Charlton Heston, the actor who epitomised rugged masculinity on screen and off, has died at the age of 84.

By his side at his Beverly Hills mansion was Lydia, his wife of 64 years.

A strong supporter of the right to carry weapons, Heston once said that the only way to part him from his gun would be to "pry it from my cold, dead hands".

He began a decline into dementia in 2002 when he announced he was suffering symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's. He said at the time: "I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure."

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Movie legend: Ben Hur star Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84

Making history: Heston in the 1959 film Ben-Hur. He won a Best Actor Oscar for playing a Roman chariot racer

He had also recently battled prostate cancer but had been in remission.

Born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois, the 6ft 3in actor's professional name came from a combination of his mother's maiden name, Lila Charlton, and his stepfather Chester Heston's surname.

He proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past.

"I have a face that belongs in another century," he often remarked.

Director Anthony Mann said: "Put a toga on him and he looks perfect."

Another classic: Heston played a stranded astronaut in the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes

And Frank Sinatra once joked: "That guy Heston has to watch it. If he's not careful, he'll get actors a good name."

Heston starred in epics such as The Ten Commandments, in which he played Moses, and Ben-Hur, in which he performed many of his own chariot-racing stunts. That title role won him an Oscar in 1959.

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Classic: Heston said he had a face that 'belonged to another age' . Here he starred as the prophet Moses in the 1956 biblical epic

Gun slinger: Charlton Heston's farewell to the National Rifle Association

He played a besieged astronaut in 1968's The Planet of the Apes but made sure his character was killed off in 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes so he would not be sought for further sequels.

The Apes films opened the science-fiction door to him and hits including The Omega Man and Soylent Green would come in quick succession.

He would also star in such disaster epics as Airport 1975, Earthquake and Skyjacked, in 1972, after which he wore a hairpiece in every role.

Heston portrayed John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told and Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy.

He once said: "If you need a ceiling painted, a chariot race run, a city besieged or the Red Sea parted, you think of me."

In 1985, Heston played patriarch Jason Colby in the TV soap opera Dynasty II: The Colbys of California.

He served as president of the Screen Actors' Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

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Campaigner: He was active in the high-profile Civil Rights movement of the 60s, alongside fellow actors Burt Lancaster. left, and Harry Belafonte, centre

In 1998 Heston, who owned a collection of more than 400 antique guns, was elected president of the National Rifle Association.

He delivered a jab at then-President Bill Clinton, saying, "America doesn't trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure don't trust you with our guns."

Heston once summed up his belief in the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which includes the right to bear arms, by calling it "America's-first freedom, the one that protects the others".

He often appeared at conventions holding an antique flintlock rifle above his head.

Leading man: Another film, another hero, this time as Spain's El Cid alongside Italian beauty Sophia Loren in 1961

One of the last times Heston was seen on screen was when Michael Moore interviewed him as NRA president in the film Bowling for Columbine which was released in 2002.

The award-winning film explored what Moore suggested were the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns.

Heston stepped down in 2003 on grounds of ill-health, telling members his five years in office were "quite a ride ... I loved every minute of it."

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour, that same year.

"The largeness of character that comes across the screen has also been seen throughout his life," President George W. Bush said at the time.

Heston was an impassioned tennis fan and made a great effort to attend every Wimbledon. He was pictured at the men's final last year.

When he was made a full member of the All England Club in 1991, he described it as "one of the supreme honours" of his life.

Apart from his widow, he leaves two children and two grandchildren.

A family statement said: "To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life.

"No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession and to his country.

"In his own words, 'I have lived such a wonderful life. I've lived enough for two people'."