Peter Sellers
Photo: HRT press
Country: United Kingdom
Gender: M
Birthday: 1925-09-08
Died: 1980-07-24
Biography
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 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."
Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Sellers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Actor:
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1. London Entertains (1951), film...Self
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2. Penny Points to Paradise (1951), film...The Major / Arnold Fringe
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3. Let's Go Crazy (1951), film
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4. Down Among the Z Men (1952), film...Colonel Bloodnok
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5. The Ladykillers (1955), film...Harry Robinson
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6. John and Julie (1955), film...Chance
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7. The Smallest Show on Earth (1957), film...Percy Quill
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8. Your Past Is Showing (1957), film...Sonny Macgregor
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9. Up the Creek (1958), film...CPO Doherty
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10. Tom Thumb (1958), film...Antony
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11. The Mouse That Roared (1959), film...Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count
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12. Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959), film...Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count
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13. I'm All Right Jack (1959), film
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14. The Battle of the Sexes (1960), film...Mr. Martin
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15. The Millionairess (1960), film...Doctor Kabir
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16. Never Let Go (1960), film...Lionel Meadows
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17. Two Way Stretch (1960), film
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18. Mr. Topaze (1961), film...Auguste Topaze
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19. Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962), film...Clare Quilty
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20. Trial and Error (1962), film...Morgenhall
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21. Waltz of the Toreadors (1962), film...Gen. Leo Fitzjohn
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22. Only Two Can Play (1962), film
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23. The Pink Panther (1963), film...Insp. Jacques Clouseau
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24. The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963), film...Pearly Gates
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25. Heavens Above! (1963), film
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26. A Shot in the Dark (1964), film...Jacques Clouseau
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27. The World of Henry Orient (1964), film...Henry Orient
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...Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muf
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29. What's New Pussycat? (1965), film...Dr. Fritz Fassbender
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30. After the Fox (1966), film...Aldo Vanucci
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31. The Wrong Box (1966), film...Doctor Pratt
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32. Casino Royale (1967), film...Evelyn Tremble (James Bond - 007)
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33. Woman Times Seven (1967), film...Jean
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34. The Bobo (1967), film
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35. The Party (1968), film...Hrundi V. Bakshi
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36. I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968), film...Harold Fine
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37. The Magic Christian (1969), film...Sir Guy Grand
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38. There's a Girl in My Soup (1970), film...Robert Danvers
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39. A Day at the Beach (1970), film...Stallholder
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40. Hoffman (1970), film
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41. Parkinson (1971), series...Self
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42. Gde vas boli (1972), film...Dr. Albert T. Hopfnagel
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43. The Blockhouse (1973), film...Rouquet
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44. The Optimists of Nine Elms (1973), film...Sam
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45. Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974), film...Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder /
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46. Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1974), film...Dick Scratcher
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47. The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), film...Insp. Jacques Clouseau
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48. The Great McGonagall (1975), film...Queen Victoria
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49. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), film...Chief Inspector Clouseau
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50. Murder by Death (1976), film...Sidney Wang
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51. Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), film...Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau
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52. Being There (1979), film...Chance
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53. The Prisoner of Zenda (1979), film...Rudolf IV / Rudolf V / Syd Frewin
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...Dennis Nayland Smith / Dr. Fu 'Fred' Manchu
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55. Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), film...Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)
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...Self - On TV (archive footage)
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...Self
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58. End of the World Night (2015), film...(archive footage)
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59. The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018), film...Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)
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...Self
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61. Kubrick by Kubrick (2020), film...Self (archive footage)
Director:
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1. Mr. Topaze (1961), film
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2. Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1974), film...(some scenes) (uncredited)
Writer:
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1. Let's Go Crazy (1951), film
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2. A Shot in the Dark (1964), film...(uncredited)
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3. Casino Royale (1967), film...(uncredited)
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4. The Magic Christian (1969), film...(additional material)
Voice:
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1. The Black Rose (1950), film...Lu Chung
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...(UK version)
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3. Beat the Devil (1953), film...Billy Dannreuther
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4. The Man Who Never Was (1956), film...Winston Churchill