Peter Ustinov
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".
Peter Vack
Peter Vack was born on September 19, 1986 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Bully (2006), Assholes (2017) and Send (2014).
Peter Valdron
Peter Valdron is an actor and producer, known for Covenant (2018), Drive-Through: The Story Movie (2014) and Impulse (2018).
Peter Valentino
Peter Crawford Valentino is an actor, writer, director, producer, musician and teacher living in Los Angeles, California. He has a production studio in Hollywood, where he and his team have been continuously producing quality short and feature films. Years ago, as a lead singer and guitarist, Valentino played all the local venues in Los Angeles with his bands. This led him to embark on a concert tour for the U.S. military in the Middle East and Europe. A documentary of the tour played on MTV. He still uses his broad musical capabilities for the soundtracks of his films. Peter's passion for film started with his interest in theatre. He has done all forms of acting: stage plays, live improv comedy, television and film. He moved to New York City and performed numerous shows as an improv actor. Soon after, he moved to Las Vegas where he founded the Neon Venus Art Theatre and, later, a sister theater in Hollywood, where he staged plays and coached actors. Today, Valentino spends most of his time in his production studio in Hollywood, brainstorming, shooting, and editing numerous films and music videos with his team. With three feature films under his belt, he is currently working on pre-production for the fourth feature that will be shot in Moscow, Russia. Valentino's mission as a writer and director is to create uplifting films that make people of diverse backgrounds feel empowered.
Peter Van Gastel
Peter Van Gastel is an actor, known for Dead on Campus (2014).
Peter Van Norden
Peter Van Norden was born on December 16, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Accused (1988), Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) and The Stand (1994). He is married to Wendy Edith Van Norden.
Peter Van Randen
Peter Van Randen is an actor, known for Voces (2020), Tito e gli alieni (2017) and Sed de luz (2010).
Peter Van Wagner
Born in Pittsburgh, raised in Rye, NY, Peter began acting on a dare while a sophomore at St. John's Prep. in Danvers, Mass. During his senior year he appeared as Estragon in Beckett's "Waiting For Godot." He graduated from Arizona State University and pursued an MFA in the Hilberry Repertory Co. at Wayne State University in Detroit. Peter began his professional career in Chicago at the Practical Theatre Company acting in original comedies. Throughout the 1980's he performed on many Chicago stages, appeared in commercials and industrials and was twice featured on WMAQ TV's Playwrights Festival. A New Yorker since the early 90's Peter has been active on Television, Film, Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre throughout the US and abroad. More recently he was part of the 2012 SAG Award winning ensemble of HBO'S "Boardwalk Empire". Peter also plays lead guitar for the garage-rock band, Riffmaster & The Rockme Foundation, which has been together for over 30 years. Peter won tickets from WDRC radio in Hartford to see The Beatles at Shea Stadium in August, 1966. He hitch-hiked to The Woodstock Music And Arts Fair in Bethel, NY in August, 1969.
Peter Van den Begin
Peter Van den Begin is a Belgian actor and writer whose career spans over almost 4 decades. He is known for his versatility, delivering award-winning performances both in drama and comedy as well as theater. Most recently he received international acclaim for his role in festival favorite King of the Belgians (2016), for which he also received the Best Actor award at Les Magritte du Cinéma 2018. The Hollywood Reporter stated "Peter Van den Begin plays the multifaceted figure to perfection", Variety said "Peter Van den Begin perfectly captures the ultra-composed royal placidity". He also appears in many television series, such as De Infiltrant (2018), Tabula Rasa (2017), Amateurs (2014) and Oud België (2010). Peter received various nominations for the Joseph Plateau Awards in the category of Best Belgian Actor for Alles moet weg (1996), Le bal masqué (1998) and Film 1 (1999). He also received a nomination for the Ensors in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his role in Waste Land (2014), and won two Best Actor awards (in both Film and Theater categories) at the 2017 Flemish Actors Guild awards.
Peter Vasquez
Peter Vasquez is an actor, known for Big Stan (2007), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Colors (1988).