British actor Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004) was Poirot, for many. But he had a long career in which he played many more historical roles than just the 1930s Agatha Christie detective, including a best supporting actor Oscar win for Spartacus (1960) (he also won for modern-set Topkapi). Let’s take a look at his frock flick oeuvre — which, sadly, includes a few instances of yellow and brownface.
As always, there are a few films for which I can’t find images:
- Duke Francis of Luneberg in Martin Luther (1953)
- Peer Gynt in Peer Gynt (1954)
Industry Man – Connaught Rooms in The Magic Box (1951)
A biopic about William Friese-Greene, an early photographer who also invented cameras.
Nero in Quo Vadis (1951)
A religious epic historical film set during the final years of famously terrible Roman Emperor Nero.
Kaptah in The Egyptian (1954)
Per IMDB, “In ancient Egypt, a poor orphan becomes a genial physician and is eventually appointed at the Pharaoh’s court where he witnesses palace intrigues and learns dangerous royal secrets.” Kaptah is the physician’s servant.
George, Prince of Wales in Beau Brummell (1954)
A biopic about the famous Regency-era dandy, which I tried and failed to watch.
Jules in We’re No Angels (1955)
A Christmas comedy film set in 1895, about escaped convicts in French Guiana.
Circus Master in Lola Montès (1955)
A biopic of the Irish dancer/actress/courtesan, which Trystan didn’t enjoy.
Don Alfonso Pugliesi in I girovaghi (1956)
AKA “The Wanderers.” The life of a family of Italian marionettists (marionetteers?) is changed when silent film arrives.
Dr. Samuel Johnson in Omnibus: “Life of Samuel Johnson” (1957)
An American educational variety show. Ustinov won an Emmy for his portrayal of the English writer and lexicographer.
?? in Omnibus: “The Empty Chair” (1958)
“After the French Revolution, a tyrant ropes off a velvet chair in his palace and decrees that no one must ever sit in it, under penalty of death. Ultimately he is goaded by his subjects into sitting in the chair himself,” per IMDB.
Batiatus in Spartacus (1960)
A biopic about the slave/gladiator who led a revolt in ancient Rome. Batiatus is the gladiator school owner.
Rupert Venneker in The Sundowners (1960)
Per Wikipedia, “a 1920s Australian outback family torn between the father’s desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife and son’s desire to settle in one place.”
Edwin Fairfax Vere – Post Captain Royal Navy in Billy Budd (1962)
A historical adventure film based on the Melville story, about a man pressed into the British navy in 1797.
Prince Otto of Bavaria in Lady L (1965)
A comedy in which an elderly English duchess (Sophia Loren) reflects on her love life.
Socrates in Barefoot in Athens (1966)
A Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie about the Greek philosopher’s trial.
Captain Blackbeard in Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
A Disney comedy film in which the ghost of the famous pirate starts haunting a modern-day track coach.
Gideon in Gideon (1971)
A TV movie: “The Angel of God and an ordinary shepherd named Gideon debate obedience versus disobedience to God” (IMDB).
Lord North & King George III in The American Revolution 1770-1783: A Conversation with Lord North (1971)/The Last King of America (1973)
Per IMDB, episode 1 is “A Peabody Award winning production from CBS, with Eric Sevareid interviewing Peter Ustinov – who improvises all of his answers fully in character as Lord North.” So guessing episode 2 is the same, but with Ustinov as George III?
Hnup Wan in One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing (1975)
A Disney comedy film set in the 1920s, about the theft of a dinosaur skeleton from a museum. Aaaand we’ve got balls-out yellowface. Not good, Ustinov!
Dr. Ewing T. Snodgrass in Treasure of Matecumbe (1976)
Another Disney film: “In 1869 Kentucky, a young boy and his friends set out to find a treasure chest hidden by his late father in the Florida Everglades during the Civil War” (per IMDB). Snodgrass is a snake oil salesman.
Herod the Great in Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
An epic TV series, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, about the life and death (and resurrection) of Jesus.
Markov in The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977)
A satire of the Beau Geste films, about the French foreign legion, set in the 1920s.
Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile (1978)
Ustinov’s first round as the 1930s Belgian detective in this Agatha Christie murder mystery adaptation.
The Caliph in The Thief of Baghdad (1978)
A fantasy film set in ancient Persia. Brownface turn #2 for Ustinov, who is racking them up.
King Edward VII in Strumpet City (1980)
An “ambitious and expensive” (Wikipedia) Irish TV series, about interconnecting lives in Dublin from 1907-14.
Hercule Poirot in Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Round #2 as the Agatha Christie detective!
Philip Lester in Imaginary Friends (1982)
A TV movie set in the 1930s.
Abdi Aga in Memed My Hawk (1984)
“In 1920s Turkey, Memed, a young peasant, and his childhood sweetheart, Hatçe, are in love. However, a feudal landlord wants the girl for his own son. Consequently, the young lovers elope, and Memed becomes a brigand, now waging war against feudal landlords,” per Wikipedia.
Hercule Poirot in Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
After doing the two feature films as the Agatha Christie detective, Ustinov now started playing him for TV movies.
Hercule Poirot in Dead Man’s Folly (1986)
Another TV movie.
Hercule Poirot in Murder in Three Acts (1986)
Yet another TV movie!
Hercule Poirot in Appointment with Death (1988)
Ustinov’s last appearance as Poirot, and back to a feature film!
Ludwig van Beethoven in Beethovens Zehnte (1988)
All I’ve got is a TV movie about Beethoven!
Detective Wilbur Fix in Around the World in 80 Days (1989)
A TV miniseries adaptation of the Jules Verne adventure story.
André-Boniface-Louis Riquetti, vicomte de Mirabeau in La révolution française (1989)
I don’t remember Ustinov being in this FABULOUS two-part film about the French Revolution, but it’s been a while!
Grandfather in The Old Curiosity Shop (1995)
A Disney TV movie adaptation of the Dickens novel.
Horace in Stiff Upper Lips (1997)
A film that parodies British historical films like Merchant/Ivory.
King William IV in Victoria & Albert (2001)
A TV miniseries about the early life/reign of Queen Victoria.
William Stoughton in Salem Witch Trials (2002)
A TV miniseries dramatizing the famous witch trials in 1690s Massachusetts.
Frederick the Wise in Luther (2003)
A biopic about the 16th-century Protestant reformer.
Which is your favorite of Peter Ustinov’s historical performances?
Honestly, my favorite role of his is Prince John in Disney’s animated Robin Hood. He also voiced King Richard at the end. I know the movie is not truly historical, but it’s just so charming!
Yesssss, that one! Love his Prince John!
“Murder in Three Acts”, “Thirteen at Dinner” and “Dead Man’s Folly” were all set in modern day 1980s. Why are they on this list?
Oh you missed my favourite!
“Hot Millions” stars Peter Ustinov AND the beautiful Maggie Smith AND what I understand to be the only existing film footage of London’s Swinging ’60s Apple Boutique (that’s Mod, not iPod) in a white collar crime caper. Also featured – a then state-of-the-art UNIVAX the size of a room.
His autobiography “Dear Me” is a fun and interesting read, too. He was a whole lot more than Hercule Poirot!
Captain Vere in Billy Budd! With Terrence Stamp as Billy.
I watch “We’re No Angels” every Christmas time, I love him in it so much!
Ustinov had Ethiopian ancestry through his paternal grandmother.
Grew up loving Peter Ustinov and his films. Didn’t care if he wore brown face or yellow face or any other colour face. Just loved the mobility of his face (we had his book of facial expressions called ‘Diplomats’), his voice and his ability to mimic accents. Impossible to choose a favourite performance.
I had the pleasure of seeing him in London in 1983. He was in Beethoven’s 10th, a play of his own creation as I remember. Ustinov was wonderful and the play enjoyable. He seemed to be the consummate actor. An event I’ll never forget.
Dear Sir Peter – was any man more perfectly suited to embody gentleman of substance from the Georgian to the Modern? (On a related note, His Late Majesty George IV is one of the few historic characters one can absolutely imagine referring to Man’s Best Friend as “Puppers!”).
Also, Mr Pierce Brosnan: as annoyingly-handsome as Mr Stewart Granger or even more so? DISCUSS.
What an amazing actor – no, what an amazing human Sir Peter was! I was going to jump up and shout about a couple of my favourite movies being missing, until I realised they were not technically Frock Flicks, being contemporary to when they were filmed, like Topkapi and The Way Ahead :)
There’s a funny story about British class systems and more specifically the British Army’s ban on fraternizing between officers and enlisted men. Sir Peter (a private at the time) was working with David Niven (a Lt Colonel) on The Way Ahead. Sir Peter was writing the script and Niven was the star. Since Niven was an officer, he could not socialise with a lowly private. In order to work around this restriction, Ustinov was assigned as Niven’s batman (officer’s personal servant).
Ustinov was also a very prolific writer and documentarian.
I’m absolutely delighted that they teamed up for DEATH ON THE NILE – and can only hope the social pyramid did not impede their work on this particular production.
Hi, ED, The Way Ahead (released in the US as The Immortal Battalion) was a very successful film. It was filmed during WWII and was part of the British war effort (i.e., propaganda) to maintain morale. It covers all the standard war movie tropes, where recruits from diverse backgrounds have a hard time during training but learn to overcome challenges by working together and then successfully engage the enemy army.