Better known as Peter Sellers , he was a British comedian. Sellers was born into a family of vaudeville artists, and began his career in the comedy group The Goon Show (a show on the BBC radio network, broadcast between 1951 and 1960).
Biographical Synthesis
His childhood
Richard Henry Sellers (real name Peter Sellers) was born on 8 of September of 1925 in Southsea ( England ), within a family dedicated to the theater comedian.
From his childhood he began to work with his parents, later pursuing a solo career that led him to the world of radio. In this medium he achieved fame in his country thanks to the comedy program “The Goon Show”.
His artistic career
In 1951 he made his British film debut with the film “Penny Points to Paradise”, a comedy directed by Tony Young .
Starting in the mid-1950s, Sellers became famous by shooting a few films at Ealing Studios, the best known of which was “The Death Quintet” ( 1955 ), a black comedy directed by Alexander McKendrick .
Other films of his first stage are the espionage title “The man who never existed” ( 1956 ) by Ronald Neame, the musical “The Little Giant” ( 1958 ) by George Pal , and the comedies “Ministerial Despiste” ( 1959 ) by Jeffrey Dell and Roy Boulting , “A Knockout Blow” ( 1959 ) by Jack Arnold.
After becoming a local star in the UK , Sellers achieved international fame in the next decade, becoming one of the most popular faces of comedy on the big screen.
Curiously, the film that made its popularity around the world was “Lolita” ( 1962 ), a film directed by Stanley Kubrick that was not exactly very humorous.
Yes they were titles like “The greatest womanizer” ( 1962 ) by John Guillermin, “The honorable guild of the robbery” (1962) of Cliff Owen, “Red telephone: we flew towards Moscow” (1964) of Kubrick, or “The irresistible Henry Orient “(1964), a film directed by George Roy Hill that co-starred Paula Prentiss and Angela Lansbury.
1964 was one of the best years of his personal and professional life. He married his second wife, actress Britt Ekland (the first had been Anne Howe), with whom he appeared in “On the trail of the fox” ( 1966 ) and “The Bobo” ( 1967 ). Their marriage broke up in 1968 .
Also in 1964 he received an Oscar nomination for his multiple personalities in the aforementioned Kubrick satire “Red Telephone: We Fly to Moscow” (he would get the Rex Harrison statuette for “My Fair Lady”), and was chosen by Blake Edwards to play the Inspector Clouseau in his film “The Pink Panther” (1964).
The film became a huge worldwide success that spawned several sequels and a series of cartoons.
In 1969 Sellers married Miranda Quarry . The marriage lasted a short time, since in 1971 they separated.
His film career in the 70s declined in quality and the most notable are his appearances as Clouseau in the various Edwards titles: “The Return of the Pink Panther” ( 1975 ), “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” ( 1976 ) and “The revenge of the pink panther” ( 1978 ). His last great film was “Welcome, Mr. Chance” ( 1979 ) by Hal Ashby , a film for which he was nominated for a second Hollywood Oscar . The winner was Dustin Hoffman for “Kramer vs. Kramer.”
His death
Peter Sellers died at the age of 54 years 24 of July of 1980 in London of a heart attack, leaving widow to his fourth wife, Lynne Frederick. With this actress she shared credits with her husband in “The quirky prisoner of Zenda” (1978), a title directed by Richard Quine .
Filmography
1951 – Penny Points to Paradise, by Tony Young.
1955 – The Quintet of Death, by Alexander Mackendrick.
1956 – The man who never was, by Ronald Neame.
1958 – The Little Giant, by George Pal.
1959 – Ministerial dismissal, by Jeffrey Dell and Roy Boulting.
1959 – A coup de grace, by Jack Arnold.
1959 – I’m alright, Jack, by John Boulting.
1960 – The Strange Prison of Huntleigh, by Robert Day.
1960 – The Battle of the Sexes, by Charles Chrichton.
1961 – The millionaire, by Anthony Asquith.
1962 – Two frescoes in orbit (The Road to Hong Kong), by Norman Panama (cameo).
1962 – Lolita, by Stanley Kubrick.
1962 – The greatest womanizer, by John Guillermin.
1962 – The Honored Theft Guild, by Cliff Owen.
1963 – The Pink Panther, by Blake Edwards.
1964 – Red telephone? We flew to Moscow (Dr. Strangelove …), by Stanley Kubrick (Nominated for an Oscar).
1964 – The irresistible Henry Orient, by George Roy Hill.
1964 – The new case of Inspector Clouseau, by Blake Edwards.
1965 – What’s up, Pussycat? By Clive Donner.
1965 – The box of surprises, by Bryan Forbes.
1966 – On the trail of the fox, by Vittorio de Sica.
1967 – Casino Royale, by John Huston.
1967 – The Bobo, by Robert Parrish.
1968 – The Party (El guateque or The unforgettable party), by Blake Edwards.
1968 – I love you, Alice B. Toklas, by Hy Averback.
1970 – The Magic Christian, by Joseph McGrath.
1970 – There’s a Girl in My Soup, by Roy Boulting.
1973 – The optimist, by Anthony Simmons.
1975 – A corpse with desserts, by Robert Moore.
1975 – The Return of the Pink Panther, by Blake Edwards.
1976 – The Pink Panther Strikes Again, by Blake Edwards.
1978 – Revenge of the Pink Panther, by Blake Edwards.
1979 – The quirky Prisoner of the Zenda, by Richard Quine.
1979 – Welcome, Mr. Chance or “Being There” (From the Garden) by Hal Ashby (Oscar nominated).
1980 – The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu.
1982 – On the trail of the Pink Panther