Sir Peter Ustinov, who died on 28 March 2004, was a “renaissance man” who wrote screenplays and books, and directed films in addition to his award-winning acting.

An “A-list” actor for nearly 30 years, he played characters including Agatha Christie’s detective, Hercule Poirot, and a slave trader in Spartacus.

Although British born, he spoke several languages and had a colourful family background. His father had Russian and German ancestry and worked for MI5 whilst his mother was a Russian, French and Italian painter and ballet designer.

A passionate humanitarian, in later life he worked for UNICEF as a Goodwill Ambassador and fundraiser.

Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov was born on 16 April 1921 in London . His childhood was difficult and unconventional – his parents constantly bickered and his father hosted secret meetings of British and German officials at their home.

He hated Westminster School and left in his late teens to train as an actor. His stage debut was aged 17, performing his own sketches at the revue, Late Joys.

He served in the Army during WWII and featured in propaganda films starting with “One of Our Aircraft is Missing” (1942). The first screenplay he wrote was “True Glory” (1945), and “School for Secrets” (1946) was the first film he directed.

His intense portrayals of depraved emperor Nero in Quo Vadis (1951) and slave trader Lentulus Brutus in Spartacus (1961) won him an Oscar nomination and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Playing middle-aged crook Arthur Simon Simpson in the heist movie Topkapi (1964) won him a second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Amongst his other achievements, he scooped one Grammy and three Emmy awards.

Out of his 87 cinema and TV credits, he is probably best known for breathing intelligence and humanity into Agatha Christie’s comical detective, Hercule Poirot. He played Poirot in five films, the first in 1978.

Always a keen novelist and playwright, his film “Hot Millions” (1968) received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and, in 1977, he wrote a self-satisfied autobiography - “Dear me” - in which he converses with his ego.

In subsequent years, his wit made him a popular interviewee and public speaker. He became increasingly involved in humanitarian campaigning, serving as a UNICEF Ambassador. He was awarded a CBE in 1975 and knighted in 1990.

Sir Peter was a citizen of the world, boasting Russian, German, French, Italian and even Ethiopian ancestry, and a command of eight languages. This no doubt influenced his decision to become President of the World Federalist Movement in 1991.

He was legendary for his commanding screen presence, and his ability to bring depth to and generate audience sympathy with even the most unlikely characters. Those who worked with him found him a pleasure, a reason he was offered so many roles.

Yet he also had an unsavoury side, particularly his defence of the Chinese government and condemnation of US moves against Osama bin Laden, about whom he said: “You can't fight terrorism without becoming a terrorist yourself.”

A man who believed that “ comedy is simply a funny way of being serious”, he once remarked that he would like his gravestone to read “Keep off the grass.”