Peter Sellers
Acting
🎂 1925-09-08
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, 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."
Cast credits(125)
Self (archive footage)
1961
Self
1968
Self - Special Guest Star
1976
Evelyn Tremble
1967
1965
Clare Quilty
1962
Man in Harbor Records Office
1968
Self
1966
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
1964
Insp. Jacques Clouseau
1963
Self
1971
Inspector Clouseau
1975
Hrundi V. Bakshi
1968
Jacques Clouseau
1964
Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage)
1982
Self
2021
Chief Inspector Clouseau
1976
Tommy Grando
1972
Sidney Wang
1976
Chief Inspector Clouseau
1978
Chance
1979
Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE
1969
Archive
2025
Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson'
1955
Billy Dannreuther (voice) (uncredited)
1953
Pearly Gates
1963
Doctor Pratt
1966
Dr. Fritz Fassbender
1965
Dr. Kabir
1960
The Major / Arnold Fringe
1951
Man with Two Cars
1970
The March Hare
1972
Harold
1968
Henry Orient
1964
Fred Kite
1959
Prime Minister Amphibulos
1959
Winston Churchill (voice)
1956
Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder / Adolf Hitler / The President / Prince Kyoto
1974
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2025
Mr. Hoffman
1970
Dr. Strangelove / Fred Kite (archive footage) (uncredited)
2007
King of Hearts
1966
Antony
1958
Dr. Albert T. Hopfnegal
1972
Police Constable Diamond
1955
Robert Danvers
1970
The Sultan
1957
Jean
1967
CPO Doherty
1958
Percy Quill
1957
1977
Rouquet
1973
Dodger Lane
1960
Self
1961
Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe
1959
Extrait du film « La Malédiction de la Panthère rose », 1978
1978
Self
1978
Mr. Martin
1960
Lu Chung (voice)
1950
Pvt. Goffin
1954
John Lewis
1962
Indian Neurologist (uncredited)
1962
The Rev. John Smallwood
1963
Imperial Me
1964
Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith
1980
G.W. Ross
1970
Aldo Vanucci / Federico Fabrizi
1966
Auguste Topaze
1961
Dick Scratcher
1973
Salesman
1970
1956
Gen. Leo Fitzjohn
1962
Juan Bautista
1967
Self
1969
(archive footage)
1992
1966
Sam
1973
Lionel Meadows
1960
1956
Rudolf IV/Rudolf V/Sidney Frewin
1979
Sonny MacGregor
1957
1956
1963
Voice of Parrot
1953
Sir Walter Smood / Reuben J. Crouch
1953
1969
Major Bloodnok
1952
Assorted
1956
Wilfred Morgenhall
1962
1965
Multiple Roles
1951
The Villain Antony (archive footage)
2013
Himself (archive footage)
2014
1954
1959
(archive footage)
1951
Voice narrator
1951
Self (archive footage)
2005
1957
Self
1985
Hector Dimwittie
1957
Self
1975
Self (Archival Footage)
2020
Self (archive material)
1981
Self (archive footage)
2023
Himself (Archive)
2018
Self (archive footage)
2004
Various
1975
Queen Victoria
1975
1969
Self
1973
Self
2021
Self
1985
Self
1974
Himself
1996
Self
1972
1964
Self (Archive footage)
2001
Himself
1995
Narrator (voice)
1965
1957
The Slightly Larcenous Mayor
1978
Self (archive footage)
1992
1990
Himself
2003
