Peter Alexander Ustinov (1921–2004) was a British actor, playwright, director, and humanitarian of Russian descent.
Born in London, the son of Belarusian émigrés, Ustinov attended Westminster School and the London Theatre School. He made his professional stage début at age 17, playing an older adult in a production of The Wood Demon.
Ustinov had established himself as an accomplished artist both in revues and in genuine drama by 1942 when four years’ army service interrupted his career. He built a reputation as an actor in films such as Spartacus (1960; Oscar for the best supporting actor,) Topkapi (1964; Oscar for the best supporting actor,) and Death on the Nile (1978,) and as a film writer and producer and a satirical comedian.
A prolific playwright, Ustinov’s works are marked by a serious approach to human problems often presented with an acute sense of comedy. The most successful of his plays are The Love of Four Colonels (1951,) Romanoff, and Juliet (1956.) Halfway up the Tree (1967,) The Unknown Soldier and His Wife (1967,) Overheard (1981,) and Beethoven’s 10th (1983.)
Ustinov’s other works include an autobiography, Dear Me (1977,) two novellas collected as The Disinformer (1989,) and The Old Man and Mr. Smith (1990.) His articles for The European newspaper were collected in Ustinov at Large (1991) and Still at Large (1993, 1995.)
In 1992, Ustinov became chancellor of Durham University, where a college was later named in his honor. He faced criticism in the early 1990s for his controversial opinions on the emergence of Russia from Communist rule and his vigorous support for Mikhail Gorbachev. Ustinov also served as an Ambassador at large for UNICEF from 1969 until his death.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Peter Ustinov
If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done.
—Peter Ustinov
In my day, there were things that were done, and things that were not done, and there was even a way of doing things that were not done.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Work
I am an optimist, unrepentant and militant. After all, in order not to be a fool an optimist must know how sad a place the world can be. It is only the pessimist who finds this out anew every day.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Attitude
Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit, they eventually find.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Criticism
The stupidity of a stupid man is mercifully intimate and reticient, while the stupidity of an intellectual is cried from the rooftops.
—Peter Ustinov
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Love, Forgiveness, Feelings
The point of living, and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Optimism
Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Laughter
It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Responsibility
Once we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our mind, our duty is to furnish it well.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Purpose
Intelligent or not, we all make mistakes and perhaps the intelligent mistakes are the worst, because so much careful thought has gone into them
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Intelligence
Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Comedy
I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best; they are merely the people who got there first.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Friends and Friendship
Unfortunately, the balance of nature decrees that a super-abundance of dreams is paid for by a growing potential for nightmares.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Dreams
Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Parents
To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.
—Peter Ustinov
I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best; they are merely the people who got there first.
—Peter Ustinov
Topics: Friendship, Dedication
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