Humanist profile

Humanist, May-June, 2004

"I'm depressed that once children are born they're so often neglected.... Our responsibility should be with children, not merely with embryos."

--Peter Ustinov, from an interview with Warren Allen Smith reported in Celebrities in Hell, 2002.

Peter Ustinov, an Oscar-winning actor, writer, and raconteur who referred to himself as "a citizen of the world" died at the age of 82 in Switzerland on March 28, 2004. Born in London to a family of mixed ethnicity, Ustinov described himself as "ethnically filthy, and proud of it."

A writer of plays, books, and film scripts, Ustinov also directed and starred in numerous films, plays, and operas and was the winner of two Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards, one for his performance in Spartacus (1960) and the other for his performance in Topkapi (1964). In 1971 he became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and spent thirty years traveling around the world to bring attention to children's needs.

In June 1990 Queen Elizabeth II knighted Ustinov for his artistic and humanitarian accomplishments. The following year, Ustinov became president of the World Federalist Movement, a non-governmental organization that strives for peace through world law. For his continual efforts to build friendship and understanding between all nations and generations, Ustinov received the UNICEF Medal for Distinguished Service in 1993.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in a tribute to Ustinov, said his talents had given delight to millions around the world. He added that he joined Ustinov's admirers "in giving thanks for the life of this incurable optimist, remarkable world citizen, and steadfast friend of the United Nations." German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer spoke of him as "a great personality, a great humanist but above all a great humorist."

Ustinov was a member of the Advisory Panel of the British Humanist Association and was named a Humanist Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. Of his passion for world cooperation, Ustinov said, "My only real allegiance in this world, apart from civilized behavior, is the United Nations. I'm a firm believer that it's the only hope."

HUMANISM is a rational philosophy informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion. Affirming the dignity of each human being, it supports the maximization of individual liberty and opportunity consonant with social and planetary responsibility. It advocates the extension of participatory democracy and the expansion of the open society, standing for human rights and social justice. Free of supernaturalism, it recognizes human beings as a part of nature and holds that values--be they religious, ethical, social, or political--have their source in human nature, experience, and culture. Humanism thus derives the goals of life from human need and interest rather than from theological or ideological abstractions and asserts that humanity must take responsibility for its own destiny.