Tributes pour in for late great Ustinov

Tributes have poured in for Peter Ustinov, who died in Switzerland today, at the age of 82.

A close friend said Ustinov died last night. The British-born actor had lived in Switzerland for decades.

Today chat show host Michael Parkinson said Ustinov was one of his favourite interviewees.

“He was quite obviously one of the greatest all-rounders of our time,” he said.

“A very civilised and engaging human being, Peter was also a good writer and actor, a wonderful raconteur and as such, God’s gift to the talk show host. When I look back at those I’ve interviewed, he’s in my top five.

“It was an honour to meet him, and all that aside, he was just an exceedingly nice man.”

Roger Moore, a fellow goodwill ambassador for Unicef, joined the tributes.

“Peter was a man of extraordinary talents, but the greatest talent of all was his ability to help those less fortunate, particularly children,” he said.

“He was an inspiration to us all at Unicef and he can never be replaced.”