Peter Ustinov died Sunday night, aged 82, of heart failure in a Swiss clinic, news services are reporting.
What a remarkable career. A performer for 60 years. Although it was a slight little film, I loved him in Romanoff and Juliet. And didn’t he get an Oscar for BSA in Spartacus?
Yes, he did, in 1960, and again in 1964 for Topkapi. Details here.
I’m very sad about this. He was a class act in every respect. I loved any interview with him. Such wit and intelligence.
It is a huge regret of mine never seeing his one man show. Sigh
I just loved him pronouncing all those Russian names on The Discovery Channel’s Wings of the Red Star.
One of his great stories was about going to Russia and trying to clear the inspection. The Russian clerk would be struggling with all of the Western names: “Smm…smmmit…Smith? B…Brrrr…Brrrowwwnnn?” And then, with confidence, a name he could pronounce: “Ustinov!”, and he’d jerk his thumb, indicating he could go ahead. Ustinov claimed he got through the libnes quicker than anyone else in the company.
He was a playwright as well as an actor. Very talented guy.
He’s one of those actors I never really thought about until he’s gone.
The very epitome of a raconteur.
The world is just a little more boring for his passing.
Just a note – that was James Coco in Murder by Death, not Peter Ustinov.