Contact: Dane Rose, Faith and Action, 202-546-8329, ext.106

WASHINGTON, April 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK) remembers great American film icon and political activist Charlton Heston as one of the most humble men he's encountered in Washington.

"The first impression I had of this towering legend was just how humble he was. An elder statesman in Washington who worked with Mr. Heston in the civil rights movement told me, 'Charlton Heston was an everyday guy. Working with him you'd never know he was so famous.' That was my sense of the man after talking with him."

Schenck awarded Charlton Heston the Ten Commandments Leadership Award on behalf of the National Clergy Council in 1998 for the actor's pro-life and pro-family advocacy. Ironically, Heston played Moses in the 1956 film epic "The Ten Commandments."

"Charlton Heston lived a remarkable life," said Schenck. "He was a giant celebrity, a conservative political activist who headed a union, marched with Martin Luther King, was a confidant of Ronald Reagan, risked Hollywood ostracism for pro-life work and raised a rifle above his head to symbolize gun rights. He was an original."

Schenck has posted a tribute to Heston on www.faithandaction.org and is available for further comment at 202-546-8329, ext. 106.