Variety announced at 12:32 a.m. that legendary actor Charlton Heston has passed away at the age of 84.

Heston, best known for his Oscar-winning role in 1959's "Ben-Hur," was an iconic screen actor of 1950s and '60s epics.

Heston passed away Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife at his side. Though the family spokesman has not commented on the cause of death, the actor announced in 2002 that he was experiencing symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to his roles in now-classic epics, Heston served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute. The actor marched in the 1950s civil rights movement but had grown more conservative with age. Ten years ago he was elected president of the National Rifle Association; he stepped down in April 2003.

President Bush awarded Heston with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.

Over the course of his career, Heston played Andrew Jackson, Moses, El Cid, John the Baptist, Michelangelo, General Gordon, Marc Antony, Cardinal Richelieu, and Henry VIII.