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 her role as detective Hercule Poirot in several adaptations of Agatha Christie's works.
Childhood and youth
Peter Ustinov was born on April 16, 1921 in London. Father - Iona Ustinov, a 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 on MI5 (security service) and received British citizenship.
Peter Ustinov attended Westminster School, where his classmate was the son of German Foreign Minister Rudolf von Ribbentrop. In his youth, Peter wanted to change his surname to a more familiar for the British - Austin, but after changing his mind.
Carier start
Even in his teens, Peter Ustinov 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. Over the next few years, he took part in several successful productions of London theaters.
After the outbreak of World War II, Peter enlisted in the British Army. The young playwright was appointed the orderly of 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 military film "The Way Forward".
Ustinov later began to appear as an actor in British propaganda films. After the war, he decided to actively engage in drama, 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 Heinrich Sienkiewicz “Camo Griadeshi?”. For this work, he received his first award - Golden Globe for Best Actor.
Ustinov continued to act actively, several films with his participation were annually released. In 1955, he played a major role in the crime comedy “We Are 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, the playwright Romanov and Juliet. A few years later, he acted as director of the comedy film version.
In 1960, the most famous film of Peter Ustinov was released in his screen career. In the historical drama Stanley Kubrick's Spartak, he played the role of Battiatus, and for this work he 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 robbery film Topkapi. Also in the sixties, Peter became interested in opera and even directed several productions.
Hercule Poirot
In 1978, the movie "Death on the Nile" was released. The picture was shot based on the novel by Agatha Christie from the series about the detective Hercule Poirot. Four years earlier, the detective Sidney Lummet's “Murder on the Orient Express” was a great success at the box office, where the role of the legendary character was played by Albert Finney, who was even nominated for an Academy Award for his work. However, he refused to withdraw in the sequel, in particular due to heavy makeup. Then the creators of the picture decided to call on the role of Poirot Peter Ustinov.
The actor is perhaps the most atypical performer of this role. A distinctive feature of the version of Ustinov is light hair color. This is due to the fact that the film was shot in an abnormally hot climate. The actor would receive a 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 like that.”
In total, six films were released with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. The last of them was filmed in 1988, when a series was already on the BBC channel with David Suchet as a 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 who became the first acquaintance with the character.
Other notable works
In the seventies, Ustinov began to work actively as a voice actor. He also often acted in films. You can highlight his work in the cult science fiction film "Logan's Flight".
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 often. He also took an active part in the activities of the organization advocating globalization and a single world government.
Last years
Until his death, Peter Ustinov continued to engage in humanitarian activities, acted as a columnist in several newspapers and magazines, continued to write plays and novels, and sometimes acted in films and voiced animated characters. In addition, he held several posts in various universities around the world, being an honorary rector and guest lecturer.
In recent years, his health has been shaken by progressive diabetes. Ustinov died on March 28, 2004 from heart failure.
Personal life
Peter Ustinov was married three times. The first marriage, with Isolde Denham, lasted from 1940 to 1950. The couple had a daughter, Tamara. The second - with the actress Suzanne 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.