Oh, flaring fire
Becoming a superstar
Final breakthrough in Hollywood came with the role of Nero in Mervin LeRoy's sword and sandal film Quo Vadis? (1951). Peter plays the part of the insane and decadent despot in such a divine manner that even decades later, namely in 1999, an invitation to the ceremonial re-opening of the restored Villa Aurea, built by Emperor Nero himself, bore the note: "This event would be unthinkable without the attendance of the original owner of the said villa."
But this is only the beginning of Peter Ustinov's career on the silver screen. Altogether he delivers 46 brilliant performances in movies and almost the same number in TV productions, summing up to a really impressive amount of cinematic work.
The next movie productions are Lola Montez (the last movie by Max Ophüls) and the comedy classic We're No Angels with Humphrey Bogart (both 1955). Additionally, Peter's play Romanoff and Juliet premiers with big success and is later turned into a movie (1961).
Peter Ustinov owes his first trip into the universe of prose to the request of an American monthly magazine: He writes a short story about the Swiss (!) landing on the moon. His story is a success, seven more follow – from that point on, writing has him in its grip. According to his own records it even advances to be his favourite among all his "conquered" arts. Correspondingly, two volumes with short stories are published until the end of the 1960s, and in 1971 Peter releases his second novel Krumnagel, which he later calls "doubtless one of my better books".
In total, 31 books from Peter Ustinov get published, including novels, short story volumes, travelogues, books with interviews, familiar quotations, even a cookbook, and other Ustinovelties.
But for now back to the movies and to the year 1960, when Peter once again slips into Latin sandals: For his role of the slave trader Lentulus Batiatus in Spartacus (with Kirk Douglas starring) he is awarded an Oscar for the best actor in a supporting role – he does not only outact Tony Curtis, even Laurence Olivier thanks him by telegraph for his brilliant performance.
In 1962, Peter returns to the theatre with his play Photo Finish. In Germany, the play is initially realised triumphally with Martin Held, and later with Heinz Rühmann. Photo Finish becomes the most staged play of Peter Ustinov.
However, a finish of his movie career is not in sight yet; the play is paralleled by the movie Billy Budd, an adaptation of a short novel by Herman Melville, and - according to Peter's own judgement - his best film. He directs it and also plays the role of Captain Vere.
The next big movie – and the second Oscar – follow in 1964. This time, Peter receives the golden figure for his performance of the grumpy crook Arthur Simpson in the criminal comedy Topkapi, where he plays side by side with Melina Mercouri and Maximilian Shell.
Four years later, Peter Ustinov explores new areas - not for the first time, but with a big opus and enormous success: He stages Mozart's Magic Flute and five years later his Don Giovanni, and takes the heart of the opera audience by storm.
But then things get criminal. With the award-winning Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile, Peter starts investigations as the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in 1978. He entertains his enthusiastic audience five more times with this character and solves mysterious murder cases in Evil under the Sun (1982), Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Dead Man's Folly (1986), Murder in Three Acts (1986), and Appointment with Death (1987).
Still, this investigative heavy work leaves him enough time for other TV roles. Peter performs in Jesus of Nazareth (1977), travels Around the World in 80 Days (1988), and plays roles in The French Revolution (1989), and Lorenzo's Oil (1992). He also produces documentaries, e. g. on Russia and the Vatican, lends his voice as a dubbing artist and performs on the stages of the world in 1990 with his One Man Show.
Sir Peter, as he is allowed to call him himself after Queen Elisabeth II knighted him in 1990, has one last brilliant performance in 2003, when he plays the prince-elector Frederick the Wise in the European cinema production Luther.
