Oscar-winning actor Charlton Heston, 78, said his doctors have told him he has a neurological disorder consistent with Alzheimer's disease

Heston, who played Moses in "The Ten Commandments," said in a videotaped announcement: "For an actor there is no greater loss than the loss of his audience. I can part the Red Sea, but I can't part with you, which is why I won't exclude you from this stage in my life."

Heston, former president of the Screen Actors Guild and a leading figure in the political debate over gun control, said for now he would continue leading a normal life.

"If you see a little less spring in my step, if your name fails to leap to my lips, you'll know why," he said. "And if I tell you a funny story for the second time, please laugh anyway."

Other sources: Heston News Conference