--- name: "Peter Ustinov" canonical: "https://film.one/person/peter-ustinov" roles: ["Actor"] born: "16 April 1921" died: "28 March 2004" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 70 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-20T03:41:46.774984+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Peter Ustinov Actor. Born 16 April 1921 in Camden, London, England, UK. Died 28 March 2004. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 16 April 1921, Camden, London, England, UK - **Died:** 28 March 2004 - **Active:** 1951–1960 - **Also known as:** Sir Peter Ustinov, Питер Устинов, Peter Alexander Baron Von Ustinow, پیتر اوستینوف - **Frequently works with:** [Deborah Kerr](https://film.one/person/deborah-kerr.md) - **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 2 nominated) - **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 65 (1), 1960s 74 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ustinov, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55796, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001811/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14501 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Sundowners*](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md) (74) - **HBO Max:** [*Quo Vadis*](https://film.one/film/quo-vadis.md) (65) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Peter Ustinov > A large man who played men who wanted an audience and were afraid of losing it. Ustinov is funniest when the fear shows, in a Nero forever composing and in a drover who was once a sailor; ask him for plain sincerity and he can look foolish. Nero in *Quo Vadis* (1951) finishes a verse of majestic badness, wet-eyed, and looks about the court for the applause. It comes, because the alternative is death, and Ustinov accepts it as though he had earned it. That look is the thing he did that other actors did not. His men perform for whoever happens to be watching, and somewhere behind the performance they are frightened of what happens when it stops. Nero fears the silence. Rupert Venneker in *The Sundowners* (1960), an ex-ship's officer who has decided not to be anything since, fears that being fond of people might commit him to staying with them. He came up in British theatre and revue in the late 1930s, and the revue never left him: he had an ear for accents and dialects in several languages and used them. Nero made him a Hollywood character actor at thirty, and the 1960s were the run: the slave dealer Lentulus Batiatus in Kubrick's *Spartacus* (1960), Venneker the same year, *Billy Budd* (1962), which he adapted, directed and played Captain Vere in, and the thief Arthur Simon Simpson in *Topkapi* (1964). From *Death on the Nile* (1978) he was Hercule Poirot, six times, and for a generation that is who he was. What works is the comedy, and it works best when someone else in the shot is not laughing. Leo Genn's Petronius flatters Nero in a voice so dry the flattery curdles, and Ustinov takes every insult as a compliment; Glynis Johns's Mrs Firth sets about Venneker with the directness of a woman who has run a bar for years, and Ustinov spends a beat working out whether he has just been insulted. He needs a straight face across the table. When Rome burns we laughed out loud, and not at him: he and Mervyn LeRoy put the ridiculousness and the danger of the man in the same shot, and the laugh has fright in it. The old complaint is that he could not do intense feeling without looking foolish, and *Quo Vadis* is usually the exhibit. We half agree. The wet eyes over the poem are funny because they are sincere, and we are not sure Ustinov could have switched the joke off had a director asked. Few did. He was cast, for the rest of his career, as the eccentric in the corner of somebody else's epic, and he was too good at it to be offered much else. He said drama was "an escape road from the dismal rat race of school", and he treated it like one. Start with *Quo Vadis*, at home, and walk through the middle hour; stay for every scene he is in. Then *The Sundowners*, where for once the film around him is as good-natured as he is. He was better in small doses in large films, which is roughly how he arranged things. ## Biography Peter Ustinov was an English actor, writer and director. He was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinow on 16 April 1921 in Camden, London, and died on 28 March 2004. Ustinov made his screen debut in the 1940s and appeared in numerous films and television productions. He played the Roman emperor Nero in *Quo Vadis* (1951), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. He later won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in *Spartacus* (1960) and *Topkapi* (1964). He was also known for playing Hercule Poirot in several films, including *Death on the Nile* (1978) and *Evil Under the Sun* (1982), and for voice work such as Prince John in the animated *Robin Hood* (1973). *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, britannica.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *The Sundowners* (1960), Fi1m 74, as Rupert Venneker — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md) - *Quo Vadis* (1951), Fi1m 65, as Nero — [page](https://film.one/film/quo-vadis.md) ## Complete filmography (123) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Winter Solstice* (2003), as Hughie McLellan - *Winter Solstice* (2003), series, Actor - *Luther* (2003), as Frederick - *Salem Witch Trials* (2003), series, as William Stroughton - *Schönbrunn - Well of Beauty* (2002), as Presenter - *Victoria & Albert* (2001), as König William IV. - *Victoria & Albert* (2001), series, as William IV - *The Bachelor* (1999), as Grandad - *Majestät brauchen Sonne* (1999), as (uncredited voice) - *Animal Farm* (1999), as Old Major (voice) - *Alice in Wonderland* (1999), as Walrus - *Stiff Upper Lips* (1998), as Horace Wiggins - *Peter and the Wolf* (1995), as Narrator - *The Phoenix and the Magic Carpet* (1995), as Grandfather / Phoenix (voice) - *The Old Curiosity Shop* (1995), as Grandfather - *Salzburg Marionette Theatre: The Marriage of Figaro* (1995), as Narrator - *Salzburg Marionette Theatre: Così fan tutti* (1995), as Narrator - *Salzburg Marionette Theatre: Don Giovanni* (1995), as Narrator - *Salzburg Marionette Theatre: The Abduction from the Seraglio* (1995), as Narrator - *Salzburg Marionette Theatre: The Magic Flute* (1994), as Narrator - *Lorenzo's Oil* (1992), as Professor Nikolais - *There Was a Castle with Forty Dogs* (1990), as Il veterinario - *Granpa* (1989), as Granpa (voice) - *The French Revolution* (1989), series, as André-Boniface-Louis Riquetti, vicomte de Mirabeau (« Les Années Lumière ») - *The French Revolution* (1989), as Vicomte de Mirabeau - *Around the World in 80 Days* (1989), series, as Wilbur Fix - *Saturday Night Clive* (1989), series, Actor - *Beethovens Zehnte* (1988), as Beethoven - *Appointment with Death* (1988), as Hercule Poirot - *Children of Ghana* (1988), as Voice-over (English) - *Peep and the Big Wide World* (1988), as Narrator (voice) - *F1 1987 Official Review* (1987), as Narrator - *Murder in Three Acts* (1986), as Hercule Poirot - *Dead Man's Folly* (1986), as Hercule Poirot - *Thirteen at Dinner* (1985), as Hercule Poirot - *La Dixième de Beethoven* (1985), Author - *Abgehört* (1984), as Genosse Kuruk - *Memed My Hawk* (1984), as Abdi Aga · Director, Writer, Producer - *Imaginary Friends* (1982), as Philip Lester - *Evil Under the Sun* (1982), as Hercule Poirot - *The Making of Agatha Christie's 'Evil Under the Sun'* (1982), as Hercuele Poirot - *Venezia, carnevale, un amore* (1982), Actor - *Grendel Grendel Grendel* (1981), as Grendel (voice) - *The Great Muppet Caper* (1981), as Truck Driver - *Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen* (1981), as Charlie Chan - *Strumpet City* (1980), series, as King Edward VII - *Through Joy and Beyond* (1979), as C. S. Lewis (voice) - *Tarka the Otter* (1979), as Narrator (voice) - *Doctor Snuggles* (1979), series, as Doctor Snuggles (voice) - *We'll Grow Thin Together* (1979), as Victor Lasnier - *Ashanti* (1979), as Suleiman - *Halfway Up the Tree* (1978), Theatre Play - *Death on the Nile* (1978), as Hercule Poirot - *Metamorphoses* (1978), as Narrator (voice) - *The Thief of Baghdad* (1978), as The Caliph - *Double Murder* (1977), as Harry Hellman - *The Mouse and His Child* (1977), as Manny the Rat (voice) - *Summa Summarum - Sondersendung zu Heinz Rühmanns 75. Geburtstag* (1977), Actor - *The Last Remake of Beau Geste* (1977), as Sergeant Markov - *The Purple Taxi* (1977), as Taubelman - *Jesus of Nazareth* (1977), series, as Herod the Great - *Not an Evening like any Other* (1976), as Antiquiätenhändler 'Billy's Kunstshop' - *Treasure of Matecumbe* (1976), as Dr. Snodgrass - *Logan's Run* (1976), as Old Man - *One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing* (1975), as Prince John/ Hnup Wan ''Hunp'' - *Robin Hood* (1973), as Prince John - A Lion / King Richard (voice) - *Hammersmith Is Out* (1972), as Doctor · Director - *Clochemerle* (1972), series, as Narrator - *Short Cut to Haifa* (1972), as Israeli Truck Driver - *The Marshal of Madrid* (1972), Actor - *Die Zauberflöte* (1971), Director - *Babar Comes to America* (1971), as Narrator (voice) - *Gideon* (1971), as Gideon - *A Storm in Summer* (1970), as Abel Shaddick - *L'Amour des 4 colonels* (1969), Writer - *Viva Max!* (1969), as General Maximilian Rodrigues De Santos - *The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant* (1968), as Narrator / All voices (voice) - *Hot Millions* (1968), as Marcus Pendleton / Caesar Smith · Writer - *Blackbeard's Ghost* (1968), as Captain Blackbeard - *Klapzubova jedenáctka* (1968), series, as reporter - *Diaghilev: The Years Abroad* (1968), as Presenter - *The Comedians* (1967), as Ambassador Manuel Pineda - *Barefoot in Athens* (1966), as Socrates - *Lady L* (1965), as Prince Otto of Bavaria · Director, Writer - *John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!* (1965), as Fawz - *The Wednesday Play* (1964), series, Writer - *Topkapi* (1964), as Arthur Simon Simpson - *The Peaches* (1964), as Narrator (voice) - *Women of the World* (1963), as English Narration (voice) - *Billy Budd* (1962), as Edwin Fairfax Vere, Post Captain · Screenplay, Director, Producer - *Romanoff and Juliet* (1961), as The General · Writer, Director - *The Sundowners* (1960), as Rupert Venneker — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-sundowners.md) - *Spartacus* (1960), as Lentulus Batiatus · Screenplay - *The Spies* (1957), as Michel Kiminsky - *DuPont Show of the Month* (1957), series, Writer - *The Man Who Wagged His Tail* (1957), as Mr. Bossi - *Theatre Night* (1957), series, Writer - *The Legend of the Good Beasts* (1956), as The Storyteller - *Lola Montès* (1955), as Circus Master - *Folio* (1955), series, Actor - *We're No Angels* (1955), as Jules - *The Moment of Truth* (1955), as The Marshall · Writer - *Beau Brummell* (1954), as George, Prince of Wales - *The Egyptian* (1954), as Kaptah - *Le Plaisir* (1952), as Narrator (uncredited) (voice) (English edit) - *The Magic Box* (1952), as Industry Man - *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Socrates, Gideon, Abel Shaddick - *Quo Vadis* (1951), as Nero — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/quo-vadis.md) - *Hotel Sahara* (1951), as Emad - *Odette* (1950), as Lt. Alex Rabinovich - *Sunday Night Theatre* (1950), series, Writer - *Under Capricorn* (1949), Screenplay - *Private Angelo* (1949), as Pvt. Angelo · Producer, Director, Screenplay - *Vice Versa* (1948), Producer, Director, Writer - *School for Secrets* (1946), Director, Writer, Producer - *The True Glory* (1945), as Commentator - *The Way Ahead* (1944), as Rispoli · Screenplay - *The New Lot* (1943), as Keith · Writer - *Let the People Sing* (1942), as Dr. Bentika - *The Goose Steps Out* (1942), as Krauss - *One of Our Aircraft Is Missing* (1942), as The Priest - *After Mein Kampf* (1940), as Marinus van der Lubbe - *This Week*, series, Actor ## Gallery - ![Peter Ustinov](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-44b0a3428644.jpg) Peter Ustinov — Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Sir_Peter_Ustinov_Allan_Warren.jpg/1280px-Sir_Peter_Ustinov_Allan_Warren.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Peter Ustinov](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-bb7f63fea611.jpg) Peter Ustinov — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Oliver_Mark_-_Peter_Ustinov%2C_Berlin_2003.jpg/1280px-Oliver_Mark_-_Peter_Ustinov%2C_Berlin_2003.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Peter Ustinov în Întâlnire cu moartea (Appointment with Death, 1988) (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-9398cb0851b4.jpg) Peter Ustinov în Întâlnire cu moartea (Appointment with Death, 1988) (2013) — Yoni S.Hamenahem, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Peter_Ustinov_in_Appointment_with_Death_%281988%29.jpg/1280px-Peter_Ustinov_in_Appointment_with_Death_%281988%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![CEO of Tesvisio Väinö J Nurmimaa, british actor Peter Ustinov and director Matti Elo. Tesvisio's guest Peter Ustinov receives birch-bark shoes.](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-a31d53a990c4.jpg) CEO of Tesvisio Väinö J Nurmimaa, british actor Peter Ustinov and director Matti Elo. Tesvisio's guest Peter Ustinov receives birch-bark shoes. — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Peter_Ustinov_4.jpg/1280px-Peter_Ustinov_4.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Peter Ustinov](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-93ab61db64be.jpg) Peter Ustinov — Image via TMDB - ![Freiburg im Breisgau: Sir Peter Ustinov im Rombach-Center](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-0aefe4012c6e.jpg) Freiburg im Breisgau: Sir Peter Ustinov im Rombach-Center — Marlis Decker, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Freiburg_im_Breisgau-_Sir_Peter_Ustinov_im_Rombach-Center_-_LABW_-_Staatsarchiv_Freiburg_W_140_Nr._15912.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Freiburg im Breisgau: Sir Peter Ustinov im Colombi-Hotel](https://film.one/media/person/1236868/gallery-ea8c8c6779f7.jpg) Freiburg im Breisgau: Sir Peter Ustinov im Colombi-Hotel — Marlis Decker, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Freiburg_im_Breisgau-_Sir_Peter_Ustinov_im_Colombi-Hotel_-_LABW_-_Staatsarchiv_Freiburg_W_140_Nr._15913.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 2 won, 2 nominated - 1969: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Hot Millions* - 1965: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *Topkapi* - 1961: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *Spartacus* - 1952: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Quo Vadis* ### Golden Globes — 1 won - 1952: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (won), for *Quo Vadis* ### Primetime Emmy Awards — 2 won - 1967: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *Hallmark Hall of Fame* - 1958: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won) ### Other awards — 8 won, 2 nominated - Bavarian TV Awards 1998: Bavarian TV Awards (won) - Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1998: Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (won) - honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel 1995: honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (won) - Golden Schlitzohr 1987: Golden Schlitzohr (won) - Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1984: Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (won) - Order of Karl Valentin 1981: Order of Karl Valentin (won) - Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1975: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (won) - Benjamin Franklin Medal 1958: Benjamin Franklin Medal (won) - Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1958: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated) - Tony Award for Best Play 1958: Tony Award for Best Play (nominated), for *Romanoff and Juliet* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/peter-ustinov