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03-29-2004, 05:30 AM
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#1 of 25 
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Sir Peter Ustinov dies
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3578415.stm
Quote:
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 also worked as an ambassador for the charity Unicef.
Sir Peter's agent Steve Kenis told BBC News 24: "He had a breadth of vision of himself and of the world that few people have.
"He was a writer of note. people forget he was twice-nominated by the Writers' Guild of America for screenplays he wrote.
"Above all he was a great humanitarian. He was a Unicef ambassador and he valued that very highly," Mr Kenis said.
Oscar winner
For UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, said of Sir Peter's Unicef work: "(He was) among the first ambassadors who played a very important role.
"When you have the capacity to have an influence on the public, through movies or theatre, it isn't difficult to have the same experience to solve the humanitarian problem," he told Sky News.
Director Michael Winner, who worked with Ustinov on the film Appointment with Death, told ITV News: "He was a professional.
"He was a very dear friend for over 50 years. He was very caring and gave of himself unsparingly."
Ustinov played a slave trader in Spartacus
"He had this great eccentricity, he could say lines that were very tedious, but he could say them with a wit that made them interesting," Mr Winner said.
"He was the greatest mimic I've ever met, he could do any voice, he was immensely entertaining."
Sir Peter was born in London in 1921, after his father, an officer in the Russian Czar's army, refused to take an oath to the Eastern Orthodox church because he was a Protestant.
60-year career
Educated at the Westminster School in London, he left at 16 because he hated it, but had almost instant success on the London stage. His first play was staged when he was only 19.
During his time in the army in World War II he was batman to actor David Niven. The pair were to become lifelong friends.
His acting career lasted more than 60 years, and included Academy Awards for two supporting roles - in 1961 for Spartacus, and in 1965 for Topkapi.
He was a well-known raconteur
He was also nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for Quo Vadis in 1951, and best screenplay for 1968's Hot Millions.
One of his most famous roles was as the Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in a number of film adaptations of Agatha Christie's novels.
As well as his acting roles Sir Peter was also a novelist and noted public speaker.
Famous for his rich, musical speaking voice, he was also fluent in French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, and could also speak Greek and Turkish.
Married three times - to Isolde Denham, Suzanne Cloutier and Helene du Lau d Allemans - he had four children.
Sir Peter was knighted in 1990.
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I know he's been great in several great films, but I have a soft spot for his Old Man with the cats in Logan's Run. He was so delightful in that.
I'm glad I went to see Luther in the theater.
Favorite film of 2008 (so far): The Fall
Favorite films of 2007: There Will Be Blood, Across The Universe, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Black Snake Moan
My Happy Rhodes MySpace page
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03-29-2004, 05:34 AM
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#2 of 25
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Oh, that's too bad. Well, he sure lived a good, long life. He had one of the most instantly-recognizable voices in the history of cinema, and was a wonderful actor. He will be missed.
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03-29-2004, 05:43 AM
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#3 of 25
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This is such a shame. I saw Evil Under the Sun early on and it became one of my favorite films, and he was a huge reason for that.
He will be missed.
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03-29-2004, 06:13 AM
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#4 of 25
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Quiet competence and decency, a worthy "celebrity"
It's funny, but recently rewatching Logan's Run, and reading about a remake, I thought about him and assumed that Mr Ustinov was long since passed away, because he was so convincing as that old man 40 years ago!
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03-29-2004, 06:18 AM
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#5 of 25
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Crawdaddy
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A great actor.
Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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03-29-2004, 06:56 AM
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#6 of 25
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Sir Peter Ustinov dead @ 82
Peter Ustinov has passed away at the age of 82. ONe of my favorite actors, he will be missed.
Peter Ustinov dies
\"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.\"
-- A.A. Milne \"Winnie-the-Pooh\"
Lance Nichols
The Nichols Collection, now showing.
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03-29-2004, 07:00 AM
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#7 of 25
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This is very sad news. Ustinov was a remarkable talent.
Adam
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03-29-2004, 07:02 AM
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#8 of 25
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Very sad news. Another great gone. Loved him in Spartacus and many other films.
RIP. 
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03-29-2004, 07:30 AM
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#9 of 25
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He'll be missed. Loved him in Logan's Run as well.
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03-29-2004, 07:32 AM
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#10 of 25
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Member
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A wonderful, unique old scamp. He lived life well.
A favorite quote: "The habit of religion is oppressive, an easy way out of thought."
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03-29-2004, 07:58 AM
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#11 of 25
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R.I.P. |
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