Peter Ustinov In His Own Words

A fascinating chance to hear the late Peter Ustinov talk about his life and career, in a selection of interviews taken from the BBC radio and TV archive.

Peter Ustinov was an actor, director, author and raconteur who won many awards in his lifetime, including Academy Awards, Emmys, Golden Globes and BAFTAs. In this collection we hear - in his own words - about his thoughts on being a writer and director, and those who influenced him. He discusses his childhood and upbringing as well as providing insights into his family. Peter, in his own unique style, also talks about his work, ageing and the future. 
 
Interviews include: Frost Over America, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 1 July 1970); Parkinson, BBC television (first broadcast 16 December 1972); Just a Nimmo, BBC television (first broadcast 25 February 1976); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 19 November 1977); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 7 January 1978); Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 6 April 1983); Meet for Lunch, BBC Radio Wales (first broadcast 29 August 1984); Bookshelf; BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 8 November 1990); The Big Question, BBC television (first broadcast 11 February 1996). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Peter Ustinov (Author, Reader) Sir Peter Ustinov was an Academy award-winning actor, writer and director. Born in 1921, Ustinov’s career started in London and led him to the stage and the screen in Hollywood, New York and Rome. He is best known for his roles in Quo Vadis, Spartacus and as Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Ustinov was also a humanitarian and served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was the Chancellor of Durham University from 1992 until his death in 2004.

Peter Ustinov was an actor, director, author and raconteur who won many awards in his lifetime, including Academy Awards, Emmys, Golden Globes and BAFTAs. In this collection we hear - in his own words - about his thoughts on being a writer and director, and those who influenced him. He discusses his childhood and upbringing as well as providing insights into his family. Peter, in his own unique style, also talks about his work, ageing and the future. 
 
 Interviews include: Frost Over America, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 1 July 1970); Parkinson, BBC television (first broadcast 16 December 1972); Just a Nimmo, BBC television (first broadcast 25 February 1976); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 19 November 1977); Parkinson, BBC One (first broadcast 7 January 1978); Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 6 April 1983); Meet for Lunch, BBC Radio Wales (first broadcast 29 August 1984); Bookshelf; BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 8 November 1990); The Big Question, BBC television (first broadcast 11 February 1996). 
 
Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ustinov At Eighty

Peter Ustinov (Author) Sir Peter Ustinov was an Academy award-winning actor, writer and director. Born in 1921, Ustinov’s career started in London and led him to the stage and the screen in Hollywood, New York and Rome. He is best known for his roles in Quo Vadis, Spartacus and as Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Ustinov was also a humanitarian and served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was the Chancellor of Durham University from 1992 until his death in 2004. John Bird (Reader) John Bird was born just after the Second World War to a London Irish family in slum-ridden Notting Hill. Homeless at five, he went on to spend three years in an orphanage before, at the age of ten, embarking on a spree of shoplifting, house breaking, vandalism and arson. Periods in jail were followed in his twenties by the birth of three of his children and his metamorphosis into a successful businessman. At the age of 45, using his own life and professional experience, he founded the Big Issue and over the last fifteen years has overseen its development into an international movement which stretches from Tokyo to Totnes.

In this much-praised interview, octogenarian Peter Ustinov talks to John Bird. The man of many talents has an astonishing range of accomplishments behind him as an Oscar-winning film and theatre actor, author of novels, plays and screenplays. He is also a raconteur, graphic artist, photographer, stage director and designer and the recipient of many humanitarian awards for his work with UNICEF and UNESCO. In this interview he talks about his hectic life and times, about family life, schools sports, the army, spying, Hollywood and radio comedy with Peter Jones, Nero and Pol Pot, God and Andre Agassi. Originally broadcast on Radio 4 in April 2001, unheard material and an introduction by John Bird is included, making it equally attractive to those who heard the original radio broadcast and new listeners alike.

Peter Ustinov

‘Very amusing’ 
Daily Mirror 
 
Beloved wit and raconteur, star of stage and screen, multitalented writer, director and humanitarian – few stars of the twentieth century were as highly regarded as Sir Peter Ustinov. 
 
From his birth in April 1921, this highly acclaimed autobiography spans Ustinov’s extraordinary career as the star of Spartacus, Quo Vadis, Death on the Nile and many other classics. Eccentric relatives, school masters and manic Hollywood moguls are all brought unforgettably to life alongside encounters with the great and the good, from Sir Laurence Olivier to J. B. Priestley. 
 
This warm and revealing book gives an enthralling portrait of a man whose unique gift of laughter made him one of the most popular and respected entertainers in the world.

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