agony and the Ecstasy”and he bent down to give Jesus a drink of water in”Ben-Hur.” But mostly, Charlton Heston’s name is synonymous with Moses and over the years he’s created an image that commands _ even demands _ respect.

Now, the veteran actor is promoting a new book,”Charlton Heston Presents the Bible: A Companion for Families”(GT Publishing), a coffee-table book based on the documentary TV series of the same name. The book features Heston’s retelling of biblical stories.

Heston’s prose is accompanied by color plates of classic religious paintings by some of the world’s greatest masters and, casually interspersed throughout the 288 glossy pages, photos of Heston _ relaxing on the slopes of Mt. Sinai or wading in the waters of the Jordan River.

During a career that has spanned nearly 50 years, Heston has played some of history’s most venerable characters. His lean, six-foot-three frame and rugged, chiseled looks make him ideally suited for portraying big men in big screen roles. For one of them,”Ben-Hur,”he received an Best Actor Academy Award in 1959 for his portrayal of a Jew unjustly enslaved by the Romans.

That’s quite an achievement for the Evanston, Ill.-native who spent his boyhood Abe Lincoln-like in the backwoods of rural Michigan. He remembers himself growing up as”shy, short, pimply and ill-dressed.” But during a recent telephone news conference, Heston came across as cordial and self-assured with even a hint of vanity in his low, resonating baritone voice.”What I’m doing is telling the stories, and I know how to do that, I would venture to say, better than most people,”the 73-year-old actor said.

But he’s also quick to point out that despite his larger-than-life biblical characters, he’s no theologian.”I’m Episcopalian, but I’m very careful to keep my own faith entirely out of this world. So, since I’m dealing with redacting verses and stories from the Bible, I think it’s particularly important that I, as a performer, stick to what I know how to do,”he said.

What Heston knows how to do is create a convincing image.

Besides parting the Red Sea and painting the Sistine Chapel, his roles have also included leading Mormon settlers to their promised land in TNT’s”The Avenging Angel.”For that movie, Heston portrayed the controversial Mormon leader Brigham Young.”I don’t comment on the rights or wrongs of various religions,”said the man who has also played God on TV’s”Almost an Angel.” While reluctant to comment on a number of questions, Heston is not at all hesitant to return again and again to a favorite theme _ people just don’t hear _ not read, but hear _ enough of the Bible these days.”Indeed, in churches and synagogues, you know, they don’t read much of the Bible out (loud). Maybe one verse, two verses at most, and then minister, the rabbi, the priest uses that as a springboard to make his message clear to his congregation on a given day. But you don’t hear much of the Bible.” Heston is happy to provide examples of his own style of reading, rolling out the famed verse from Deuteronony _”But there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face”(Deut. 34:10) _ with the authority of a veteran stage actor.

Indeed, while often overlooked, Heston’s stage experience is nearly as broad as his film career. He’s performed on Broadway, as well as on the London and Chicago stage, and directed”The Caine Mutiny Court Martial”in Beijing.

He’s played Sir Thomas More, the 16th-century Roman Catholic martyr, five times on the stage as well as in the TNT movie,”A Man for All Seasons,”which he also directed and his son Fraser produced. Heston dearly coveted the More role in the 1966 classic film version of”A Man for All Seasons”that instead went to Paul Scofield.”It’s too bad,”he lamented in his 1978 autobiography,”The Actor’s Life,”on not getting the part.”I know I could do it better. Really, I do.” During his news conference, however, Heston is less forthcoming. Instead, he’s reserved about his personal opinions, especially _ in other circumstances _ his outspoken anti-gun control views and involvement in the National Rifle Association.”Well, there are 31 states that now have passed concealed-carry legislation,”he said of laws allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons.”I don’t know enough about the details. Of course, a great many feel the Bill of Rights to be a most sacred document.” And he’s equally hesitant to comment on other films dealing with religious issues. Asked what he thought of Martin Scorsese’s controversial 1988 film”The Last Temptation of Christ,”he responded,”I didn’t see that.” How about”Jesus Christ Superstar?””Well, that was a musical,”he replied.”I don’t see many. I didn’t avoid them. I just, as it happened, didn’t see them. I was probably working.” Asked whether any religion-themed movie he hasn’t appeared in ever inspired him, Heston responds in the negative.”The answer is no. I can’t offhand remember one, though I’m sure there have been several I’ve liked.” But Heston readily recalls a few biblical characters he’s played that he said suits his personality.”Well, God is a pretty good part. I play God in the (documentary) series. So is Moses.”And, without hesitating, adds,”Christ, obviously.”

MJP END ALEISS