GENEVA, March 29: Oscar-winning British actor and playwright Peter Ustinov, one of the world's best loved raconteurs and mimics, has died at the age of 82. Author of more than a dozen books and even more theatrical works in a career spanning more than 60 years, Ustinov died of heart failure in a clinic near his home on the shores of Lake Geneva on Sunday night, his family said.

The actor and humorist, who was also well known for charity work, had been in hospital since shortly after Christmas when he was taken ill on his return from a holiday in Thailand.

"It was not a surprise, he was pretty ill. He had had a busy life and he was tired," his son Igor Ustinov said in a telephone interview. "But he certainly was not ready to go," he added.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was amongst those to pay tribute to his brilliance and compassion. "(He) was a role model for us all, not only as a great actor and artist...but above all as a man with a great heart, spirit and humour," he said in a letter to Peter Ustinov's widow, Helene.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with whom Mr Ustinov had a long association, called him one of its "most effective and beloved" partners. "The children of the world have lost a true friend," said UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy. Peter Ustinov, who spoke more than half a dozen languages, won Oscars for his roles in the films "Spartacus" and "Topkapi". -Reuters