Peter Sellers
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."
Acting (100 movies)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
1964
The Pink Panther
1963
A Shot in the Dark
1964
Lolita
1962
El Rey en Londres
1966
The Prisoner of Zenda
1979
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
1980
Being There
1979
The Millionairess
1960
What's New Pussycat?
1965
The Music of Lennon & McCartney
1965
The Party
1968
The Ladykillers
1955
Murder by Death
1976
Revenge of the Pink Panther
1978
The Magic Christian
1969
The Road to Hong Kong
1962
The Return of the Pink Panther
1975
The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
1956
Casino Royale
1967
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
1976
Hoffman
1970
The Mouse That Roared
1959
Trail of the Pink Panther
1982
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1972
I'm All Right Jack
1959
Alice in Wonderland
1966
The Smallest Show on Earth
1957
Penny Points to Paradise
1951
The Dock Brief
1962
Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
1959
Never Let Go
1960
There's a Girl in My Soup
1970
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
1968
The Wrong Arm of the Law
1963
Waltz of the Toreadors
1962
The Battle of the Sexes
1960
Woman Times Seven
1967
Soft Beds, Hard Battles
1974
The Wrong Box
1966
Two-Way Stretch
1960
Hitler: The Comedy Years
2007
The Naked Truth
1957
Muppet Treasures
1985
Mr. Topaze
1961
After the Fox
1966
The World of Henry Orient
1964
The Blockhouse
1973
Let's Go Crazy
1951
Only Two Can Play
1962
Tom Thumb
1958
Where Does It Hurt?
1972
The Great McGonagall
1975
Carol for Another Christmas
1964
Down Among the Z Men
1952
Orders Are Orders
1954
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
1959
Julie: My Favourite Things
1975
A Day at the Beach
1970
The Big Screen
1973
The Bobo
1967
Sellers' Best
1992
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
1951
Up the Creek
1958
The Optimists of Nine Elms
1973
John and Julie
1955
The Peter Sellers Story
1995
Peter Sellers: Genius at Work
2023
Our Girl Friday
1953
Heavens Above!
1963
The Last Goon Show of All
1972
Simon Simon
1970
Ghost in the Noonday Sun
1973
Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town
1970
The Man Who Never Was
1956
Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
1981
Dearth of a Salesman
1957
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
2013
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
2001
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
2014
One Pair of Eyes - No, But Seriously
1969
A Salute to Sir Lew Grade
1975
Beat the Devil
1953
The Very Best of Peter Sellers
1990
Will the Real Mr Sellers.....?
1969
The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent
2005
The Ghost of Peter Sellers
2018
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
2004
Mickey's 50
1978
The Black Rose
1950
Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy
2020
The Peter Sellers Story - As He Filmed It
2003
To See Such Fun
1977
A Burlesque on the Opera Carmen
1951
Insomnia is Good for You
1957
Flip Wilson... Of Course
1974
Directed By Blake Edwards
2021
The Super Secret Service
1953
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
2025
Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders
2025
Directing (3 movies)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Let's Go Crazy | 1951 | Writer |
| The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film | 1959 | Writer |
| The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film | 1959 | Producer |