About Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov ( OO-stin-ov; 16 April 1921 – 28 March 2004) was a British actor and humanitarian. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Silver Bear, a Laurel Award, a Photoplay Award and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards, two Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards and a Gemini Award. In 1992, Ustinov was awarded with the British Academy Britannia Award. Ustinov received two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in Spartacus (1960), and Topkapi (1964). He also starred in notable films such as Quo Vadis (1951), The Sundowners (1960), Billy Budd (1962), and Hot Millions (1968). He voiced Prince John and King Richard in the Walt Disney Animated film Robin Hood (1973), and portrayed Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot six times for both film and television. Ustinov also displayed a unique cultural versatility which frequently earned him the accolade of a Renaissance man. Miklós Rózsa, composer of the music for Quo Vadis and of numerous concert works, dedicated his String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22 (1950) to Ustinov. An intellectual and diplomat, Ustinov held various academic posts, and served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and president of the World Federalist Movement (WFM). In 2003, Durham University changed the name of its Graduate Society to Ustinov College, in honour of the significant contributions Ustinov had made as chancellor of the university from 1992 until his death. Their paternal ancestor Jules-César Benois was a chef who had left France for Saint Petersburg during the French Revolution and became a chef to Emperor Paul I of Russia. In 1935, two years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Jona von Ustinov began working for the British intelligence service MI5 and became a British subject, thus avoiding internment during the war. Ustinov received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Silver Bear, and a Grammy Award as well as was nominated for three BAFTA Awards, two Tony Awards, and two Laurence Olivier Awards.
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