Peter Sellers
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 8, 1925
- Died
- July 24, 1980 (aged 54)
- Birthplace
- Southsea, Hampshire, England, UK
Biography
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (September 8, 1925 – July 24, 1980), known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, for playing three different characters in Dr. Strangelove, as Clare Quilty in Lolita, and as the man-child and TV-addicted Chance the gardener in his penultimate film, Being There. Leading actress Bette Davis once remarked of him, "He isn't an actor—he's a chameleon." Sellers rose to fame on the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. His ability to speak in different accents (e.g., French, Indian, American, German, as well as British regional accents), along with his talent to portray a range of characters to comic effect, contributed to his success as a radio personality and screen actor and earned him national and international nominations and awards. Many of his characters became ingrained in public perception of his work. Sellers' private life was characterized by turmoil and crises, and included emotional problems and substance abuse. Sellers was married four times, and had three children from the first two marriages. An enigmatic figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he played, but he left his own portrait since, "he obsessively filmed his homes, his family, people he knew, anything that took his fancy right to the end of his life—intimate film that remained undiscovered until long after his death in 1980." The director Peter Hall has said: "Peter had the ability to identify completely with another person, and think his way physically, mentally and emotionally into their skin. Where does that come from? I have no idea. Is it a curse? Often. I think it's not enough though in this business to have talent. You have to have talent to handle the talent. And that I think Peter did not have."
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Hybrid Creatures
Movie · as participant
Talking Comedy
TV · 1 ep
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders
Movie · as Archive
John Candy: I Like Me
Movie · as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Peter Sellers: Genius at Work
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Directed By Blake Edwards
Movie · as Self
The Beatles: Get Back
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy
Movie · as Self (Archival Footage)
Kubrick by Kubrick
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Ghost of Peter Sellers
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
Movie · as The Villain Antony (archive footage)
Hitler: The Comedy Years
Movie · as Dr. Strangelove / Fred Kite (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Parkinson
TV · as Self - Guest (archive footage) · 1 ep
The Peter Sellers Story - As He Filmed It
Movie · as Self
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
Movie · as Self (Archive footage)
The Unknown Peter Sellers
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Spike
Movie · as Self
The Peter Sellers Story
Movie · as Self
The World of Hammer
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Sellers' Best
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Funny Business
TV · as (archive footage) · 6 eps
The Very Best of Peter Sellers
Movie
Muppet Treasures
Movie · as Self
Muppet Video: Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets
Movie · as Self
Koyaanisqatsi
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Trail of the Pink Panther
Movie · as Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)
Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
Movie · as Self (archive material)
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Movie · as Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith
The Prisoner of Zenda
Movie · as Rudolf IV/Rudolf V/Sidney Frewin
Being There
Movie · as Chance
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Movie · as Chief Inspector Clouseau
Kingdom Of Gifts
Movie · as The Slightly Larcenous Mayor
Mickey's 50
Movie · as Self
Rire et sourire : Le Splendid
TV · as Extrait du film « La Malédiction de la Panthère rose », 1978 · 1 ep
To See Such Fun
Movie
Murder by Death
Movie · as Sidney Wang
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Movie · as Chief Inspector Clouseau
The Muppet Show
TV · as Self - Special Guest Star · 1 ep
The Return of the Pink Panther
Movie · as Inspector Clouseau
The Great McGonagall
Movie · as Queen Victoria
Julie: My Favourite Things
Movie · as Various
A Salute to Sir Lew Grade
Movie · as Self
Soft Beds, Hard Battles
Movie · as Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder / Adolf Hitler / The President / Prince Kyoto
Flip Wilson... Of Course
Movie · as Self
The Blockhouse
Movie · as Rouquet
The Big Screen
Movie · as Self
The Optimists of Nine Elms
Movie · as Sam
Ghost in the Noonday Sun
Movie · as Dick Scratcher
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Movie · as The March Hare
Where Does It Hurt?
Movie · as Dr. Albert T. Hopfnegal
The Last Goon Show of All
Movie · as Self
Sykes
TV · as Tommy Grando · 2 eps
V.I.P. Schaukel
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Film '72
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Hoffman
Movie · as Mr. Hoffman
There's a Girl in My Soup
Movie · as Robert Danvers
A Day at the Beach
Movie · as Stallholder
Simon Simon
Movie · as Man with Two Cars
Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town
Movie · as G.W. Ross
The Magic Christian
Movie · as Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE
One Pair of Eyes - No, But Seriously
Movie
Will the Real Mr Sellers.....?
Movie · as Self
This Is Tom Jones
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Party
Movie · as Hrundi V. Bakshi
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
Movie · as Harold
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
TV · as Self, Self (uncredited) · 1 ep
It Takes a Thief
TV · as Man in Harbor Records Office · 1 ep
Casino Royale
Movie · as Evelyn Tremble
Woman Times Seven
Movie · as Jean
The Bobo
Movie · as Juan Bautista
With Love, Sophia
Movie · as Self
One Pair of Eyes
TV · 1 ep
El Rey en Londres
Movie
Alice in Wonderland
Movie · as King of Hearts
The Wrong Box
Movie · as Doctor Pratt
After the Fox
Movie · as Aldo Vanucci/Federico Fabrizi
ABC Stage 67
TV · as Self · 1 ep
What's New Pussycat?
Movie · as Dr. Fritz Fassbender
The Music of Lennon & McCartney
Movie
Birds, Bees and Storks
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Dean Martin Show
TV · 1 ep
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Movie · as Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
A Shot in the Dark
Movie · as Jacques Clouseau
The World of Henry Orient
Movie · as Henry Orient
Carol for Another Christmas
Movie · as Imperial Me
I Say I Say I Say
Movie
The Pink Panther
Movie · as Insp. Jacques Clouseau
The Wrong Arm of the Law
Movie · as Pearly Gates
Heavens Above!
Movie · as The Rev. John Smallwood
The Telegoons
TV · 26 eps
Lolita
Movie · as Clare Quilty
The Road to Hong Kong
Movie · as Indian Neurologist (uncredited)
The Dock Brief
Movie · as Wilfred Morgenhall
Waltz of the Toreadors
Movie · as Gen. Leo Fitzjohn
Only Two Can Play
Movie · as John Lewis
Mr. Topaze
Movie · as Auguste Topaze
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
Tempo
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Millionairess
Movie · as Dr. Kabir
Never Let Go
Movie · as Lionel Meadows
The Battle of the Sexes
Movie · as Mr. Martin
Two-Way Stretch
Movie · as Dodger Lane
The Mouse That Roared
Movie · as Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe
I'm All Right Jack
Movie · as Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway
Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
Movie · as Prime Minister Amphibulos
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Movie
Whicker's World
TV · 1 ep
Tom Thumb
Movie · as Antony
Up the Creek
Movie · as CPO Doherty
The Smallest Show on Earth
Movie · as Percy Quill
The Naked Truth
Movie · as "Wee" Sonny MacGregor
Dearth of a Salesman
Movie · as Hector Dimwittie
Insomnia is Good for You
Movie · as Hector Dimwittie
Yes, It's The Cathode-Ray Tube Show!
TV · 6 eps
Theatre Night
TV · as The Sultan · 1 ep
The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
Movie · as Assorted
The Man Who Never Was
Movie · as Voice of Winston Churchill (uncredited)
The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d
TV · 2 eps
Son of Fred
TV · 8 eps
A Show Called Fred
TV · 5 eps
The Ladykillers
Movie · as Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson'
John and Julie
Movie · as Police Constable Diamond
Orders Are Orders
Movie · as Pvt. Goffin
And So To Bentley
TV · 6 eps
Our Girl Friday
Movie · as Voice of Parrot
Beat the Devil
Movie · as Billy Dannreuther (voice) (uncredited)
The Super Secret Service
Movie · as Sir Walter Smood / Reuben J. Crouch
Down Among the Z Men
Movie · as Major Bloodnok
Penny Points to Paradise
Movie · as The Major / Arnold Fringe
Let's Go Crazy
Movie · as Multiple Roles
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
Movie · as (archive footage)
A Burlesque on the Opera "Carmen"
Movie · as Voice narrator
The Black Rose
Movie · as Lu Chung (voice)