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- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Peter Ustinov was a two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, director, writer, journalist and raconteur. He wrote and directed many acclaimed stage plays and led numerous international theatrical productions.
He was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinow on April 16, 1921 in Swiss Cottage, London, the son of Nadezhda Leontievna (née Benois) and Jona Freiherr von Ustinow. His father was of one-quarter Polish Jewish, one-half Russian, one-eighth Ethiopian, and one-eighth German descent, while his mother was of one-half Russian, one-quarter Italian, one-eighth French, and one-eighth German ancestry. Ustinov had ancestral connections to Russian nobility as well as to the Ethiopian Royal Family. His father, also known as "Klop Ustinov", was a pilot in the German Air Force during World War I. In 1919, Jona Freiherr von Ustinow joined his own mother and sister in St Petersburg, Russia, where he met his future wife, artist Nadia Benois, who worked for the Imperial Mariinsky Ballet and Opera House in St Petersburg.
In 1920, in a modest and discreet ceremony at a Russian-German church in St Petersburg, Ustinov's father married Nadia. In February 1921, when she was seven months pregnant with Peter, the couple emigrated from Russia in the aftermath of the Communist Revolution. Young Peter was brought up in a multilingual family. He was fluent in Russian, French, Italian and German, as well as English. He attended Westminster College (1934-37), took the drama and acting class under Michel St Denis at the London Theatre Studio (1937-39), and made his stage debut in 1938 at the Stage Theatre Club in Surrey. He wrote his first play at the age of 19. In 1939, he made his London stage debut in a revue sketch, then had regular performances with the Aylesbury Repertory Company. The following year, he made his film debut in Hullo, Fame! (1940).
From 1942-46, Ustinov served with the British Army's Royal Sussex Regiment. He was batman for David Niven, and the two became lifelong friends. Ustinov spent most of his service working with the Army Cinema Unit, where he was involved in making recruitment films, wrote plays and appeared in three films as an actor. At that time he co-wrote and acted in The Way Ahead (1944) (aka "The Immortal Battalion").
Ustinov had a stellar film career as actor, director, and writer. Among his numerous screen acting gems were his unparalleled, Academy Award-nominated interpretation of Nero in Quo Vadis (1951) and roles in Max Ophüls's masterpiece Lola Montès (1955), Barefoot in Athens (1966), The Comedians (1967), Robin Hood (1973) and Logan's Run (1976). He also wrote and directed such brilliant films as Billy Budd (1962), Lady L (1965) and Memed My Hawk (1984). He was awarded two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, one for his role in Spartacus (1960) and one for his role in Topkapi (1964), and received two more Oscar nominations as an actor and writer. His career slowed down a bit in the 1970s, but made a comeback as Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978) by director John Guillermin. In the 1980s, Ustinov recreated Poirot in several subsequent television movies and theatrical films, including Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment with Death (1988), while his cinema work in the 1990s also includes his superb performance as Professor Gus Nikolais in George Miller's excellent dramatic film, Lorenzo's Oil (1992), a character partially inspired by Hugo Wolfgang Moser, a research scientist who had been director of the Neurogenetics Research Center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University.
His expertise in dialectic and physical comedy made him a regular guest of talk show hosts and late-night comedians. His witty and multidimensional humor was legendary, and he later published a collection of his jokes and quotations summarizing his wide popularity as a raconteur. He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist. Ustinov covered over 100,000 miles and visited more than 30 Russian cities during the making of his well-received BBC television series Russia (1986).
In his autobiographies, "Dear Me" (1977) and "My Russia" (1996), Ustinov revealed his observations on his life, career, and his multicultural and multi-ethnic background. He wrote and directed numerous stage plays, successfully presenting them in several countries. His drama, "Photo Finish", was staged in New York, London and St. Petersburg, Russia, where Ustinov directed the acclaimed production, starring Elena Solovey and Petr Shelokhonov. Ustinov also served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and a president of WFM, a global citizens movement. Ustinov served as Rector of Dundee University for six years. He was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1957 and was knighted in 1990.
From 1971 until his death in 2004, Ustinov's permanent residence was a château in Bursins, Vaud, Switzerland. He died of heart failure on March 28, 2004, in a clinic in Genolier, also in Vaud. His funeral service was held at Geneva's historic Cathedral of St. Pierre, and he was laid to rest in the village cemetery of Bursins. He was survived by three daughters (Tamara, Pavla, and Andrea) and one son (Igor). His epitaph may be gleaned from his comment, "I am an international citizen conceived in Russia, born in England, working in Hollywood, living in Switzerland, and touring the World".- Art James was born on 15 October 1929 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for Mallrats (1995), Hostile Environment (1999) and Raw Justice (1994). He was married to Jane Hamilton and Sandra Petron. He died on 28 March 2004 in Palm Springs, California, USA.
- Actress
Tido Fedderson was born on 7 June 1915 in Tipton, Missouri, USA. She was an actress. She was married to Don Fedderson. She died on 28 March 2004 in Palm Springs, California, USA.- Kurôemon Onoe was born on 22 January 1922. He was an actor, known for Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955) and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956). He died on 28 March 2004 in Hawaii, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Inez Matthews was born on 23 August 1917 in Ossining, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Porgy and Bess (1959). She was married to Ulysses Jackson. She died on 28 March 2004 in The Bronx, New York, USA.- Edmondo Tieghi was born on 17 May 1930 in Ferrara, Italy. He was an actor, known for La Cage aux Folles (1978), La malavita attacca. La polizia risponde. (1977) and Day of Violence (1977). He died on 28 March 2004 in Rome, Italy.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Throughout the 1920s, vaudeville child star Sylvia Froos was billed as "Baby Sylvia." In 1927 she appeared in two talking films six months before The Jazz Singer (1927). Froos began her professional career in Baltimore in 1920 at the age of seven, and soon became a successful Vaudeville singer. Before her, there were no other family members in show business. Her devoted mother traveled the vaudeville circuit with Baby Sylvia. In her teen years, she became known as "The Little Princess of Song," and under that billing made two all-talking short subjects for the Vitaphone Corporation that were released in April 1927 - a half year before the premiere of The Jazz Singer (1927). Her career blossomed in the 1930s when she had her own radio program on NBC. During that period, Froos began appearing as a featured vocalist on other shows with the likes of Al Jolson, Fred Allen, Paul Whiteman, Johnny Green, Harry Richman, as well as many other big name artists of the time. In about 1930, she also began making phonograph records for the Crown and Victor record companies. Among the songs she recorded were "Penthouse Serenade," "You Didn't Know the Music" and "Who's Your Little Who-Zis!" In 1933, Froos appeared -- and received higher billing than Shirley Temple -- in "Fox Follies," which was eventually released as Stand Up and Cheer! (1934) Although originally cast as the sister of Madge Evans in the feature film, Froos ultimately appeared as a musical performer singing two numbers - "This is Our Last Night Together" (to heart throb John Boles) and "Broadway's Gone Hill Billy," which she sang while dressed in a cowboy outfit. According to a story retold by Froos shortly before her death, because of their youth, Froos, Temple and their mothers reportedly went together to the courthouse to secure working papers to appear in the movies. Froos made several other movie shorts for Vitaphone (released through Warner Brothers), Educational (released through Fox), and Mentone Productions (released through Universal). The shorts for Vitaphone included Rambling 'Round Radio Row #2 (1932), Eddie Duchin & Orchestra (1933), and "Soft Drinks and Sweet Music" (1934) with Georgie Price. In "Rambling 'Round Radio Row (1932/I)" Froos plays a celebrated singer who is stalked by cameramen. In her boudoir she sings to her real-life mother. Sylvia's older sister, Betty, made an attempt at a career in show business, and played the Keith Circuit. In order to avoid comparison to her sister, she used the name Betty Fraser. In the mid-1930s, as vaudeville's luster was waning in the United States, Sylvia traveled to England, where the genre was still popular. There, she played at the Victoria Palace Theater and also appeared on television, long before that medium became familiar to American audiences. In the early 1940s, Froos made about half a dozen "Soundies," an early version of music videos, including "Let's Dream This One Out, "Can't Seem to Laugh Anymore" and "The Wise Old Owl." These 3-minute films were produced solely for playing in a Panoram machine, which was a type of video jukebox. Patrons would pay 10 cents and get to hear the song as well as see the performer on a small screen. Froos enjoyed life on the ocean, and appeared on many grand ships. Her last appearance on phonograph records was about 1950, when she performed under the Jubilee label. One of the songs, "A Satchel and a Seck," a parody of A Bushel & a Peck, was sung with a young Allan Sherman, more than 10 years before he gained national prominence with his own song parody, "Hello Muddah-Hello Faddah." Sherman wrote special material, including parodies, for Froos' night club act. In her last years, Froos developed a following among New York musicians and theatrical people; many connected with the Vitaphone Project and the Friends of Old Time Radio Club. Miss Froos was interviewed in the TV documentary Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002) written by Leonard Maltin and John Griffin for Turner Classic Movies. When Froos' film shorts began appearing on cable TV, it inspired a new bout of fan mail for her later years. Her national Fan Club was based in San Francisco. The year before she died, the Princess of Song could still sing. Andrea Marcovicci encouraged Sylvia to join her in song during her show in the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel in NY. Upon hearing Froos' death, singer Michael Feinstein wrote, "Sylvia was a remarkable lady who touched my heart with her kindness and straight forward manner."- Writer
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Sôji Ushio was born on 4 December 1921 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a writer and producer, known for Spectreman (1971), Kaiketsu Raion Maru (1972) and Lion Maru G (2006). He died on 28 March 2004 in Mitaka, Japan.- Animation Department
- Director
- Writer
Sergey Kositsyn was born on 21 December 1955. He was a director and writer, known for Teremok (1995), Brek! (1985) and The Boatswain and The Parrot (1982). He died on 28 March 2004 in Moscow, Russia.- Howard Mawson was born on 23 May 1920 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Festival (1960) and First Person (1960). He died on 28 March 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.