Free Republic

I realise that it is bad form to speak ill of the dead, but really! The praise heaped on Sir Peter Ustinov since his death last week has been stomach-churning. He may well have had a gift for anecdote and he was a perfectly adequate actor; but his politics were so vile, and his judgment so warped, that it beggars belief that his death should have been met with praise such as "great humanitarian", "selfless" and "visionary". Except, of course, that it doesn't beggar belief at all. Ustinov was representative of, and admired by, a loathsome strand of thinking that...

Actor Sir Peter Ustinov dies Double Oscar-winning actor Sir Peter Ustinov, one of Britain's most respected actors, has died aged 82. Sir Peter's agent confirmed the actor had died in Switzerland on Sunday night, but could give no further details. Sir Peter starred in films such as Spartacus, Death on the Nile and Logan's Run, as well as many TV shows. The son of Russian parents, Sir Peter was famed for being a raconteur and was an ambassador for charity Unicef. Sir Peter's agent Steve Kenis told BBC News 24: "He had a breadth of vision of himself and of...

Sir Peter Ustinov, the multifaceted entertainer, globetrotting humanitarian and lively raconteur, has died at the age of 82.

Oscar Winner Sir Peter Ustinov Dies at 82 Mar. 28, 2004 By JONATHAN FOWLER, Associated Press Writer / GENEVA - Sir Peter Ustinov (news), a brilliant wit and mimic who won two Oscars (news - web sites) for an acting career that ranged from the evil Nero in "Quo Vadis" to the quirky Agatha Christie detective Hercule Poirot, has died. He was 82. Ustinov, a renaissance man whose talents included writing plays, movies and novels as well as directing operas, also devoted himself to the world's children for more 30 years as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF He died of...

<p>GENEVA — Sir Peter Ustinov (search), an Oscar-winning actor who later earned a reputation for his humanitarian work, has died. He was 82.</p> <p>A close friend, speaking on condition on anonymity, said Ustinov died Sunday night in Switzerland, where the British-born actor had lived for decades. A person who answered the telephone at Ustinov's home in a mountain village overlooking Lake Geneva confirmed he had died but declined to give further details.</p>

  The world according to Ustinov By Matthew Sweet Here is the Sir Peter Ustinov with whom everybody is comfortable: The double Oscar-winning character actor, citizen of the world and master raconteur enjoying, as the pun goes, his anecdotage: “A goat,” he breezes, “fell in love with me during a voodoo ceremony I witnessed while we were filming ‘The Comedians.’ A drunken goat, of course, it wouldn’t be a sober one. I got on to a table to get rid of it, and it climbed on to the table as well, and butted me affectionately. When the voodoo chief cut...