Nadia Benois (1896 - 1974)

Nadia Benois, mother of actor Peter Ustinov, was one of Russian Imperial Theatre's finest artists who emigrated and made a career as theatre an film set designer and worked with the Royal Ballet in London.She was born Nadezhda Leontievna Benois on May 17, 1896, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her father, named Leonti (Louis) Benois, was the owner of the famous Leonardo Da Vinci's painting 'Madonna Benois'; he was of Russian, French and Italian ancestry, and was an architect, who built several landmarks in St. Petersburg. Her mother had Ethiopian Royal ancestry. The large family of Benois lived in a grand mansion near the Imperial Mariinsky Opera House in St. Petersburg, that was built by her architect grandfather Nikolai Benois.Nadia Benois was brought up in a highly cultural environment in her family mansion near the Opera House. She began her studies in art under her uncle Alexandre Benois, who was the neighbor next door and had an art stu