1925-09-08 Southsea, Hampshire, England, UK
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."
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Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2025-01-24 |
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Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders | Archive | 2025-06-17 |
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John Candy: I Like Me | Self - Actor (archive footage) | 2025-09-04 |
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Peter Sellers: Genius at Work | Self (archive footage) | 2023-09-21 |
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Directed By Blake Edwards | Self | 2021-02-03 |
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Peter Sellers: A State of Comic Ecstasy | Self (Archival Footage) | 2020-05-09 |
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The Ghost of Peter Sellers | Self (Archive) | 2018-08-30 |
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Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace | Self (archive footage) | 2014-12-10 |
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The 9th Wonder of the World: The Making of 'Gorgo' | The Villain Antony (archive footage) | 2013-03-19 |
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Hitler: The Comedy Years | Dr. Strangelove / Fred Kite (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2007-05-10 |
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The Beatles: Get Back...Winter of Discontent | Self (archive footage) | 2005-01-01 |
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Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove' | Self (archive footage) | 2004-10-28 |
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The Peter Sellers Story - As He Filmed It | Himself | 2003-04-23 |
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The Paranormal Peter Sellers | Self (Archive footage) | 2001-01-01 |
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Spike | Himself | 1996-06-11 |
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The Peter Sellers Story | Himself | 1995-07-09 |
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Sellers' Best | Self (archive footage) | 1992-02-01 |
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The Very Best of Peter Sellers | 1990-01-01 | |
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Muppet Video: Rowlf's Rhapsodies with the Muppets | Self | 1985-10-01 |
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Muppet Treasures | Self | 1985-07-09 |
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Trail of the Pink Panther | Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau (archive footage) | 1982-12-03 |
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Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers | Self (archive material) | 1981-12-10 |
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The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu | Fu Manchu / Nayland Smith | 1980-08-08 |
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The Prisoner of Zenda | Rudolf IV/Rudolf V/Sidney Frewin | 1979-08-17 |
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Being There | Chance | 1979-12-19 |
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Kingdom Of Gifts | The Slightly Larcenous Mayor | 1978-01-01 |
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Mickey's 50 | Self | 1978-11-19 |
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Revenge of the Pink Panther | Chief Inspector Clouseau | 1978-01-08 |
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To See Such Fun | 1977-11-01 | |
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The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Chief Inspector Clouseau | 1976-09-16 |
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Murder by Death | Sidney Wang | 1976-06-23 |
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A Salute to Sir Lew Grade | Self | 1975-04-18 |
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Julie: My Favourite Things | Various | 1975-04-18 |
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The Great McGonagall | Queen Victoria | 1975-01-23 |
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The Return of the Pink Panther | Inspector Clouseau | 1975-05-21 |
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Soft Beds, Hard Battles | Général Latour / Major Robinson / Herr Schroeder / Adolf Hitler / The President / Prince Kyoto | 1974-01-24 |
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Flip Wilson... Of Course | Self | 1974-10-18 |
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The Big Screen | Self | 1973-02-20 |
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Ghost in the Noonday Sun | Dick Scratcher | 1973-01-01 |
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The Blockhouse | Rouquet | 1973-01-01 |
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The Optimists of Nine Elms | Sam | 1973-10-17 |
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The Last Goon Show of All | Self | 1972-05-10 |
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Where Does It Hurt? | Dr. Albert T. Hopfnegal | 1972-07-24 |
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | The March Hare | 1972-11-20 |
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A Day at the Beach | Salesman | 1970-05-01 |
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There's a Girl in My Soup | Robert Danvers | 1970-12-15 |
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Simon Simon | Man with Two Cars | 1970-06-01 |
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Hoffman | Mr. Hoffman | 1970-07-16 |
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Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town | G.W. Ross | 1970-12-26 |
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One Pair of Eyes - No, But Seriously | 1969-06-07 | |
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Will the Real Mr Sellers.....? | Self | 1969-12-18 |
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The Magic Christian | Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE | 1969-12-12 |
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The Party | Hrundi V. Bakshi | 1968-04-04 |
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I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! | Harold | 1968-10-18 |
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The Bobo | Juan Bautista | 1967-03-31 |
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With Love, Sophia | Self | 1967-10-25 |
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Woman Times Seven | Jean | 1967-09-29 |
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Casino Royale | Evelyn Tremble | 1967-04-18 |
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The Wrong Box | Doctor Pratt | 1966-06-19 |
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El Rey en Londres | 1966-10-11 | |
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Alice in Wonderland | King of Hearts | 1966-12-28 |
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After the Fox | Aldo Vanucci/Federico Fabrizi | 1966-09-08 |
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Birds, Bees and Storks | Narrator (voice) | 1965-12-31 |
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The Music of Lennon & McCartney | 1965-12-16 | |
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What's New Pussycat? | Dr. Fritz Fassbender | 1965-06-22 |
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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove | 1964-01-29 |
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Carol for Another Christmas | Imperial Me | 1964-12-28 |
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The World of Henry Orient | Henry Orient | 1964-03-19 |
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I Say I Say I Say | 1964-07-09 | |
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A Shot in the Dark | Jacques Clouseau | 1964-06-23 |
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The Pink Panther | Insp. Jacques Clouseau | 1963-12-18 |
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Heavens Above! | The Rev. John Smallwood | 1963-05-20 |
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The Wrong Arm of the Law | Pearly Gates | 1963-03-17 |
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Waltz of the Toreadors | Gen. Leo Fitzjohn | 1962-04-12 |
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The Road to Hong Kong | Indian Neurologist (uncredited) | 1962-03-29 |
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The Dock Brief | Wilfred Morgenhall | 1962-09-25 |
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Only Two Can Play | John Lewis | 1962-01-19 |
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Lolita | Clare Quilty | 1962-06-13 |
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Mr. Topaze | Auguste Topaze | 1961-04-04 |
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Two-Way Stretch | Dodger Lane | 1960-12-20 |
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Never Let Go | Lionel Meadows | 1960-06-02 |
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The Battle of the Sexes | Mr. Martin | 1960-02-25 |
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The Millionairess | Dr. Kabir | 1960-10-18 |
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I'm All Right Jack | Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway | 1959-08-18 |
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The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film | 1959-10-31 | |
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The Mouse That Roared | Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe | 1959-07-17 |
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Carlton-Browne of the F.O. | Prime Minister Amphibulos | 1959-03-10 |
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Up the Creek | CPO Doherty | 1958-05-13 |
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Tom Thumb | Antony | 1958-12-04 |
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Insomnia is Good for You | 1957-12-12 | |
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The Naked Truth | "Wee" Sonny MacGregor | 1957-12-03 |
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Dearth of a Salesman | Hector Dimwittie | 1957-01-01 |
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The Smallest Show on Earth | Percy Quill | 1957-04-09 |
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The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn | Assorted | 1956-01-01 |
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The Man Who Never Was | Voice of Winston Churchill (uncredited) | 1956-04-03 |
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The Ladykillers | Harry, alias 'Mr. Robinson' | 1955-12-08 |
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John and Julie | Police Constable Diamond | 1955-07-26 |
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Orders Are Orders | Pvt. Goffin | 1954-10-01 |
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The Super Secret Service | Sir Walter Smood / Reuben J. Crouch | 1953-01-01 |
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Our Girl Friday | Voice of Parrot | 1953-12-01 |
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Beat the Devil | Billy Dannreuther (voice) (uncredited) | 1953-11-24 |
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Down Among the Z Men | Major Bloodnok | 1952-10-01 |
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Let's Go Crazy | Multiple Roles | 1951-05-01 |
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Penny Points to Paradise | The Major / Arnold Fringe | 1951-04-25 |
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Ça, c'est du cinéma | (archive footage) | 1951-03-23 |
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A Burlesque on the Opera "Carmen" | Voice narrator | 1951-03-01 |
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The Black Rose | Lu Chung (voice) | 1950-09-01 |
