Acting
Peter Sellers
EN, FR, ES cinema · 112 credits
Born
8 September 1925
Died
24 July 1980 (aged 54)
Birthplace
Southsea, Hampshire, England, UK
Also known as A. Queen · 彼得·塞勒斯 · پیتر سلرز · Richard Henry Sellers
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
Filmography
Hybrid Creatures
Hybrid Creatures
as participant
Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
John Candy: I Like Me
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
Peter Sellers: Genius at Work
as Self (archive footage)
Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy
as Self (Archival Footage)
Kubrick by Kubrick
as Self (archive footage)
The Ghost of Peter Sellers
as Self (archive footage)
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
as Self (archive footage)
The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'
as The Villain Antony (archive footage)
Hitler: The Comedy Years
as Dr. Strangelove / Fred Kite (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent
as Self (archive footage)
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
as Self (archive footage)
The Paranormal Peter Sellers
as Self (Archive footage)
The Unknown Peter Sellers
as Self (archive footage)
Spike
as Self
Sellers' Best
as Self (archive footage)
Muppet Treasures
as Self
Koyaanisqatsi
as Self (archive footage)
Trail of the Pink Panther
as Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)
Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers
as Self (archive material)
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
as Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith
The Prisoner of Zenda
as Rudolf IV/Rudolf V/Sidney Frewin
Being There
as Chance
Revenge of the Pink Panther
as Chief Inspector Clouseau
Kingdom Of Gifts
1978
Kingdom Of Gifts
as The Slightly Larcenous Mayor
Mickey's 50
as Self
Murder by Death
as Sidney Wang
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
as Chief Inspector Clouseau
The Return of the Pink Panther
as Inspector Clouseau
The Great McGonagall
as Queen Victoria
Soft Beds, Hard Battles
as Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder / Adolf Hitler / The President / Prince Kyoto
The Blockhouse
as Rouquet
Ghost in the Noonday Sun
as Dick Scratcher
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
as The March Hare
Where Does It Hurt?
as Dr. Albert T. Hopfnegal
Hoffman
as Mr. Hoffman
There's a Girl in My Soup
as Robert Danvers
A Day at the Beach
as Stallholder
Simon Simon
as Man with Two Cars
The Magic Christian
as Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE, Additional Writing
The Party
as Hrundi V. Bakshi
Casino Royale
as Evelyn Tremble
The Bobo
as Juan Bautista
Alice in Wonderland
as King of Hearts
The Wrong Box
as Doctor Pratt
After the Fox
as Aldo Vanucci/Federico Fabrizi
What's New Pussycat?
as Dr. Fritz Fassbender
Birds, Bees and Storks
1965
Birds, Bees and Storks
as Narrator (voice)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
as Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
A Shot in the Dark
as Jacques Clouseau
The World of Henry Orient
as Henry Orient
Carol for Another Christmas
as Imperial Me
I Say I Say I Say
1964
I Say I Say I Say
Actor, Director
The Pink Panther
as Insp. Jacques Clouseau
The Wrong Arm of the Law
as Pearly Gates
Heavens Above!
as The Rev. John Smallwood
Lolita
as Clare Quilty
The Road to Hong Kong
as Indian Neurologist (uncredited)
The Dock Brief
as Wilfred Morgenhall
Waltz of the Toreadors
as Gen. Leo Fitzjohn
Only Two Can Play
as John Lewis
Mr. Topaze
as Auguste Topaze, Director
The Millionairess
as Dr. Kabir
Never Let Go
as Lionel Meadows
The Battle of the Sexes
as Mr. Martin
Two-Way Stretch
as Dodger Lane
The Mouse That Roared
as Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe
I'm All Right Jack
as Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway
Carlton-Browne of the F.O.
as Prime Minister Amphibulos
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Actor, Editor, Writer, Producer
Tom Thumb
as Antony
Up the Creek
as CPO Doherty
The Smallest Show on Earth
as Percy Quill
The Naked Truth
as "Wee" Sonny MacGregor
Dearth of a Salesman
as Hector Dimwittie
Insomnia is Good for You
as Hector Dimwittie
The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
1956
The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn
as Assorted, Additional Writing
The Man Who Never Was
as Voice of Winston Churchill (uncredited)
The Ladykillers
as Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson'
John and Julie
as Police Constable Diamond
Orders Are Orders
as Pvt. Goffin
Our Girl Friday
as Voice of Parrot
Beat the Devil
as Billy Dannreuther (voice) (uncredited)
The Super Secret Service
as Sir Walter Smood / Reuben J. Crouch
Down Among the Z Men
as Major Bloodnok
Penny Points to Paradise
as The Major / Arnold Fringe
Let's Go Crazy
as Multiple Roles, Writer
The Slappiest Days of Our Lives
as (archive footage)
A Burlesque on the Opera "Carmen"
as Voice narrator
The Black Rose
as Lu Chung (voice)