Memorial Page for Peter Ustinov

Peter Ustinov (born 16 April 1921 in London; died 28 March 2004 in Genolier, Switzerland) was a British actor, director, writer, playwright, storyteller and UNICEF ambassador. He won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, wrote plays and books, directed films and became internationally known also for his appearances as Hercule Poirot.

Origins and early career

Ustinov was born into a culturally multilingual family. His background joined Russian, German, French and Italian strands. His talent for language, role changes and comic observation appeared early. He was on stage as a teenager, wrote, and during the Second World War also worked for film productions. From that mixture came a career that never stayed within a single profession.

Film and Oscars

In cinema Ustinov became known as a character actor. In Quo Vadis he played Emperor Nero; later he took on varied roles in comedies, historical films and literary adaptations. For Spartacus he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on 17 April 1961. On 5 April 1965 he won the award a second time, for Topkapi. Both awards show his strength in giving supporting characters wit, pace and their own weight.

Writer, director and storyteller

Ustinov did not work only in front of the camera. He wrote plays, screenplays, novels, essays and autobiographical books. He also directed and appeared as a storyteller, conversationalist and stage presence. His humor was often cosmopolitan and skeptical, but rarely narrow. He could describe political absurdity, human vanity and cultural difference with a lightness that was not arbitrary, but observant.

UNICEF and public life

From 1968 until his death Ustinov served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. This work became a fixed part of his public identity. He traveled for the organization, spoke about children's rights and used his fame for humanitarian causes. Alongside his art, his commitment to international responsibility remained visible. In 1990 he was knighted and became Sir Peter Ustinov.

Farewell

Peter Ustinov died in Genolier, Switzerland, on 28 March 2004. His biography includes film history, theatre, literature, humor and humanitarian work. The breadth of his career makes him hard to reduce to one role: he was actor, author, director and public storyteller at the same time.