About
Peter Ustinov, born in London in 1921, was a versatile artist and humanitarian. He won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Spartacus (1960) and Topkapi (1964), and portrayed Hercule Poirot in several films. A prolific playwright, he wrote The Love of Four Colonels and Romanoff and Juliet. His acclaimed autobiography Dear Me (1977) was a bestseller. Committed to social causes, he served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for 35 years and president of the World Federalist Movement. He was knighted in 1990 and died in Switzerland in 2004.
* 1921-04-16 — † 2004-03-28
Major works
- The Love of Four Colonels (1951)play
- Romanoff and Juliet (1956)play
- Dear Me (1977)autobiography
- Krumnagel (1971)novel
- Monsieur René (1999)novel
Key milestones
- 1960Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Spartacus.
- 1968Became the first Rector of the University of Dundee.
- 1990Was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
Themes
Political satireHumanismIdentity and exileWar and peaceComedy and the absurd
Sources: britannica.com · durham.ac.uk · app.dundee.ac.uk
