Peter Ustinov: biography and filmography of the famous actor

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Peter Ustinov is an English actor, screenwriter, writer, journalist, radio host, director, comedian and playwright of Russian origin. Winner of prestigious acting awards "Oscar", "Emmy" and "Golden Globe". Best known to the general public for the role of the detective Hercule Poirot in several adaptations of the works of Agatha Christie.

Childhood and youth

Peter Ustinov was born on April 16, 1921 in London. Father - Iona Ustinov, diplomat and journalist of Russian and German origin. Mother - Nadezhda Benois, an artist with Russian, French and Italian roots.

After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Ustinov's father, an employee of the German embassy in the UK, began working for MI5 (security service) and received British citizenship.

Peter Ustinov studied at Westminster School, where his classmate was the son of the German Foreign Minister Rudolf von Ribbentrop. In his youth, Peter wanted to change his surname to the more familiar for the English - Austin, but then he changed his mind.

Career start

Back in his teen years PeterUstinov became interested in theater, at the same time he began to try himself as a playwright. In 1938, the stage debut of the young actor took place. In the next few years, he took part in several successful productions in London theaters.

After the outbreak of World War II, Peter enlisted in the British Army. The young playwright was appointed orderly to the famous actor and writer David Niven, who was a lieutenant general. This was done so that the young talent could help Niven write the script for the war film The Way Forward.

Later, Ustinov began to appear as an actor in British propaganda films. After the end of the war, he decided to take up dramaturgy more actively, wrote several plays that were successfully staged in London theaters.

First successes

In parallel, Peter Ustinov continued to work as an actor. A breakthrough role for him was the party of Emperor Nero in the historical epic based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz “Where are you coming from?”. For this work, he received his first award - the Golden Globe for Best Actor.

Ustinov continued to act actively, several films with his participation were released annually. In 1955, he played one of the main roles in the crime comedy We're Not Angels, where the legendary Humphrey Bogart became his screen partner. In 1956, the premiere of the most successful play in the career of Ustinov-playwright Romanov and Juliet took place. A few years later, he acted as director of the film version of the comedy.

Released in 1960Peter Ustinov's most famous film in his screen career. In Stanley Kubrick's historical drama "Spartacus", he played the role of Battiatus and for this work received his first Oscar in the category "Best Supporting Actor".

In subsequent years, he continued to work actively in film and theater, acting as an actor, screenwriter, playwright and director. In 1965, Ustinov received his second Oscar for the Topkapi heist film. Also in the sixties, Peter became interested in opera and even directed several productions.

Hercule Poirot

In 1978, the film "Death on the Nile" was released. The film was based on the novel by Agatha Christie from the series about the detective Hercule Poirot. Four years earlier, Sidney Lummet's detective story Murder on the Orient Express was a hit at the box office, with Albert Finney playing the role of the legendary character, who was even nominated for an Oscar for his work. However, he refused to star in the sequel, in part because of heavy makeup. Then the creators of the picture decided to call Peter Ustinov for the role of Poirot.

The actor is perhaps the most atypical performer of this role. A distinctive feature of Ustinov's version is light hair color. This is due to the fact that the film was filmed in an abnormally hot climate. The actor would get sunstroke with black hair. Agatha Christie's daughter told Peter that his character was not Poirot at all, to which he replied: "Now Poirot is."

In total, six films with Peter were releasedUstinov as Hercule Poirot. The last of these was filmed in 1988, when the BBC was already running a series with David Suchet as the detective. It is he who today is considered the reference performer of this role. However, for many Soviet viewers, it was the detectives with Peter Ustinov that became the first acquaintance with the character.

Other Notable Works

In the seventies, Ustinov began to work actively as a voice actor. He also acted in films quite often. You can highlight his work in the cult science fiction film Logan's Run.

During this period, Ustinov became a goodwill ambassador and an active participant in UNICEF. Largely because of this, in the last twenty years of his life, he began to appear on the screen much less frequently. He also took an active part in the activities of the organization that advocates globalization and one world government.

Recent years

Until his death, Peter Ustinov continued to engage in humanitarian work, appeared as a columnist in several newspapers and magazines, continued to write plays and novels, and also occasionally acted in films and voiced animated characters. In addition, he has held several positions in various universities around the world, being an honorary rector and guest lecturer.

In recent years, his he alth has deteriorated due to progressive diabetes. Ustinov died on March 28, 2004 from heart failure.

Private life

Peter Ustinov was married three times. First marriage, to Iseult Denham, lasted from 1940to 1950. The couple had a daughter, Tamara. The second - with the actress Susanna Cloutier from 1854 to 1971. The couple had a son, Igor, and two daughters, Pavel and Andrea. In the third marriage, with Helen du Lo Dolemans, the actor was from 1972 until his own death in 2004.