Sir Peter Ustinov Dies at Age of 82 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jenya · 03-29-2004, 11:20 AM

Sir Peter Ustinov Dies at Age of 82

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Monday March 29, 2004

Geneva — Peter Ustinov, the renowned actor whose 60-year career included Oscar-winning roles in Spartacus and Topkapi, has died. He was 82.

Mr. Ustinov, who later became a U.N. goodwill ambassador, died of heart failure late Sunday in a Swiss clinic at Genolier, near his home in a mountain village overlooking Lake Geneva, close friend Leon Davico told The Associated Press.

"He was a great man. He a human being. He was a unique person, someone you could really count on," said Mr. Davico, a former U.N. spokesman.

Mr. Ustinov's film roles included a nomad in the outback who befriends a family in The Sundowners, a one-eyed slave in The Egyptian, Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile, and Abdi Aga, an illiterate tyrant with pretensions of learning in Memed My Hawk. One of his best-loved roles was as the Chinese sleuth in the Charlie Chan series.

Mr. Ustinov won Hollywood Oscars for the role of Batiatus, owner of the gladiator school in Spartacus (1960), and as Arthur Simpson, an English small-time black marketeer in Turkey who gets caught up in a jewel heist in Topkapi (1965).

Michael Winner, who directed Ustinov in the 1988 movie Appointment With Death, described the actor as a "marvelous man, a great wit, a great raconteur, a man of the world."

"He was a very good actor but he wasn't used as an actor as much as he should have been because he became famous as Peter Ustinov," Mr. Winner told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Mr. Ustinov played sleuth Hercule Poirot in Mr. Winner's adaptation of the Agatha Christie story.

"He was forever imitating people and telling jokes, so he sometimes forgot to learn the lines, which was annoying," Mr. Winner said. "I always enjoyed being with him."

Born in London on April 16, 1921, the only son of a Russian artist mother and a journalist father, Mr. Ustinov claimed also to have Swiss, Ethiopian, Italian and French blood — everything except English.

His imposing figure, variously described as resembling a teddy bear and a giant panda, began when he weighed 12 pounds at birth and stayed with him throughout his career.

Mr. Ustinov was performing by age 3, mimicking politicians of the day when his parents invited Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie for dinner.

He was educated at the prestigious Westminster School, but hated it and left at 16. He made his stage debut in London in 1940, when he was 19.

Mr. Ustinov turned producer at 21, presenting Squaring the Circle shortly before he entering the British army in 1942.

If his plays had a continuing theme, it was a celebration of the little man bucking the system.

One of his most successful was The Love of Four Colonels which ran for two years in London's West End.

Mr. Davico, who was starting his career with Unicef, asked Sir Peter to join the UN children's agency as a goodwill ambassador after seeing the play.

"He was not just a writer and actor. He was someone who really tried to help," Mr. Davico said. "He was not only the funniest person I've ever met, but the most intelligent. He was an attentive citizen of the world."

Sir Peter later became a staunch advocate for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Mr. Ustinov's long service as a goodwill ambassador with the United Nations led UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to joke that Sir Peter was the man to take over from him.

In a movie career lasting some 60 years, he appeared in roles ranging from Emperor Nero to Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He won Academy Awards for supporting actor in the films Spartacus and Topkapi in the 1960s.

More recently he was the voice of Babar the Elephant, played the role of a doctor in the film Lorenzo's Oil, and in 1999 appeared as the Walrus to Pete Postlethwaite's Carpenter in a multimillion-dollar TV movie version of Alice in Wonderland.

No immediate details funeral arrangements were available.

Brian · 03-29-2004, 03:11 PM

This is devastating to me. He was in my favorite Disney movie of all time, Robin Hood. In that movie he played the mean Prince John. I remember seeing Spartacus a few years ago. That was a cool movie.

RIP Ustinov.

Pitooey · 03-29-2004, 04:59 PM

How sad. I love the movie Spartacus...

ponytail · 03-31-2004, 07:46 AM

Wasn't he in Disney's Blackbeard's Ghost? I loved that movie as a kid!

03-29-2004, 11:20 AM	#1
Jenya Supervisor Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: Canmore, Alberta Posts: 3,359	Sir Peter Ustinov Dies at Age of 82 Sir Peter Ustinov Dies at Age of 82 ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday March 29, 2004 Geneva — Peter Ustinov, the renowned actor whose 60-year career included Oscar-winning roles in Spartacus and Topkapi, has died. He was 82. Mr. Ustinov, who later became a U.N. goodwill ambassador, died of heart failure late Sunday in a Swiss clinic at Genolier, near his home in a mountain village overlooking Lake Geneva, close friend Leon Davico told The Associated Press. "He was a great man. He a human being. He was a unique person, someone you could really count on," said Mr. Davico, a former U.N. spokesman. Mr. Ustinov's film roles included a nomad in the outback who befriends a family in The Sundowners, a one-eyed slave in The Egyptian, Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile, and Abdi Aga, an illiterate tyrant with pretensions of learning in Memed My Hawk. One of his best-loved roles was as the Chinese sleuth in the Charlie Chan series. Mr. Ustinov won Hollywood Oscars for the role of Batiatus, owner of the gladiator school in Spartacus (1960), and as Arthur Simpson, an English small-time black marketeer in Turkey who gets caught up in a jewel heist in Topkapi (1965). Michael Winner, who directed Ustinov in the 1988 movie Appointment With Death, described the actor as a "marvelous man, a great wit, a great raconteur, a man of the world." "He was a very good actor but he wasn't used as an actor as much as he should have been because he became famous as Peter Ustinov," Mr. Winner told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Mr. Ustinov played sleuth Hercule Poirot in Mr. Winner's adaptation of the Agatha Christie story. "He was forever imitating people and telling jokes, so he sometimes forgot to learn the lines, which was annoying," Mr. Winner said. "I always enjoyed being with him." Born in London on April 16, 1921, the only son of a Russian artist mother and a journalist father, Mr. Ustinov claimed also to have Swiss, Ethiopian, Italian and French blood — everything except English. His imposing figure, variously described as resembling a teddy bear and a giant panda, began when he weighed 12 pounds at birth and stayed with him throughout his career. Mr. Ustinov was performing by age 3, mimicking politicians of the day when his parents invited Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie for dinner. He was educated at the prestigious Westminster School, but hated it and left at 16. He made his stage debut in London in 1940, when he was 19. Mr. Ustinov turned producer at 21, presenting Squaring the Circle shortly before he entering the British army in 1942. If his plays had a continuing theme, it was a celebration of the little man bucking the system. One of his most successful was The Love of Four Colonels which ran for two years in London's West End. Mr. Davico, who was starting his career with Unicef, asked Sir Peter to join the UN children's agency as a goodwill ambassador after seeing the play. "He was not just a writer and actor. He was someone who really tried to help," Mr. Davico said. "He was not only the funniest person I've ever met, but the most intelligent. He was an attentive citizen of the world." Sir Peter later became a staunch advocate for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Mr. Ustinov's long service as a goodwill ambassador with the United Nations led UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to joke that Sir Peter was the man to take over from him. In a movie career lasting some 60 years, he appeared in roles ranging from Emperor Nero to Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He won Academy Awards for supporting actor in the films Spartacus and Topkapi in the 1960s. More recently he was the voice of Babar the Elephant, played the role of a doctor in the film Lorenzo's Oil, and in 1999 appeared as the Walrus to Pete Postlethwaite's Carpenter in a multimillion-dollar TV movie version of Alice in Wonderland. No immediate details funeral arrangements were available.
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03-29-2004, 04:59 PM	#3
Pitooey Member Forum Star Join Date: Feb 15, 2001 Location: Rocking in Transylvania. Posts: 15,042	How sad. I love the movie Spartacus...
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03-29-2004, 03:11 PM	#2
Brian Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: Jun 23, 2001 Posts: 20,451	This is devastating to me. He was in my favorite Disney movie of all time, Robin Hood. In that movie he played the mean Prince John. I remember seeing Spartacus a few years ago. That was a cool movie. RIP Ustinov.

03-31-2004, 07:46 AM	#4
ponytail Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 20, 2004 Location: In Happy, Healthy, Wealthyville Posts: 4,273	Wasn't he in Disney's Blackbeard's Ghost? I loved that movie as a kid!