Peter Sellers, CBE (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 â€"
24 July 1980) was an English film actor, comedian and singer. He
performed in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show, featured on a
number of hit comic songs and became known to a worldwide audience
through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in
The Pink Panther series of films.Born in Portsmouth, Sellers made his
stage debut at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, when he was two weeks old.
He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the
provincial theatres. He first worked as a drummer and toured around
England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association
(ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a
spell in Ralph Reader's wartime Gang Show entertainment troupe, which
toured Britain and the Far East. After the war, Sellers made his radio
debut in ShowTime, and eventually became a regular performer on
various BBC radio shows. During the early 1950s, Sellers, along with
Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, took part in the
successful radio series The Goon Show, which ended in 1960.Sellers
began his film career during the 1950s. Although the bulk of his work
was comedic, often parodying characters of authority such as military
officers or policemen, he also performed in other film genres and
roles. Films demonstrating his artistic range include I'm All Right
Jack (1959), Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove
(1964), What's New, Pussycat? (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Party
(1968), Being There (1979) and five films of the Pink Panther series
(1963â€"1978). Sellers' versatility enabled him to portray a wide
range of comic characters using different accents and guises, and he
would often assume multiple roles within the same film, frequently
with contrasting temperaments and styles. Satire and black humour were
major features of many of his films, and his performances had a strong
influence on a number of later comedians. Sellers was nominated three
times for an Academy Award, twice for the Academy Award for Best
Actor, for his performances in Dr. Strangelove and Being There, and
once for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The
Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). He won the BAFTA Award
for Best Actor in a Leading Role twice, for I'm All Right Jack and for
the original Pink Panther film, The Pink Panther (1963) and was
nominated as Best Actor three times. In 1980 he won the Golden Globe
Award for Best Actor â€" Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role
in Being There, and was previously nominated three times in the same
category. Turner Classic Movies calls Sellers "one of the most
accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century".In his personal
life, Sellers struggled with depression and insecurities. An enigmatic
figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he
played. His behaviour was often erratic and compulsive, and he
frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars, especially in the
mid-1970s when his physical and mental health, together with his
alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. Sellers was married
four times, and had three children from his first two marriages. He
died from a heart attack aged 54, in 1980. English filmmakers the
Boulting brothers described Sellers as "the greatest comic genius this
country has produced since Charles Chaplin".
24 July 1980) was an English film actor, comedian and singer. He
performed in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show, featured on a
number of hit comic songs and became known to a worldwide audience
through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in
The Pink Panther series of films.Born in Portsmouth, Sellers made his
stage debut at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, when he was two weeks old.
He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the
provincial theatres. He first worked as a drummer and toured around
England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association
(ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a
spell in Ralph Reader's wartime Gang Show entertainment troupe, which
toured Britain and the Far East. After the war, Sellers made his radio
debut in ShowTime, and eventually became a regular performer on
various BBC radio shows. During the early 1950s, Sellers, along with
Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, took part in the
successful radio series The Goon Show, which ended in 1960.Sellers
began his film career during the 1950s. Although the bulk of his work
was comedic, often parodying characters of authority such as military
officers or policemen, he also performed in other film genres and
roles. Films demonstrating his artistic range include I'm All Right
Jack (1959), Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove
(1964), What's New, Pussycat? (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Party
(1968), Being There (1979) and five films of the Pink Panther series
(1963â€"1978). Sellers' versatility enabled him to portray a wide
range of comic characters using different accents and guises, and he
would often assume multiple roles within the same film, frequently
with contrasting temperaments and styles. Satire and black humour were
major features of many of his films, and his performances had a strong
influence on a number of later comedians. Sellers was nominated three
times for an Academy Award, twice for the Academy Award for Best
Actor, for his performances in Dr. Strangelove and Being There, and
once for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The
Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). He won the BAFTA Award
for Best Actor in a Leading Role twice, for I'm All Right Jack and for
the original Pink Panther film, The Pink Panther (1963) and was
nominated as Best Actor three times. In 1980 he won the Golden Globe
Award for Best Actor â€" Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role
in Being There, and was previously nominated three times in the same
category. Turner Classic Movies calls Sellers "one of the most
accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century".In his personal
life, Sellers struggled with depression and insecurities. An enigmatic
figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he
played. His behaviour was often erratic and compulsive, and he
frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars, especially in the
mid-1970s when his physical and mental health, together with his
alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. Sellers was married
four times, and had three children from his first two marriages. He
died from a heart attack aged 54, in 1980. English filmmakers the
Boulting brothers described Sellers as "the greatest comic genius this
country has produced since Charles Chaplin".
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