The royally-knighted actor passed away from heart failure last night at age 82. I fondly remember his portrayal of Hercule Poirot, the quirky detective of many Agatha Christie stories. A jack-of-all-trades, Ustinov directed, wrote the screenplay and starred in the 1962 movie Billy Budd. The 60's also brought him two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor. His long resume also includes three TV Emmys. What makes Sir Peter worth five stars, however, is his tireless dedication to charity. For over 30 years, he was a United Nations goodwill ambassador, especially supporting the world's children through UNICEF. He attended his last UNICEF event recently, despite being ravaged by complications to diabetes, partly blind and wheelchair-bound. Sir Peter Ustinov received knighthood in 1990.
