Richard Henry Sellers
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Peter Sellers portrayed three characters in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove 1964, earning him an Academy Award nomination for playing multiple roles. He later received a second Oscar nomination for his performance as Chance the Gardener in Being There 1979. His signature role, the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau, made the Pink Panther franchise a global phenomenon.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Peter Sellers — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Peter Sellers by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Peter Sellers — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Richard Henry Sellers began his life on September 8, 1925, in Southsea, Hampshire, as part of a well-off acting family. His parents, Agnes Doreen Marks and William Sellers, worked in a theater company run by his grandmother. He attended St Aloysius RC College and later enlisted in the Royal Air Force during World War II. After the war, he met Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, and Michael Bentine, who would become his collaborators on The Goon Show.
Sellers made his film debut in Penny Points to Paradise 1951 and gained attention in The Ladykillers 1955. His breakthrough came as Fred Kite in I’m All Right Jack 1959. In 1962, he portrayed Clare Quilty in Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita, leading to his triple role in Dr. Strangelove 1964 for which he received an Oscar nomination. That same year, he first played Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther and its sequel A Shot in the Dark. After a decline in the late 1960s, he revived his career with The Return of the Pink Panther 1975 and earned a second Oscar nomination for Being There 1979.
Sellers married four times: to Anne Hayes in 1951 divorced 1963, Britt Ekland in 1964 divorced 1968, Miranda Quarry in 1970 divorced 1974, and Lynne Frederick in 1977. He had three children: Michael, Sarah, and Victoria. His second marriage to Britt Ekland lasted only 10 days after knowing her. He struggled with depression and mental insecurity, often claiming he had no identity outside his roles. He suffered a nearly fatal heart attack in 1964 and was fitted with a pacemaker in 1977, but refused conventional heart medication.
Sellers influenced comedy, inspiring Monty Python and later comedians. He praised Steve Martin and Robin Williams, who considered it a great honor. His performance as Inspector Clouseau ranks #67 on Premiere’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters, and Dr. Strangelove is #75. Three of his films are in the National Film Registry: The Pink Panther, Dr. Strangelove, and Being There. He remains best remembered for his chameleon-like ability to inhabit multiple characters, most notably the bumbling Clouseau and the simple gardener Chance.
Browse the complete filmography of Peter Sellers — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Peter Sellers — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Peter Sellers's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Peter Sellers — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
If You Ask Me to Play Myself, I Will Not Know What to Do. I Do Not Know Who or What I Am.
There Used to Be a Me Behind the Mask, but I Had It Surgically Removed.
To See Me as a Person on Screen Would Be One of the Dullest Experiences You Could Ever Wish to Experience.
I’m a Classic Example of All Humorists Only Funny When I’m Working.
Women Are More Difficult to Handle Than Men. It’s Their Minds.
I Writhe When I See Myself on the Screen. I’m Such a Dreadfully Clumsy Hulking Image. I Say to Myself, Why Doesn’t He Get Off? Why Doesn’t He Get Off? I Mean, I Look Like Such an Idiot. Some Fat Awkward Thing Dredged up from Some Third Rate Drama Company. I Must Stop Thinking About It, Otherwise I Shan’t Be Able to Go on Working.
I’m a Very Ambitious Person. I Don’t Believe by Any Means That I’ve Even Begun to Do What’s Inside Me. I Have a Burning Sort of Fire Inside Me to Do Certain Things Which I Know I’m Going to Do. I’m Going to Defeat All These Berks That Are Around Me and I’m Going to Do It. I Mean, I Have a Name of Being Very Difficult, I’m Not Difficult at All, I Just Cannot Take Mediocrity, I Just Cannot Take It on Any Level.
You Only Know What Happiness Is Once You’re Married. but Then It’s Too Late.
Most Actors Want to Play Othello, but All I’ve Really Wanted to Play Is Chance the Gardener. I Feel What the Character, the Story Is All About Is Not Merely the Triumph of a Simple Man, an Illiterate. It’s God’s Message Again That the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth.
I Feel Extremely Vulnerable, and I Need Help a Lot. a Lot. I Suppose I Feel Mainly I Need the Help of a Woman. I’m Continually Searching for This Woman. They Mother You, They’re Great in Bed, They’re Like a Sister, They’re There When You Want to See Them, They’re Not There When You Don’t. I Don’t Know Where They Are. Maybe They’re Around Somewhere. I’ll Find One, One of These Days.
Little-known facts about Peter Sellers — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He spoke very highly of Steve Martin and Robin Williams shortly before his death, and both comedians considered that a great honor.
He sent a poignant telegram to Spike Milligan on May 23, 1980, only weeks before his death, expressing a desire to reunite for more Goon Shows.
He became the first male to appear on the cover of Playboy Magazine in April 1964.
Elvis Presley was one of his fans and always had Pink Panther films on his airplane while on tour.
Mel Brooks considered him for the role of Leo Bloom in The Producers 1967, but it went to Gene Wilder; Sellers later took out full-page ads praising the film, boosting its success.
He was the first actor nominated for a single Academy Award for playing three different characters in one film: Dr. Strangelove 1964.
His Goon Show records and other comedy recordings from the 1950s and early 1960s were produced by George Martin, before he worked with The Beatles.
At his death, he left the bulk of his estate to fourth wife Lynne Frederick, but only £800 each to his children from his first marriage, sparking controversy.
He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
He once sent a telegram to himself at his own home, reading Bring me a cup of coffee. Peter.
He became friends with The Beatles and visited them at Abbey Road Studios; he was given a tape of rough mixes from the White Album, later bootlegged.
His portrayal of Inspector Clouseau is ranked #67 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
The Goon Show, performed with Spike Milligan, Michael Bentine, and Harry Secombe, influenced much subsequent British comedy, including Monty Python.
He was an amateur photographer and camera enthusiast throughout his life.
He was best known for playing Inspector Clouseau; a final Pink Panther film, Romance of the Pink Panther, was planned but never made due to his death.
John Cleese recalled meeting Sellers one morning when the latter overslept and addressed him in various accents before using his own, concluding Sellers had to find his own voice each day.
Three of his films are in the National Film Registry: The Pink Panther 1963, Dr. Strangelove 1964, and Being There 1979.
He was fitted with a pacemaker in 1977 for his failing heart.
An English Heritage blue plaque marks his birthplace in Southsea, on the corner of Southsea Terrace and Castle Road.
He claimed to have had a near-death experience during his 1964 heart attack, in which he saw Heaven and an angel told him it was not his time to die.
During World War II, he impersonated a commanding officer while stationed abroad and narrowly avoided being caught.
Industry professionals, particularly Blake Edwards, considered Sellers mentally ill with no real personality; he habitually assumed the personalities of his characters.
He married Britt Ekland after knowing her for only 10 days.
Late one night, he called director Blake Edwards claiming to have talked to God about how to do a scene; the result was a disaster, and Edwards joked that God should stay out of show business.
He died four weeks after filming a Barclays Bank TV commercial in Ireland that never aired.
He was voted the 41st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
His performance as Dr. Strangelove is ranked #75 on Premiere’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters.
He claimed in a 1980 Rolling Stone interview to have fathered a son by a girlfriend while serving in the RAF and abandoned them.
At his death, he was due to undergo an angiography in Los Angeles on July 30 for potential heart surgery.
He is one of only four actors with an Oscar nomination for playing multiple characters in a film, for his three roles in Dr. Strangelove.
He was awarded the CBE Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1966 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
He dated Mia Farrow for a short time in 1968.
During the late 1970s, he personally watched up-and-coming comedians Robin Williams and Steve Martin perform stand-up.
He described the voice he used for Chance the gardener in Being There as very clear enunciation, slightly American with a touch of Stan Laurel.
At his death, he was set to play Clouseau in Romance of the Pink Panther, with a script written by himself and Jim Moloney, directed by Clive Donner.
He turned down the role of George Webber in Blake Edwards’ 10 1979, which was eventually played by Dudley Moore; Sellers made a cameo that was cut.
He stars in three of the American Film Institute’s 100 Funniest Movies: Dr. Strangelove at #3, Being There at #26, and A Shot in the Dark at #48.
He is a primary influence on Sacha Baron Cohen, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, and Will Ferrell.
His son Michael recalled a brief reconciliation with his father about seven weeks before Sellers’ death.
Shirley MacLaine said of him, Past lives leaking through and confusing him in this life.
At the beginning of his career, he was advertised as a mimic and percussionist.
He lived in Gstaad, Switzerland during the last six years of his life.
While visiting The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios during filming of Let It Be, his scenes were cut from the final documentary.
He died at 12:26 am BST at Middlesex Hospital after being in a coma for over 30 hours from a massive heart attack; his heartbeat faded away in his last two hours.
His performance as Chance the Gardener in Being There is ranked #49 on Premiere’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters.
He is interred at Golders Green Crematorium, London.
King Charles III, a fan since The Goon Show, wrote to Sellers in 1975 after seeing The Return of the Pink Panther, saying he laughed so hard he wet the dress of the woman next to him.
He is portrayed by Geoffrey Rush in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 2004.
He fathered actress Victoria Sellers with actress Britt Ekland.
Author Jackie Collins based the character Charlie Brick on Sellers in her book Sinners.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Peter Sellers.
Celebrities similar to Peter Sellers — same craft, ranked by reach.
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