Charlton Heston, who won a best actor Oscar for his starring role in the epic Ben-Hur, has died aged 84, a spokesman for his family has said.

Heston died on Saturday at his home in Beverly Hills. His wife Lydia, whom he married in 1944, was at his side.

Heston also portrayed Michelangelo, El Cid and other heroic figures in Hollywood films of the 1950s and 1960s.

He stepped down as president of US gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, in 2003, citing ill-health.

The previous year, he had revealed he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer's disease.