Ustinov, Sir Peter

Ustinov, Sir Peter

▪ British actor, author, and director
in full  Peter Alexander Ustinov 
born April 16, 1921, London, England
died March 28, 2004, Genolier, Switzerland
 English actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, novelist, raconteur, and humanitarian.

      Ustinov's grandfather was a Russian officer in the tsar's army who was exiled because of his religious beliefs. “It is for that reason,” Ustinov later said, “that I am addressing you today in English.” His father was a respected British journalist and his mother an accomplished painter. After attending Westminster School and the London Theatre School, Ustinov made his professional stage debut at age 17, playing an old man in a production of The Wood Demon. The performance was something of a portent of things to come, as Ustinov's acting career has been characterized by numerous roles in which he displayed his talents for vocal mimicry and age affectation. After a few uncredited bit parts in British films, he landed his first major screen role in The Goose Steps Out (1942).

 By the early 21st century, Ustinov had made more than 70 films in Rome, London, and Hollywood during a career of nearly 60 years. He was honoured with his first Academy Award nomination for his role as the Roman emperor Nero in Quo Vadis? (1951) and was twice the recipient of best supporting actor Oscars—for Spartacus (1960) and Topkapi (1964). Other memorable film roles include his turns as a ringmaster in Lola Montès (1955), a comic convict sidekick to Humphrey Bogart (Bogart, Humphrey) in We're No Angels (1955), Captain Vere in Ustinov's own film version of Herman Melville's Billy Budd (1962), a modern-day Mexican general determined to reclaim the Alamo in Viva Max! (1969), and Agatha Christie's persnickety sleuth Hercule Poirot in six films made throughout the 1970s and '80s.

      Despite his impressive résumé, acting was merely one of many creative outlets for Ustinov. A playwright of considerable note, equally appreciated in New York City and in London, Ustinov wrote The Love of Four Colonels (performed 1951), Romanoff and Juliet (1956; filmed 1961), Halfway up the Tree (1967), The Unknown Soldier and His Wife (1967), in which he also starred when the play was chosen to open the New London Theatre in 1973, Overheard (1981), and Beethoven's 10th (1983), a comedy in which he himself starred as the great composer. His credits as a motion-picture director include the aforementioned Billy Budd, the screen adaptation of Romanoff and Juliet, and the darkly comic Hammersmith Is Out (1972) with Elizabeth Taylor (Taylor, Elizabeth) and Richard Burton (Burton, Richard). Lady L (1965) with Sophia Loren (Loren, Sophia) and Paul Newman (Newman, Paul) was probably his best-received directorial effort. Ustinov also wrote most of the films he directed, and in 1969 he received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Hot Millions.

      Whether in print or before a live audience, Ustinov was a skilled storyteller and master of the English language. His best-selling works of prose include the short-story collection Add a Dash of Pity (1959), the novels Krumnagel (1971) and Monsieur Rene (1999), the historical study My Russia (1983), and the autobiographical works Dear Me (1977), Ustinov at Large (1991), and Ustinov Still at Large (1993). A renowned raconteur, Ustinov was acclaimed for his glib and humorous lectures and one-man shows.

      Ustinov's efforts as a humanitarian were as visibly effective as his creative output was prodigious. Ambassador at large for UNICEF from 1969 until his death, he received that organization's Medal for Distinguished Service in 1993. He was made Companion of the Order of the British Empire in 1975 and was knighted in 1990.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ustinov, Sir Peter Alexander — ▪ 2005       British entertainer, writer, and humanitarian (b. April 16, 1921, London, Eng. d. March 28, 2004, Genolier, Switz.), enjoyed a versatile career that spanned more than 60 years, during which he excelled in numerous areas of the arts… …   Universalium

  • Ustinov, Sir Peter (Alexander) — born April 16, 1921, London, Eng. died March 28, 2004, Genolier, Switz. British actor, director, author, and playwright. He made his professional stage debut at age 17, in which he displayed his talents for vocal mimicry and age affectation, and… …   Universalium

  • Sir Peter Ustinov — Peter Ustinov (1992) Sir Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov CBE (* 16. April 1921 in Swiss Cottage, Camden, London; † 28. März 2004 in Genolier, Kanton Waadt, Schweiz) war einer der international angesehensten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ustinov, Sir Peter (Alexander) — (n. 16 abr. 1921, Londres, Inglaterra). Actor y dramaturgo británico. Debutó profesionalmente en el teatro a la edad de 17 años, donde demostró su don para la imitar voces y emular diversas edades. Obtuvo su primer papel cinematográfico… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award — The Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award is a prestigious television writing award bestowed annually by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to a non US citizen under the age of 30 who dwells outside the United… …   Wikipedia

  • Sir Peter Ustinov — noun British actor and playwright (1921 2004) • Syn: ↑Ustinov, ↑Peter Alexander Ustinov • Instance Hypernyms: ↑actor, ↑histrion, ↑player, ↑thespian, ↑role player, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Peter Alexander Ustinov — Peter Ustinov (1992) Sir Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov CBE (* 16. April 1921 in Swiss Cottage, Camden, London; † 28. März 2004 in Genolier, Kanton Waadt, Schweiz) war einer der int …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Alexander von Ustinow — Peter Ustinov (1992) Sir Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov CBE (* 16. April 1921 in Swiss Cottage, Camden, London; † 28. März 2004 in Genolier, Kanton Waadt, Schweiz) war einer der int …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Ustinow — Peter Ustinov (1992) Sir Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov CBE (* 16. April 1921 in Swiss Cottage, Camden, London; † 28. März 2004 in Genolier, Kanton Waadt, Schweiz) war einer der int …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peter Ustinov — Infobox actor bgcolour = silver name = Sir Peter Ustinov imagesize = 250px caption = in The Sundowners (1960) birthname = Peter Alexander Ustinov birthdate = Birth date|1921|4|16|df=yes location = London, England deathdate = death date and… …   Wikipedia

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