Peter Sellers

Acting September 8, 1925 (54 years old) July 24, 1980 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."

Movies 111

8.1

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

as Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove

1964

7.3

Lolita

as Clare Quilty

1962

5.2

Casino Royale

as Evelyn Tremble

1967

6.9

The Pink Panther

as Insp. Jacques Clouseau

1963

6.9

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

as Chief Inspector Clouseau

1976

7.3

The Party

as Hrundi V. Bakshi

1968

6.4

Revenge of the Pink Panther

as Chief Inspector Clouseau

1978

7.2

A Shot in the Dark

as Jacques Clouseau

1964

6.8

The Return of the Pink Panther

as Inspector Clouseau

1975

7.9

Koyaanisqatsi

as Self (archive footage)

1983

7.6

Being There

as Chance

1979

7.1

Murder by Death

as Sidney Wang

1976

7.9

John Candy: I Like Me

as Self - Actor (archive footage)

2025

7.3

Kubrick by Kubrick

as Self (archive footage)

2020

5.1

Trail of the Pink Panther

as Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)

1982

5.9

What's New Pussycat?

as Dr. Fritz Fassbender

1965

7.3

The Ladykillers

as Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson'

1955

7.0

The Man Who Never Was

as Voice of Winston Churchill (uncredited)

1956

6.4

The Mouse That Roared

as Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe

1959

6.1

Beat the Devil

as Billy Dannreuther (voice) (uncredited)

1953

5.9

The World of Henry Orient

as Henry Orient

1964

6.6

I'm All Right Jack

as Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway

1959

5.0

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!

as Harold

1968

6.6

The Battle of the Sexes

as Mr. Martin

1960

4.9

The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu

as Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith

1980

5.8

The Magic Christian

as Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE

1969

5.8

The Road to Hong Kong

as Indian Neurologist (uncredited)

1962

7.6

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

2025

6.2

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

as The March Hare

1972

6.3

Woman Times Seven

as Jean

1967

6.1

After the Fox

as Aldo Vanucci/Federico Fabrizi

1966

6.4

Tom Thumb

as Antony

1958

6.4

The Wrong Box

as Doctor Pratt

1966

5.7

The Prisoner of Zenda

as Rudolf IV/Rudolf V/Sidney Frewin

1979

5.5

There's a Girl in My Soup

as Robert Danvers

1970

6.7

Two-Way Stretch

as Dodger Lane

1960

4.6

Soft Beds, Hard Battles

as Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder / Adolf Hitler / The President / Prince Kyoto

1974

6.7

The Wrong Arm of the Law

as Pearly Gates

1963

5.9

Carol for Another Christmas

as Imperial Me

1964

5.5

Where Does It Hurt?

as Dr. Albert T. Hopfnegal

1972

6.5

The Black Rose

as Lu Chung (voice)

1950

6.0

Alice in Wonderland

as King of Hearts

1966

5.8

The Ghost of Peter Sellers

as Self (archive footage)

2018

6.1

The Bobo

as Juan Bautista

1967

6.7

The Smallest Show on Earth

as Percy Quill

1957

5.9

Only Two Can Play

as John Lewis

1962

5.3

The Millionairess

as Dr. Kabir

1960

5.0

Hitler: The Comedy Years

as Dr. Strangelove / Fred Kite (archive footage) (uncredited)

2007

9.0

Mickey's 50

as Self

1978

6.1

Carlton-Browne of the F.O.

as Prime Minister Amphibulos

1959

7.0

The Music of Lennon & McCartney

1965

6.7

The Optimists of Nine Elms

as Sam

1973

7.2

Muppet Treasures

as Self

1985

Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town

as G.W. Ross

1970

5.6

Down Among the Z Men

as Major Bloodnok

1952

6.6

Heavens Above!

as The Rev. John Smallwood

1963

4.8

A Day at the Beach

as Stallholder

1970

7.0

A Salute to Sir Lew Grade

as Self

1975

7.0

The Last Goon Show of All

as Self

1972

Peter Sellers: Genius at Work

as Self (archive footage)

2023

5.8

Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'

as Self (archive footage)

2004

6.8

The Naked Truth

as "Wee" Sonny MacGregor

1957

4.9

John and Julie

as Police Constable Diamond

1955

6.2

The Blockhouse

as Rouquet

1973

5.0

Waltz of the Toreadors

as Gen. Leo Fitzjohn

1962

6.5

Never Let Go

as Lionel Meadows

1960

5.9

Mr. Topaze

as Auguste Topaze

1961

The Slappiest Days of Our Lives

as (archive footage)

1951

8.0

Directed By Blake Edwards

as Self

2021

10.0

A Burlesque on the Opera "Carmen"

as Voice narrator

1951

5.3

Our Girl Friday

as Voice of Parrot

1953

10.0

Spike

as Self

1996

Dearth of a Salesman

as Hector Dimwittie

1957

8.2

The Unknown Peter Sellers

as Self (archive footage)

2000

9.0

Muppet Video: Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets

as Self

1985

El Rey en Londres

1966

The Big Screen

as Self

1973

Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers

as Self (archive material)

1981

6.7

Simon Simon

as Man with Two Cars

1970

4.9

Ghost in the Noonday Sun

as Dick Scratcher

1973

5.6

The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film

1959

7.0

Hoffman

as Mr. Hoffman

1970

10.0

Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders

as Archive

2025

4.5

The Super Secret Service

as Sir Walter Smood / Reuben J. Crouch

1953

8.0

Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy

as Self (Archival Footage)

2020

Julie: My Favourite Things

as Various

1975

6.0

The Paranormal Peter Sellers

as Self (Archive footage)

2001

4.4

Penny Points to Paradise

as The Major / Arnold Fringe

1951

Will the Real Mr Sellers.....?

as Self

1969

Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace

as Self (archive footage)

2014

6.8

The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent

as Self (archive footage)

2005

6.6

Orders Are Orders

as Pvt. Goffin

1954

5.6

The Great McGonagall

as Queen Victoria

1975

10.0

To See Such Fun

1977

Flip Wilson... Of Course

as Self

1974

8.0

Insomnia is Good for You

as Hector Dimwittie

1957

7.0

The Peter Sellers Story

as Self

1995

6.0

Up the Creek

as CPO Doherty

1958

6.6

The Dock Brief

as Wilfred Morgenhall

1962

The Peter Sellers Story - As He Filmed It

as Self

2003

I Say I Say I Say

1964

6.9

The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn

as Assorted

1956

7.0

The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo'

as The Villain Antony (archive footage)

2013

6.7

Birds, Bees and Storks

as Narrator (voice)

1965

5.4

Let's Go Crazy

as Multiple Roles

1951

One Pair of Eyes - No, But Seriously

1969

8.8

The Very Best of Peter Sellers

1990

10.0

With Love, Sophia

as Self

1967

Sellers' Best

as Self (archive footage)

1992

7.0

Kingdom Of Gifts

as The Slightly Larcenous Mayor

1978

Hybrid Creatures

as participant

TV Shows 27

5.8

The Mike Douglas Show

as Self (archive footage)

1961

5.1

Film '72

as Self

1971

8.0

The Muppet Show

as Self - Special Guest Star

1976

6.8

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

as Self

1968

6.8

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

as Self (uncredited)

1968

7.4

The Dean Martin Show

1965

7.2

It Takes a Thief

as Man in Harbor Records Office

1968

7.0

Parkinson

as Self - Guest (archive footage)

2004

6.7

Sykes

as Tommy Grando

1972

6.8

ABC Stage 67

as Self

1966

8.0

V.I.P. Schaukel

as Self

1971

6.7

This Is Tom Jones

as Self

1969

6.8

The World of Hammer

as Self (archive footage)

1994

7.0

One Pair of Eyes

1967

8.4

The Beatles: Get Back

as Self

2021

Theatre Night

as The Sultan

1957

7.2

Whicker's World

1959

8.0

Tempo

as Self

1961

5.2

The Telegoons

1963

7.3

Funny Business

as (archive footage)

1992

A Show Called Fred

1956

Son of Fred

1956

8.0

Rire et sourire : Le Splendid

as Extrait du film « La Malédiction de la Panthère rose », 1978

1978