View source for Peter Sellers

{{Short description|English actor and comedian (1925–1980)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Peter Sellers
| honorific_suffix = [[w:Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
| image = Peter Sellers at home in Belgravia, London, 1973.jpg
| alt = Sellers smiling to the camera
| caption = Sellers in 1973
| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|09|08|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[w:Portsmouth|Portsmouth]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|07|24|1925|09|08|df=y}}
| death_place = [[w:London|London]], England
| works = [[Peter Sellers on stage, radio, screen and record|Full list]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| years_active = 1925–1980
| spouse =
 {{plainlist |
* {{marriage|Anne Howe|1951|1963|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[w:Britt Ekland|Britt Ekland]]|1964|1968|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[w:Miranda, Countess of Stockton|Miranda Quarry]]|1970|1976|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[w:Lynne Frederick|Lynne Frederick]]|1977}}}}
| children = 3; including [[w:Michael Sellers (actor)|Michael]] and [[w:Victoria Sellers|Victoria]]
}}

'''Peter Sellers''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} (born '''Richard Henry Sellers'''; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing 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 [[Inspector Clouseau|Chief Inspector Clouseau]] in ''[[The Pink Panther (film series)|The Pink Panther]]'' series.

Born in [[w:Southsea|Southsea]], [[w:Portsmouth|Portsmouth]], Sellers made his stage debut at the [[w:Kings Theatre, Southsea|Kings Theatre]], 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 [[w:Entertainments National Service Association|Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a spell in [[w:Ralph Reader|Ralph Reader]]'s wartime [[w:Gang Show|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 [[w:BBC radio|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 [[w:parody|parody]]ing 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), [[w:Stanley Kubrick|Stanley Kubrick]]'s ''[[w:Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]'' (1962) and ''[[w:Dr. Strangelove|Dr. Strangelove]]'' (1964), ''[[w:What's New, Pussycat?|What's New]]'' (1965), ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967), ''[[w:The Party (1968 film)|The Party]]'' (1968), ''[[w:Being There|Being There]]'' (1979) and five films of the ''[[Pink Panther]]'' series (1963–1978). Sellers's 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. [[w:Satire|Satire]] and [[w:black comedy|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 [[w:Academy Award|Academy Award]], twice for the [[w:Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Award for Best Actor]], for his performances in ''Dr. Strangelove'' and ''Being There'', and once for the [[w:Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film|Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film]] for ''[[The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film]]'' (1959). He won the [[w:BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|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 [[w:Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] for his role in ''Being There'', and was previously nominated three times in the same category. [[w:Turner Classic Movies|Turner Classic Movies]] calls Sellers "one of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century".<ref>{{cite web|title=Peter Sellers |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/173984%7C124304/Peter-Sellers/biography.html |work=[[w:Turner Classic Movies|Turner Classic Movies]] |publisher=[[w:Turner Broadcasting System|Turner Broadcasting System]] |accessdate=14 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024213758/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/173984%7C124304/Peter-Sellers/biography.html |archivedate=24 October 2012}}</ref>

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 [[w:Charlie Chaplin|Charles Chaplin]]".<ref name="Boulting" />

== Biography ==

===Early life (1925–1935)===
{{multiple image|caption_align=center| align = right | direction = vertical | header_align = centre | footer_align = left | footer_background = | image1 =Peter Sellers Plaque.jpg| width1 = 200 | caption1 = [[w:Blue plaque|Blue plaque]] memorial at Sellers's birthplace in Castle Road, [[w:Portsmouth|Portsmouth]] |alt1=blue plaque commemorating Sellers| image2 = Peter Sellers Birthplace Portsmouth.jpg | width2 = 200 |alt2=exterior of red bricked house, with blue plaque on front wall| caption2 = }}

Sellers was born on 8 September 1925, in [[w:Southsea|Southsea]], a suburb of [[w:Portsmouth|Portsmouth]]. His parents were [[w:Yorkshire|Yorkshire]]-born William "Bill" Sellers and Agnes Doreen "Peg" ({{née}} Marks). Both were variety entertainers; Peg was in the Ray Sisters troupe.<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> Although christened Richard Henry, his parents called him Peter, after his elder brother, who was [[w:stillborn|stillborn]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=5}} Sellers had no other siblings.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=690}} Peg Sellers was related to the [[w:pugilist|pugilist]] [[w:Daniel Mendoza|Daniel Mendoza]] (1764–1836), whom Sellers greatly revered, and whose engraving later hung in his office. At one time Sellers planned to use Mendoza's image for his production company's logo.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=9}}

Sellers was two weeks old when he was carried on stage by [[Dick Henderson]], the headline act at the [[w:Kings Theatre, Southsea|Kings Theatre]] in Southsea: the crowd sang "[[w:For He's a Jolly Good Fellow|For He's a Jolly Good Fellow]]", which caused the infant to cry.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=25}} The family constantly toured, causing much upheaval and unhappiness in the young Sellers's life.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=9}}

Sellers maintained a very close relationship with his mother, which his friend [[Spike Milligan]] later considered unhealthy for a grown man.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=45}} Sellers's agent, Dennis Selinger, recalled his first meeting with Peg and Peter Sellers, noting that "''Sellers was an immensely shy young man, inclined to be dominated by his mother, but without resentment or objection''".{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=57}} As an only child though, he spent much time alone.<ref name="WT1002">{{cite web|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-92800508 |author=Gibson, Eric |title=Behind Inspector Clouseau; The funny, often elusive Peter Sellers and his wives. |work=[[w:The Washington Times|The Washington Times]] |date=13 October 2002 |accessdate=4 August 2012}} {{subscription}}</ref>

In 1935 the Sellers family moved to North London and settled in [[w:Muswell Hill|Muswell Hill]].{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=24}} Although Bill Sellers was [[w:Protestantism|Protestant]] and Peg was [[w:Jewish|Jewish]], Sellers attended the North London [[w:Catholic school|Roman Catholic school]] [[w:St Aloysius' College, Highgate|St Aloysius' College]], run by the [[w:Brothers of Mercy of Our Lady of Perpetual Help|Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy]].<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> The family was not rich, but Peg insisted on an expensive private schooling for her son.{{sfn|Starr|1991|p=84}} According to biographer [[w:Peter Evans (author)|Peter Evans]], Sellers was fascinated, puzzled, and worried by religion from a young age,{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=194}} particularly Catholicism; [[w:Roger Lewis|Roger Lewis]] believed that soon after entering Catholic school, Sellers "d''iscovered he was a Jew—he was someone on the outside of the mysteries of faith''".{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=44}} Later in his life, Sellers observed that while his father's faith was according to the [[w:Church of England|Church of England]], his mother was Jewish, "and [[w:Matrilineality in Judaism|Jews take the faith of their mother]]."{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=44}} According to Milligan, Sellers held a guilt complex about being Jewish and recalls that Sellers was once reduced to tears when he presented him with a candlestick from a synagogue for Christmas, believing the gesture to be an anti-Jewish slur.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=194}} Sellers became a top student at the school, excelling in drawing in particular. He was prone to laziness, but his natural talents shielded him from criticism by his teachers.{{sfn|Moritz|1961|p=371}} Sellers recalled that a teacher scolded the other boys for not studying, saying: "''The Jewish boy knows his [[w:catechism|catechism]] better than the rest of you!''"{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=12}}{{efn|The film critic [[w:Kenneth Tynan|Kenneth Tynan]] noted that Sellers's ambition as an actor was fuelled mainly by "his hatred of [[w:anti-Semitism|anti-Semitism]]." This may have spurred his determination to become a great actor or director.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=11}}}}

===Early performances (1935–1939)===
Accompanying his family on the variety show circuit,{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=8}} Sellers learned [[stagecraft]], but received conflicting encouragement from his parents and developed mixed feelings about show business. His father doubted Sellers's abilities in the entertainment field, even suggesting that his son's talents were only enough to become a road sweeper, while Sellers's mother encouraged him continuously.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=18}}

While at St Aloysius College, Sellers began to develop his improvisational skills. He and his closest friend at the time, Bryan Connon, both enjoyed listening to early radio comedy shows. Connon remembers that "Peter got endless pleasure imitating the people in ''[[Monday Night at Eight]]''. He had a gift for improvising dialogue. Sketches, too. I'd be the 'straight man', the 'feed',&nbsp;... I'd cue Peter and he'd do all the radio personalities and chuck in a few voices of his own invention as well."{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=28}}

===Second World War (1939–1945)===
With the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], St. Aloysius College was [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] to [[Cambridgeshire]]. Because his mother did not allow Sellers to go,{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=32}} his formal education ended at fourteen.<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> Early in 1940, the family moved to the north [[Devon]] town of [[Ilfracombe]], where Sellers's maternal uncle managed the Victoria Palace Theatre;{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=32}} Sellers got his first job at the theatre, aged fifteen, starting as a caretaker.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=19}} He was steadily promoted, becoming a box office clerk, usher, assistant stage manager and lighting operator. He was also offered some small acting parts.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=19}} Working backstage gave him a chance to study actors such as [[Paul Scofield]]. He became close friends with Derek Altman, and together they launched Sellers's first stage act under the name "Altman and Sellers", consisting of playing [[ukulele]]s, singing, and telling jokes.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=19}}

During his backstage theatre job, Sellers began practising on a set of drums that belonged to the band [[Joe Daniels (jazz drummer)|Joe Daniels]] and his Hot Shots. Daniels noticed his efforts and gave him practical instructions. The instrument greatly suited Sellers's temperament and artistic skills.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=20}} Spike Milligan later noted that Sellers was very proficient on the drums and might have remained a jazz drummer, had he lacked his skills in mimicry and improvisation.<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> As the war progressed, Sellers continued to develop his drumming skills, and played with a series of touring bands, including those of [[Oscar Rabin]], [[Henry Hall (bandleader)|Henry Hall]] and [[Waldini]],{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=45}} as well as his father's quartet, before he left and joined a band from [[Blackpool]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=22}} Sellers became a member of the [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA), which provided entertainment for British forces and factory workers during the war.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=22}} Sellers also performed comedy routines at these concerts, including impersonations of [[George Formby]], with Sellers accompanying his own singing on ukulele.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=85}}

In September 1943, he joined the [[Royal Air Force]], although it is unclear whether he volunteered or was conscripted;{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1p=40|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=25}} his mother unsuccessfully tried to have him deferred on medical grounds.<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> Sellers wanted to become a pilot, but his poor eyesight restricted him to ground staff duties.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=32}} He found these duties dull, so auditioned for Squadron Leader [[Ralph Reader]]'s RAF ''[[Gang Show]]'' entertainment troupe: Reader accepted him and Sellers toured the UK before the troupe was transferred to India.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=42}} His tour also included [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]] and [[Myanmar|Burma]], although the duration of his stay in Asia is unknown, and Sellers may have exaggerated its length.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=26}} He also served in Germany and France after the war.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=26}}
According to [[David Lodge (actor)|David Lodge]], who became friends with Sellers, he was "one of the best performers ever" on the drums and developed a fine ability to impersonate military officers during this period.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=46}}

=== Early post-war career and ''The Goon Show'' (1946–1955) ===
[[File:goonsstack.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe pose|[[Spike Milligan]] (top), with Sellers (middle) and [[Harry Secombe]] (bottom) in the BBC's ''[[The Goon Show]]'']]
In 1946, Sellers made his final show with ENSA starring in the pantomime ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' at the [[Théâtre Marigny]] in Paris.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=132}} He was posted back to England shortly afterwards to work at the [[Air Ministry]],{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=32}} and [[Demobilisation of the British Armed Forces after the Second World War|demobilised]] later that year.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=132}} On resuming his theatrical career, Sellers could get only sporadic work.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=38}} He was fired after one performance of a comedy routine in [[Peterborough]]; the headline act, Welsh vocalist [[Dorothy Squires]], however, persuaded the management to reinstate him.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=57}} Sellers also continued his drumming and was billed on his appearance at [[The Hippodrome, Aldershot|The Hippodrome]] in [[Aldershot]] as "Britain's answer to [[Gene Krupa]]".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=38}} In March 1948 Sellers gained a six-week run at the [[Windmill Theatre]] in London, which predominantly staged [[revue]] acts: he provided the comedy turns in between the nude shows on offer.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1p=58|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=40}}

Sellers wrote to the [[BBC]] in 1948, and was subsequently auditioned. As a result, he made his television debut on 18 March 1948 in ''New To You''. His act, largely based on impressions, was well received, and he returned the following week.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=45}} Frustrated with the slow pace of his career, Sellers telephoned BBC radio producer Roy Speer, pretending to be [[Kenneth Horne]], star of the radio show ''[[Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh]]''. Speer called Sellers a "cheeky young sod" for his efforts, but gave him an audition. This led to his brief appearance on 1 July 1948 on ''ShowTime''{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|pp=47–48}} and subsequently to work on ''Ray's a Laugh'' with comedian [[Ted Ray (comedian)|Ted Ray]].{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=164}} In October 1948, Sellers was a regular radio performer, appearing in ''Starlight Hour'', ''The Gang Show'', ''Henry Hall's Guest Night'' and ''It's Fine To Be Young''.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=48}}

By the end of 1948, the [[BBC Third Programme]] began to broadcast the comedy series ''Third Division'', which starred, among others, [[Harry Secombe]], [[Michael Bentine]] and Sellers.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=46}} One evening, Sellers and Bentine visited the [[Hackney Empire]], where Secombe was performing, and Bentine introduced Sellers to Spike Milligan.{{sfn|Carpenter|2003|p=90}} The four would meet up at Grafton's public house near Victoria, owned by [[Jimmy Grafton]], who was also a BBC script writer. The four comedians dubbed him ''KOGVOS'' (Keeper of Goons and Voice of Sanity){{efn|The meaning of the acronym KOGVOS was flexible: it has also been defined as "King of Goons and Voice of Sanity"<ref name="Barker (DNB)" /> and "King of the Goons Voices Society".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=55}}}} Grafton later edited some of the first [[The Goon Show|''Goon Shows'']].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=55}}

In 1949, Sellers started to date Anne Howe,{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=230}}{{efn|Her maiden name was Anne Howe, while her professional name was Anne Hayes.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=231}}}} an Australian actress who lived in London.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=68}} He proposed to her in April 1950{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=56}} and the couple were married in London on 15 September 1951;{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=57}} their son, [[Michael Sellers (actor)|Michael]], was born on 2 April 1954,{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=71}} and their daughter, Sarah, followed in 1958.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=98}} Sellers's introduction to film work came in 1950, where he dubbed the voice of [[Alfonso Bedoya]] in ''[[The Black Rose]]''.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=284}} He continued to work with Bentine, Milligan, and Secombe. On 3 February 1951, he made a trial tape entitled ''The Goons'', and sent it to the BBC producer Pat Dixon, who eventually accepted it.

The first ''Goon Show''<ref name="Barker (DNB)" /> was broadcast on 28 May 1951.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=177}} Against their wishes, they appeared under the name ''Crazy People''.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=690}} Sellers appeared in ''The Goons'' until the last programme of the ten-series run, broadcast on 28 January 1960.<ref name="Barker (DNB)" /> Sellers played four main characters—[[Major Bloodnok]], [[Hercules Grytpype-Thynne]], [[Bluebottle (character)|Bluebottle]] and [[Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister|Henry Crun]]—and seventeen minor ones.{{sfn|Wilmut|Grafton|1981|p=116}} Starting with 370,000 listeners, the show eventually reached up to seven million people in Britain,<ref name="Barker (DNB)" /> and was described by one newspaper as "probably the most influential comedy show of all time".<ref name="Cook 27 April 1993">{{cite news|last=Cook|first=William|title=Radio: Landmarks in radio comedy|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 April 1993|location=London|page=58}}</ref> For Sellers, the BBC considers it had the effect of launching his career "on the road to stardom".<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedy: The Goon Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/thegoonshow/ |publisher=BBC |accessdate=12 August 2012 |location=London |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111103340/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/thegoonshow/ |archivedate=11 November 2012}}</ref>

In 1951 the Goons made their feature film debut in ''[[Penny Points to Paradise]]''.<ref name="Brown 26 July 2009">{{cite web|author=Brown, Mark |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/26/goons-film-sellers-milligan-secombe |title=Forgotten film of Goons restored by BFI |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=26 July 2009 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116115623/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/26/goons-film-sellers-milligan-secombe |archivedate=16 January 2014}}</ref> Sellers and Milligan then penned the script to ''[[Let's Go Crazy (film)|Let's Go Crazy]]'', the earliest film to showcase Sellers's ability to portray a series of different characters within the same film, and he made another appearance opposite his Goons co-stars in the 1952 flop, ''[[Down Among the Z Men]]''.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=72}} In 1954, Sellers was cast opposite [[Sid James]], [[Tony Hancock]], [[Raymond Huntley]], [[Donald Pleasence]] and [[Eric Sykes]] in the [[British Lion Film Corporation]] comedy production, ''[[Orders Are Orders]]''. [[John Grierson]] believes that this was Sellers's breakthrough role on screen and credits this film with launching the film careers of both Sellers and Hancock.{{sfn|Grierson|1966|p=34}}

=== ''I'm All Right Jack'' and early years in film (1956–1959) ===

{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="The first real film I made was ''The Ladykillers''. I used to watch Alec Guinness, who is an absolute idol of mine, do everything, his rehearsals, his scenes, everything. He is my ideal... and my idol."|source=—Sellers on studying Sir [[Alec Guinness]] during filming ''The Ladykillers''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Roger |title=The Life and Death of Peter Sellers |date=1995 |publisher=Random House |page=368|ref=none}}</ref>}}

Sellers pursued a film career and took a number of small roles such as a police officer in ''[[John and Julie]]'' (1955).{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=362}} He accepted a larger part in the 1955 [[Alexander Mackendrick]]-directed [[Ealing Comedies|Ealing comedy]] ''[[The Ladykillers (1955 film)|The Ladykillers]]'' in which he starred opposite his idol [[Alec Guinness]], in addition to [[Herbert Lom]] and [[Cecil Parker]]. Sellers portrayed Harry Robinson, the [[Teddy Boy]]; biographer Peter Evans considers this Sellers's first good role.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=79}} ''The Ladykillers'' was a success in both the UK and the US,<ref>{{cite web|last=Duguid |first=Mark |title=Ladykillers, The (1955) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/441533/index.html |work=[[Screenonline]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |accessdate=14 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805010911/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/441533/index.html |archivedate= 5 August 2012}}</ref> and the film was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay)|Best Original Screenplay]].<ref name="oscars 1957">{{cite web|title=The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957 |work=Oscar Legacy |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |accessdate=16 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507092819/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957 |archivedate= 7 May 2016}}</ref> The following year Sellers appeared in a further three television series based on ''The Goons'': ''[[The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d]]''; ''[[A Show Called Fred]]''; and ''[[Son of Fred]]''. The shows aired on Britain's new [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] channel.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=65}} In 1957 film producer [[Michael Relph]], impressed with Sellers's portrayal of an elderly character in ''Idiot Weekly'', cast the 32-year-old actor as a 68-year-old projectionist in [[Basil Dearden]]'s ''[[The Smallest Show on Earth]]'', supporting [[Bill Travers]], [[Virginia McKenna]] and [[Margaret Rutherford]].{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=71}} The film was a commercial success and is now thought of as a minor classic of post-war British screen comedy.{{sfn|Burton|O'Sullivan|2009|p=25}} Following this, Sellers provided the growling voice of [[Winston Churchill]] to the BAFTA award-winning film ''[[The Man Who Never Was]]''.{{sfn|Rankin|2009|p=383}} Later in 1957 Sellers portrayed a television star with a talent for disguises in [[Mario Zampi]]'s offbeat black comedy ''[[The Naked Truth (1957 film)|The Naked Truth]]'', opposite [[Terry-Thomas]], [[Peggy Mount]], [[Shirley Eaton]] and [[Dennis Price]].<ref>
Sources:
*{{cite web|title=The Naked Truth (1957)|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/43753|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|accessdate=3 August 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203034523/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/43753|archivedate=3 December 2013}}
*{{cite book|title=Film Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqEqAQAAIAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Orpheus Pub.}}</ref>

[[File:Terry-Thomas in Where Were You When the Lights Went Out.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Terry-Thomas]] starred with Sellers in four films between 1957 and 1959. Their last film together, ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' – the highest-grossing film at the British box office in 1960 – saw Sellers receive the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best British Actor]].]]

Sellers's difficulties in getting his film career to take off, and increasing problems in his personal life, prompted him to seek periodic consultations with astrologer [[Maurice Woodruff]], who held considerable sway over his later career.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=117–118}} After a chance meeting with a North American Indian spirit guide in the 1950s, Sellers became convinced that the [[music hall]] comedian [[Dan Leno]], who died in 1904, haunted him and guided his career and life-decisions.{{sfn|Anthony|2010|p=200}}  Sellers was a member of the [[Grand Order of Water Rats]], the same exclusive theatrical fraternity founded by Leno in 1890.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=151}} In 1958 Sellers starred with [[David Tomlinson]], [[Wilfrid Hyde-White]], David Lodge and [[Lionel Jeffries]] as a [[chief petty officer]] in [[Val Guest]]'s ''[[Up the Creek (1958 film)|Up the Creek]]''.{{sfn|Spicer|2003|p=116}} Guest later claimed that he had written and directed the film as a vehicle for Sellers, and thus had started Sellers's film career.{{sfnm|1a1=Johnson|1a2=Vecchio|1y=1996|1p=136|2a1=Dixon|2y=2007|2p=35}} To practise his voice, Sellers purchased a reel-to-reel tape recorder.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=478}} The film received critical acclaim in the United States<ref>{{cite news|author=A. H. Weiler. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9404E7D9173BE43BBC4952DFB7678383649EDE |title=Movie Review – Up the Creek – Up the Creek' at 55th |newspaper=NYTimes.com |date=11 November 1958 |accessdate=10 March 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309015023/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9404E7D9173BE43BBC4952DFB7678383649EDE |archivedate= 9 March 2014}}</ref> and Roger Lewis viewed it as an important practice ground for Sellers.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=478}} Next, Sellers featured with Terry-Thomas as one of a pair of comic villains in [[George Pal]]'s ''[[Tom Thumb (film)|Tom Thumb]]'' (1958), a musical fantasy film, opposite [[Russ Tamblyn]], [[Jessie Matthews]] and [[Peter Butterworth]]. Terry-Thomas later said that "my part was perfect, but Peter's was bloody awful. He wasn't difficult about it, but he knew it".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=93}} The performance was a landmark in Sellers's career and became his first contact with the Hollywood film industry.{{sfnm|1a1=Culhane|1y=1986|1p=156|2a1=Starr|2y=1991|2p=21}}

Sellers released his first studio album in 1958 called ''[[The Best of Sellers]]''; a collection of comic songs and sketches, among them [[Balham - Gateway to the South]], where Sellers plays a variety of comic characters.{{sfn|Hall|2006|p=254}}{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=79}} Produced by [[George Martin]] and released on [[Parlophone]],{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=186}} the album reached number three in the [[UK Albums Chart]];<ref name="PS-A" /> The same year, Sellers made his first film with [[Boulting brothers|John and Roy Boulting]] in ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'', a comedy in which he played a supporting role for the film's lead, Terry-Thomas.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=123}} Before the release of that film, the Boultings, along with Sellers and Thomas in the cast, started filming ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'', which became the highest-grossing film at the British box office in 1960.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=130}} In preparation for his role as Fred Kite, Sellers watched footage of union officials.<ref name="Boulting" />{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=85}} The role earned him a [[13th British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]], and the critic for ''[[The Guardian|The Manchester Guardian]]'' believed it was Sellers's best screen performance to date.<ref name="ARJ Guardian" /> In between ''Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'' and ''I'm All Right Jack'', Sellers starred in ''[[The Mouse That Roared (film)|The Mouse That Roared]]'', a film in which [[Jean Seberg]] also appeared, and was directed by [[Jack Arnold (director)|Jack Arnold]]. He played three distinct leading roles: the elderly Grand Duchess, the ambitious Prime Minister and the innocent and clumsy farm boy selected to lead an invasion of the United States.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=536}} The film received high praise from critics.<ref>
Sources:
*{{cite news|title=Subtlety and slapstick|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 February 1960|location=London|page=5}}
*{{cite news|author=Crowther, Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9903EEDD123DE53BBC4F51DFB6678382649EDE |title=The Mouse That Roared (1959) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 October 1959 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307101547/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9903EEDD123DE53BBC4F51DFB6678382649EDE |archivedate= 7 March 2016}}</ref>

After completing ''I'm All Right Jack'', Sellers returned to record a new series of ''The Goon Show''.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=594}} Over the course of two weekends, he took his 16mm cine-camera to Totteridge Lane in London and filmed himself, Spike Milligan, [[Mario Fabrizi]], [[Leo McKern]] and [[Richard Lester]]. Originally intended as a private film, the eleven-minute short film ''[[The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film]]'' was screened at the 1959 [[Edinburgh International Film Festival|Edinburgh]] and [[San Francisco International Film Festival|San Francisco]] film festivals. It won the award for best fiction short in the latter festival, and received an Academy Award nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film|Best Short Subject (Live Action)]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=120–121}}<ref>
Sources:
*{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/471274/index.html |title=Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film, The (1960) |last=Oliver |first=John |work=[[Screenonline]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |accessdate=17 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007231851/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/471274/index.html |archivedate= 7 October 2012|ref=none}}
*{{cite web|title=The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1960 |work=Oscar Legacy |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706094204/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/32nd-winners.html |archivedate= 6 July 2011}}</ref> In 1959 Sellers released his second album, ''[[Songs for Swingin' Sellers]]'', which—like his first record—reached number three in the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="PS-A" /> Sellers's last film of the fifties was ''[[The Battle of the Sexes (1959 film)|The Battle of the Sexes]]''; a comedy directed by [[Charles Crichton]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EED8143DE333A2575AC1A9629C946191D6CF |title=The Battle of the Sexes (1960) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=13 April 1959 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926071432/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EED8143DE333A2575AC1A9629C946191D6CF |archivedate=26 September 2015}}</ref>

=== ''The Millionairess'', ''Lolita'', ''The Pink Panther'' and divorce (1960–1963) ===
In 1960 Sellers portrayed an Indian doctor, Dr Ahmed el Kabir, in [[Anthony Asquith]]'s romantic comedy ''[[The Millionairess]]'', a film based on a [[George Bernard Shaw]] play [[The Millionairess (play)|of the same name]]. Sellers was not interested in the role until he learned that [[Sophia Loren]] would be his co-star.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=141}} When asked about Loren, he explained to reporters, "I don't normally act with romantic, glamorous women&nbsp;... She's a lot different from Harry Secombe."{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=84}} Sellers and Loren developed a close relationship during filming, culminating in Sellers declaring his love for her in front of his wife.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=146}} Sellers also woke his son at night to ask: "Do you think I should divorce your mummy?"{{sfn|Sellers|1981|p=72}} There is uncertainty if the relationship was anything more than platonic: a number of people, including Spike Milligan, consider it an affair, while others, including Graham Stark, think it remained only a strong friendship. Sellers's wife at the time, Anne, afterwards commented, "I don't know to this day whether he had an affair with her. Nobody does."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=145}} Roger Lewis observed that Sellers immersed himself completely in the characters he enacted during productions, that "He'd play a role as an Indian doctor, and for the next six months, he'd be an Indian in his real [daily] life."<ref name="DM11296">{{cite news|last=Chollet|first=Laurence|title=Pursuing Peter Sellers, comic and madman|newspaper=[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]]|date=1 December 1996|location=New Jersey|page=Y06}}</ref> The film inspired the George Martin-produced [[Novelty song|novelty]] hit single "[[Goodness Gracious Me (song)|Goodness Gracious Me]]", with Sellers and Loren, which reached number four in the [[UK Singles Chart]] in November 1960.<ref name="PS&SL" /> A follow-up single by the duo, "Bangers and Mash", reached number 22 in the UK chart.<ref name="PS&SL" /> The songs were included on an album released by the couple, ''Peter & Sophia'', which reached number five in the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="PS-A" /> That year he also appeared in ''[[Never Let Go]]'' (1960) playing a straight villain part.<ref name="ink">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=John Guillermin: Action Man|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/john-guillermin-action-man/|date=17 November 2020}}</ref>

In 1961 Sellers made his directorial debut with ''[[Mr. Topaze]]'', in which he also starred.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/42912|title=Mr. Topaze (1961)|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|accessdate=17 July 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116075516/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/42912|archivedate=16 January 2014}}</ref> The film was based on the [[Marcel Pagnol]] play ''Topaze''.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=108}} Sellers portrayed an ex-schoolmaster in a small French town who turns to a life of crime to obtain wealth. The film and Sellers's directorial abilities received unenthusiastic responses from the public and critics, and Sellers rarely referred to it again.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=109}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/film/hqqzs/mr-topaze-1961 |title=Mr Topaze |work=[[Radio Times]] |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003090529/http://www.radiotimes.com/film/hqqzs/mr-topaze-1961 |archivedate= 3 October 2012}}</ref>{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=167}} The same year, he starred in the [[Sidney Gilliat]]-directed ''[[Only Two Can Play]]'', a film based on the novel ''[[That Uncertain Feeling (novel)|That Uncertain Feeling]]'' by [[Kingsley Amis]].{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=733}} He was nominated for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best British Actor]] award at the [[16th British Academy Film Awards]] for his role as John Lewis, a frustrated Welsh librarian whose affections swing between the glamorous Liz ([[Mai Zetterling]]) and his long-suffering wife Jean ([[Virginia Maskell]]).<ref name="BAFTA 62" />

[[File:Sellers pinkpanther7.jpg|thumb|upright|Peter Sellers as [[Inspector Clouseau]] in ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'']]

In 1962 Sellers played a retired British army general in [[John Guillermin]]'s ''[[Waltz of the Toreadors (film)|Waltz of the Toreadors]]'', based on the [[The Waltz of the Toreadors|play of the same name]]. The film was widely criticised for its slapstick cinematic adaption, and director Guillermin himself considered the film "amateurish".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=171}} However, Sellers won the [[Silver Shell for Best Actor|San Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best Actor]] and a BAFTA award nomination for his performance, and it was well received by the critics.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=171}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907E0DD143BE53BBC4C52DFBE668389679EDE |title=Waltz of the Toreadors (1962) |work=The New York Times |date=4 August 1962 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307071058/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907E0DD143BE53BBC4C52DFBE668389679EDE |archivedate= 7 March 2016}}</ref> [[Stanley Kubrick]] asked Sellers to play the role of Clare Quilty in the 1962 film ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]'', opposite [[James Mason]] and [[Shelley Winters]].{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=98}} Kubrick had seen Sellers in ''The Battle of the Sexes'' and listened to the album ''[[The Best of Sellers]]'', and was impressed by the range of characters he could portray.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=117}} Sellers was apprehensive about accepting the role, doubting his ability to successfully portray the part of a flamboyant American television playwright who was according to Sellers "a fantastic nightmare, part homosexual, part drug addict, part sadist".{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=91}} Kubrick encouraged Sellers to improvise and stated that he often reached a "state of comic ecstasy".{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1p=118|2a1=LoBrutto|2y=1999|2pp=204–205}} Kubrick had American jazz producer [[Norman Granz]] record portions of the script for Sellers to listen to, so he could study the voice and develop confidence, granting Sellers a free artistic licence.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=117}} Sellers later claimed that his relationship with Kubrick became one of the most rewarding of his career.{{sfn|LoBrutto|1999|p=205}} Writing in ''[[The Sunday Times]]'', [[Dilys Powell]] commented that Sellers gave "a firework performance, funny, malicious, only once for a few seconds overreaching itself, and in the murder scene which is both prologue and epilogue achieving the macabre in comedy".<ref name="Powell (1962)" /> Towards the end of 1962, Sellers appeared in ''[[The Dock Brief]]'', a legal satire directed by [[James Hill (British director)|James Hill]] and co-starring [[Richard Attenborough]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0DE4DC163BE63ABC4F52DFB7678389679EDE |author=Crowther, Bosley |title=Trial and Error (1962) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 November 1962 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325015005/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0DE4DC163BE63ABC4F52DFB7678389679EDE |archivedate=25 March 2016|ref=none}}</ref>

Sellers's behaviour towards his family worsened in 1962; according to his son Michael, Sellers asked him and his sister Sarah "who we love more, our mother or him. Sarah, to keep the peace, said, 'I love you both equally'. I said, 'No, I love my mum.'" This prompted Sellers to throw both children out, saying that he never wanted to see them again.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=254}} At the end of 1962, his marriage to Anne broke down.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=180}}{{efn|The ''[[decree nisi]]'' was granted in March 1963 and Anne married Elias 'Ted' Levy in October the same year.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=114}}}} In 1963, Sellers starred as gang leader "Pearly Gates" in [[Cliff Owen]]'s ''[[The Wrong Arm of the Law]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D03E4DE103FE731A25750C0A9629C946291D6CF |author=Crowther, Bosley |title=The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=3 April 1963 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203075326/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D03E4DE103FE731A25750C0A9629C946291D6CF |archivedate= 3 February 2015}}</ref> followed by his portrayal of a vicar in ''[[Heavens Above!]]''<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EEDF133CE63ABC4951DFB3668388679EDE |title=Heavens Above (1963) |work=The New York Times |date=21 May 1963 |accessdate=20 August 2015 |author=Crowther, Bosley |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307192736/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EEDF133CE63ABC4951DFB3668388679EDE |archivedate= 7 March 2016}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="I'll play Clouseau with great dignity, because he thinks of himself as one of the world's best detectives. Even when he comes a cropper, he must pick himself up with that notion intact. The original script makes him out to be a complete idiot. I think a forgivable vanity would humanize him and make him kind of touching. It's as if filmgoers are kept one fall ahead of him."|source=—Sellers on portraying Clouseau.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=128}}}}

After his father's death in October 1962, Sellers decided to leave England and was approached by director [[Blake Edwards]] who offered him the role of [[Inspector Clouseau]] in ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'', after [[Peter Ustinov]] had backed out of the film.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1pp=126–127|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=185}} Edwards later recalled his feelings as "desperately unhappy and ready to kill, but as fate would have it, I got Mr. Sellers instead of Mr. Ustinov—thank God!"{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=127}} Sellers accepted a fee of £90,000 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|90000|1963}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} pounds){{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}} for five weeks' work on location in Rome and Cortina.{{sfn|Starr|1991|p=89}} The film starred [[David Niven]] in the principal role, with two other actors—[[Capucine]] and [[Claudia Cardinale]]—having more prominent roles than Sellers.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=101}} However, Sellers's performance is regarded as being on par with that of Charlie Chaplin and [[Buster Keaton]], according to biographer Peter Evans.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=101}} Although the Clouseau character was in the script, Sellers created the personality, devising the costume, accent, make-up, moustache and trench coat.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=128}}

''The Pink Panther'' was released in the UK in January 1964<ref>{{cite news|title=Peter Sellers triumphs as a detective|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|date=27 January 1964|page=7}}</ref> and received a mixed reception from the critics,{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=187}} although [[Penelope Gilliatt]], writing in ''[[The Observer]]'', remarked that Sellers had a "flawless sense of mistiming" in a performance that was "one of the most delicate studies in accident-proneness since the silents".<ref name="Gilliatt (1964)" /> Despite the views of the critics, the film was one of the top ten grossing films of the year.{{sfn|Miles|2009|p=174}} The role earned Sellers a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] at the [[22nd Golden Globe Awards]],<ref name="Globes 64">{{cite web|title=The 22nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1965)|url=http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1964|work=Golden Globe Awards|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|accessdate=9 July 2012|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120722081234/http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1964|archivedate=22 July 2012}}</ref> and for a Best British Actor award at the [[18th British Academy Film Awards]].<ref name="BAFTA 64" />

=== ''Dr. Strangelove'', health problems, a second marriage and ''Casino Royale'' (1964–1969) ===
[[File:Sellers-1966.jpg|thumb|Sellers in the 1966 film ''[[After the Fox]]'']]
In 1963, Stanley Kubrick cast Sellers to appear in ''[[Dr. Strangelove|Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb]]'' alongside [[George C. Scott]], [[Sterling Hayden]], [[Keenan Wynn]] and [[Slim Pickens]]. Sellers and Kubrick got along famously during the film's production and had the greatest of respect for each other, also sharing a love of photography.{{Sfn|Duncan|2003|p=95}} The director asked Sellers to play three roles: US President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake of the RAF. Sellers was initially hesitant about taking on these divergent characters, but Kubrick prevailed.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=191}} According to some accounts, Sellers was also invited to play the part of General Buck Turgidson, but turned it down because it was too physically demanding.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=101}} Kubrick later commented that the idea of having Sellers in so many of the film's key roles was that "everywhere you turn there is some version of Peter Sellers holding the fate of the world in his hands".{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=100}} Sellers was especially anxious about successfully enacting the role of Kong and accurately affecting a Texan accent.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=106}} Kubrick requested screenwriter [[Terry Southern]] to record in his natural accent a tape of Kong's lines.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=192}} After practising with Southern's recording, Sellers got sufficient control of the accent, and started shooting the scenes in the aeroplane.

After the first day's shooting, Sellers sprained his ankle while leaving a restaurant and could no longer work in the cramped cockpit set.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=192–193}} Kubrick then re-cast Slim Pickens as Kong.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=193}} The three roles Sellers undertook were distinct, "variegated, complex and refined",{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=197}} and critic [[Alexander Walker (critic)|Alexander Walker]] considered that these roles "showed his genius at full stretch".{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=119}} Sellers played Muffley as a bland, placid intellectual in the mould of [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]];{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=195}} he played Mandrake as an unflappable Englishman;{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=197}} and Dr. Strangelove, a character influenced by pre-war German cinema, as a wheelchair-using fanatic.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=120}} The critic for ''[[The Times]]'' wrote that the film includes, "three remarkable performances from Mr. Peter Sellers, masterly as the President, diverting as a revue-sketch ex-Nazi US Scientist&nbsp;... and acceptable as an RAF officer,"<ref>{{cite news|title=Film Comedy about the End of the World|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=30 January 1964|location=London|page=16}}</ref> although the critic from ''The Guardian'' thought his portrayal of the RAF officer alone was, "worth the price of an admission ticket".<ref>{{cite news|title=Intelligent, subtle, funny 'Dr Strangelove': At the cinema|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=2 March 1964|location=London|page=4}}</ref> For his performance in all three roles, Sellers was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] at the [[37th Academy Awards]],<ref name="Oscars 65">{{cite web|title=The 37th Academy Awards (1965) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965 |work=Oscar Legacy |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031093059/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965 |archivedate=31 October 2014}}</ref> and the Best British Actor award at the 18th British Academy Film Awards.<ref name="BAFTA 64" />

Between November 1963 and February 1964, Sellers began filming ''[[A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)|A Shot in the Dark]]'',{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=206}} an adaptation of a French play, ''[[L'Idiote]]'' by [[Marcel Achard]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=205}} Sellers found the part and the director, [[Anatole Litvak]], uninspiring; the producers brought in Blake Edwards to replace Litvak. Together with writer [[William Peter Blatty]], they turned the script into a Clouseau comedy, also adding Herbert Lom as [[The Pink Panther (film series)|Commissioner Dreyfus]] and [[Burt Kwouk]] as [[The Pink Panther (film series)|Cato]]. During filming, Sellers's relationship with Edwards became strained; the two would often stop speaking to each other during filming, communicating only by the passing of notes.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=210}} Sellers's personality was described by others as difficult and demanding, and he often clashed with fellow actors and directors.<ref name="Milne (1980)" /> Upon its release in late June 1964, [[Bosley Crowther]] noted the "joyously free and facile way" in which Sellers had developed his comedy technique.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C02E2DB163BE633A25757C2A9609C946591D6CF |author=Crowther, Bosley |title=A Shot in the Dark (1964) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 June 1964 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210054953/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C02E2DB163BE633A25757C2A9609C946591D6CF |archivedate=10 December 2013}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="I feel extremely vulnerable, and I need help a lot. A lot. I suppose I feel mainly I need the help of a woman. I'm continually searching for this woman. They mother you, they're great in bed, they're like a sister, they're there when you want to see them, they're not there when you don't. I don't know where they are. Maybe they're around somewhere. I'll find one, one of these days."|source=—Sellers on his need for women.<ref name="FH">{{cite journal|author=Tibbetts, John C. |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1P3-2273327121 |title=The World of Peter Sellers |issue=2 |pages=136 |journal=Film & History |volume=40 |date=1 October 2010 |accessdate=4 August 2012|doi=10.1353/flm.2010.0017 |s2cid=143604839 }} {{subscription required}}</ref> }}

Towards the end of filming, in early February 1964, Sellers met [[Britt Ekland]], a Swedish actress who had arrived in London to film ''[[Guns at Batasi]]''. On 19 February 1964, just ten days after their first meeting, the couple married.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=106}} Sellers soon showed signs of insecurity and paranoia; he would become highly anxious and jealous, for example, when Ekland starred opposite attractive men.<ref name="TM3109">{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tortured-love-letter-peter-sellers-409865 |title=Tortured love letter Peter Sellers wrote to Britt Ekland weeks after whirlwind marriage |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=31 July 2009 |last=Smith |first=Richard |accessdate=7 March 2021|url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918101618/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tortured-love-letter-peter-sellers-409865 |archivedate=18 September 2016}}</ref> Shortly after the wedding, Sellers started filming on location in [[Twentynine Palms, California]] for [[Billy Wilder]]'s ''[[Kiss Me, Stupid]]'', opposite [[Dean Martin]] and [[Kim Novak]].{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=134}} The relationship between Wilder and Sellers became strained; both had different approaches to work and often clashed as a result.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=215}} On the night of 5 April 1964, prior to having sex with Ekland, Sellers inhaled [[amyl nitrite]]s ([[poppers]]) as a sexual stimulant in his search for "the ultimate orgasm",{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=216}} and suffered a series of eight [[myocardial infarction|heart attacks]] over the course of three hours as a result.{{sfnm|1a1=Evans|1y=1980|1p=116|2a1=Sellers|2y=1981|2p=96}} His illness forced him to withdraw from the filming of ''Kiss Me, Stupid'' and he was replaced by [[Ray Walston]].{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=138}} Wilder was unsympathetic about the heart attacks, saying that "you have to have a heart before you can have an attack".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=224}}

After some time recovering, Sellers returned to filming in October 1964, playing King of the Individualists alongside Ekland in ''[[A Carol for Another Christmas]]'',{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=228}}{{efn|The character may have been called Imperial Me, according to ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name="NYT" />}} a feature-length United Nations special broadcast in the United States on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] channel on 28 December 1964.<ref name="NYT" /> Sellers had been concerned that his heart attacks might have caused brain damage{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=228}} and that he would be unable to remember his lines, but he was reassured that his memory and abilities were unimpaired after the experience of filming.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=139}} Sellers followed this with the role of the perverted Austrian psychoanalyst Doctor Fritz Fassbender in [[Clive Donner]]'s ''[[What's New Pussycat?]]'', appearing alongside [[Peter O'Toole]], [[Romy Schneider]], Capucine, [[Paula Prentiss]] and [[Ursula Andress]].{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=101}} The film was the first screenwriting and acting credit for [[Woody Allen]], and featured Sellers in a love triangle.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=231}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1965/whats-new-pussycat |title=What's New Pussycat? |website=[[Film4]] |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007021027/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1965/whats-new-pussycat |archivedate= 7 October 2012}}</ref> Because of Sellers's poor health, producer [[Charles K. Feldman]] insured him at a cost of $360,000{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=108}} (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|360000|1964}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).{{inflation-fn|US|df=yes}}

[[File:Britt Ekland and Peter Sellers 1964.jpg|thumb|right|Peter Sellers and [[Britt Ekland]] in 1964]]
On 20 January 1965, Sellers and Ekland announced the birth of a daughter, [[Victoria Sellers|Victoria]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=233}} They moved to Rome in May to film ''[[After the Fox]]'', an Anglo-Italian production in which they were both to appear.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=141}} The film was directed by [[Vittorio De Sica]], whose English Sellers struggled to understand.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=142}} Sellers attempted to have De Sica fired, causing tensions on the set.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=142}} Sellers also became unhappy with his wife's performance, straining their relationship{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=238}} and triggering open arguments during one of which Sellers threw a chair at Ekland.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=240}} Despite these conflicts, the script was praised for its wit.<ref name="VarietyAF">{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117796695?refcatid=31 |title=After the Fox |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=31 December 1965 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111025852/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117796695?refcatid=31 |archivedate=11 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/77583/after_the_fox.html |title=After the Fox (1966) |work=[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]] |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021033958/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/77583/after_the_fox.html |archivedate=21 October 2012}}</ref>

Following the commercial success of ''What's New Pussycat?'', Charles Feldman again brought together Sellers and Woody Allen for his next project, ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'', which also starred [[Orson Welles]];{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=238}} Sellers signed a $1&nbsp;million contract for the film{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=143}} (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1000000|1967}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).{{inflation-fn|US|df=yes}} Seven screenwriters worked on the project,{{sfn|Benson|1988|p=238}} and filming was chaotic.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=146}} To make matters worse, according to Ekland, Sellers was "so insecure, he won't trust anyone".{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=127}} A poor working relationship quickly developed between Sellers and Welles: Sellers eventually demanded that the two should not share the same set.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=148}} Sellers left the film before his part was complete. A further agent's part was then written for [[Terence Cooper]], to cover Sellers's departure.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=252}}{{efn|Various theories have been given about the animosity between the two actors, including Sellers trying to get Welles to laugh and Welles not responding; Sellers hearing a young woman comment that Welles was sexy; Sellers's comments about Welles's weight being objected to; and Sellers's jealousy at Welles's friendship with [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]], who was also a friend of Sellers.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=31}} Sellers's biographer Peter Evans declared that, "the real reason for this&nbsp;... hostility is still uncertain",{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=130}} while another biographer, [[Ed Sikov]] commented that others were as much to blame for problems with the film.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=252}}}}

Shortly after leaving ''Casino Royale'', Sellers was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in honour of his career achievements.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Birthday Honours|newspaper=[[The Times]]|location=London|date=11 June 1966|page=14}}</ref> The day before the investiture at [[Buckingham Palace]], Sellers and Ekland argued, with Ekland scratching his face in the process; Sellers had a make-up artist cover the marks.{{sfn|Sellers|1981|p=113}} During his next film, ''[[The Bobo]]'', which again co-starred Ekland, the couple's marital problems worsened. Three weeks into production in Italy, Sellers told director [[Robert Parrish]] to fire his wife, saying "I'm not coming back after lunch if that bitch is on the set".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=259}} Ekland later stated that the marriage was "an atrocious sham" at this stage.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=264}} In the midst of filming ''The Bobo'', Sellers's mother had a heart attack; Parrish asked Sellers if he wanted to visit her in hospital, but Sellers remained on set. She died within days, without Sellers having seen her.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=261}} He was deeply affected by her death and remorseful at not having returned to London to see her.{{sfn|Sellers|1981|p=112}} Ekland served him with divorce papers shortly afterwards. The divorce was finalised on 18 December 1968, and Sellers's friend Spike Milligan sent Ekland a congratulatory telegram.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=285}} Upon its release in September 1967, ''The Bobo'' was poorly received.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507E7D91238E53BBC4151DFBF66838C679EDE |author=Crowther, Bosley |title=The Bobo (1967) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=29 September 1967 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308212633/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507E7D91238E53BBC4151DFBF66838C679EDE |archivedate= 8 March 2016}}</ref>

Sellers's first film appearance of 1968 was a reunion with Blake Edwards for the [[wikt:fish out of water|fish-out-of-water]] comedy [[The Party (1968 film)|''The Party'']], in which he starred alongside [[Claudine Longet]] and [[Denny Miller]]. He appears as Hrundi V. Bakshi, a bungling Indian actor who accidentally receives an invitation to a lavish Hollywood dinner party. His character, according to Sellers's biographer Peter Evans, was "clearly an amalgam of Clouseau and the doctor in ''The Millionairess''".{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=236}} Roger Lewis notes that like a number of Sellers's characters, he is played in a sympathetic and dignified manner.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=620}} He followed it later that year with [[Hy Averback]]'s ''[[I Love You, Alice B. Toklas]]'', playing an attorney who abandons his lifestyle to become a [[hippie]]. [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars, remarking that Sellers was "back doing what he does best", although he also said that in Sellers's previous films he had "been at his worst recently".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-love-you-alice-b-toklas-1968 |author=Ebert, Roger |title=I Love You, Alice B. Toklas |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=27 November 1968 |accessdate=9 September 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116222339/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/i-love-you-alice-b-toklas-1968 |archivedate=16 January 2014}}</ref>

In 1969 Sellers starred opposite [[Ringo Starr]] in the [[Joseph McGrath (film director)|Joseph McGrath]]-directed film ''[[The Magic Christian (film)|The Magic Christian]]''. Sellers portrayed Sir Guy Grand, an eccentric billionaire who plays elaborate [[practical joke]]s on people. The critic Irv Slifkin remarked that the film was a reflection of the cynicism of Peter Sellers, describing the film as a "proto-[[Monty Python|Pythonesque]] adaption of Terry Southern's semi-free-form short novel", and "one of the strangest films to be shown at a gala premiere for Britain's royal family".{{sfn|Slifkin|2004|p=447}} The film, a satire on human nature,{{sfn|Ginibre|Lithgow|Cady|2005|p=296}} was in general viewed negatively by critics. [[Roger Greenspun]] of ''The New York Times'' believed that the film was of variable quality and summarised it as a "brutal satire".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9505E6DE163EE034BC4A52DFB466838B669EDE |author=Greenspun, Roger |title=The Magic Christian (1969) |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=12 February 1970 |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325003046/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9505E6DE163EE034BC4A52DFB466838B669EDE |archivedate=25 March 2016}}</ref>

=== "Period of indifference": two marriages, three ''Pink Panther'' films (1970–1978) ===
[[File:Sellers-1971 signed.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Sellers in 1971]]

After a cameo appearance in ''[[A Day at the Beach]]'' (1970),<ref name="ST">{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2003860794_day31.html|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130130053234/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2003860794_day31.html|archivedate=30 January 2013|title=A Day at the Beach" was worth digging up|work=The Seattle Times|date=31 August 2007|accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> and a serious role later in 1970 as an aging businessman who seduces [[Sinéad Cusack]] in ''[[Hoffman (film)|Hoffman]]'',<ref name="Film470">{{cite web|url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1970/hoffman |title=Hoffman (1970) |website=[[Film4]] |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010110201/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1970/hoffman |archivedate=10 October 2012}}</ref> Sellers starred in [[Roy Boulting]]'s ''[[There's a Girl in My Soup]]'' opposite [[Goldie Hawn]]. According to ''The Times'', the film was a major commercial success and became the seventh most popular film at the British box office in 1970.<ref>{{cite news|last=Waymark|first=Peter|title=Richard Burton top draw in British cinemas|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=30 December 1971|location=London|page=2}}</ref> Andrew Spicer, writing for the [[British Film Institute]]'s [[Screenonline]], considers that although Sellers favoured playing romantic roles, he "was always more successful in parts that sent up his own vanities and pretensions, as with the TV presenter and narcissistic lothario" he played in ''There's a Girl in My Soup''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/461941/index.html |title=Sellers, Peter (1925–1980) |last1=Spicer |first1=Andrew |work=[[Screenonline]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |accessdate=20 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709051353/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/461941/index.html |archivedate= 9 July 2012}}</ref> The film was seen as a small revival of his career.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=119}}

Sellers's next films, including [[Rodney Amateau]]'s ''[[Where Does It Hurt?]]'' (1972)<ref>{{cite news|author=Weiler, A. H. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/20706/The-Great-McGonagall/overview |title=Where Does It Hurt (1972) |accessdate=3 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325034255/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/20706/The-Great-McGonagall/overview |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2016 |archivedate=25 March 2016}}</ref> and Peter Medak's ''[[Ghost in the Noonday Sun]]'' (1974), were again poorly received, and his acting was viewed as frenetic rather than funny.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mannika, Eleanor |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/19661/Ghost-in-the-Noonday-Sun/overview |title=Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1974) |accessdate=3 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107122708/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/19661/Ghost-in-the-Noonday-Sun/overview |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2012 |archivedate= 7 November 2012}}</ref> Despite these setbacks, Sellers won the Best Actor award at the 1973 Tehran Film Festival for his tragi-comedic role as a street performer in [[Anthony Simmons (writer)|Anthony Simmons]]'s ''[[The Optimists of Nine Elms]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=In the News|journal=[[Take One (Canadian magazine)|Take One]]|year=1972|volume=4|page=35|publisher=Unicorn Publisher}}</ref>{{sfn|WWW|1981|p=714}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1973/optimists-of-nine-elms-the |title=The Optimists of Nine Elms |website=[[Film4]] |accessdate=3 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010110240/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1973/optimists-of-nine-elms-the |archivedate=10 October 2012}}</ref> Fellow comedian and friend Spike Milligan believed that the early 1970s were for Sellers "a period of indifference, and it would appear at one time that his career might have come to a conclusion".<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> This was echoed by Sellers's biographer, Peter Evans, who notes that out of nine films in the period, three were never released and five had flopped, while only ''There's a Girl in My Soup'' had been a success.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=235}} In his private life, he had been seeing the twenty-three-year-old model [[Miranda, Countess of Stockton|Miranda Quarry]]. The couple married on 24 August 1970,{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1p=171|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=310}} despite Sellers's private doubts—expressed to his agent, Dennis Selinger—about his decision to remarry.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=172}}

In April 1972, Sellers reunited with Milligan and Harry Secombe to record ''[[The Last Goon Show of All]]'', which was broadcast on 5 October.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=182}} In May 1973, with his third marriage failing,{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=31}} Sellers went to the theatre to watch [[Liza Minnelli]] perform. He became entranced with Minnelli and the couple became engaged three days later, despite Minnelli's current betrothal to [[Desi Arnaz, Jr.]], and Sellers still being married.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=326}}{{efn|The marriage to Quarry was formally dissolved in September 1974.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=186}}}} Their relationship lasted a month before breaking up.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=231}} By 1974, Sellers's friends were concerned that he was having a nervous breakdown.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=236}} Directors John and Roy Boulting considered that Sellers was "a deeply troubled man, distrustful, self-absorbed, ultimately self-destructive. He was the complete contradiction."<ref name="Boulting" /> Sellers was shy and insecure when out of character.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=823}}<ref name="Mortimer (1980)" /> When he was invited to appear on [[Michael Parkinson]]'s [[Parkinson (TV series)|eponymous chat show]] in 1974, he withdrew the day before, explaining to Parkinson that "I just can't walk on as myself". When he was told he could come on as someone else, he appeared dressed as a member of the [[Gestapo]].{{sfn|Parkinson|2009|p=255}} After a few lines in keeping with his assumed character, he stepped out of the role and settled down and, according to Parkinson himself, "was brilliant, giving the audience an astonishing display of his virtuosity".{{sfn|Parkinson|2009|p=256}} In 1974, Sellers again claimed to have communicated with the long-dead music hall comic Dan Leno, who advised him to return to the role of Clouseau.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=236}}

In 1974, Sellers portrayed a "sexually voracious" [[Queen Victoria]] in [[Joseph McGrath (film director)|Joseph McGrath]]'s comedic biographical film of the Scottish poet [[William McGonagall]], ''[[The Great McGonagall (film)|The Great McGonagall]]'', starring opposite Milligan and [[Julia Foster]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/20706/The-Great-McGonagall/overview |title=The Great McGonagall (1975) |accessdate=3 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107122359/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/20706/The-Great-McGonagall/overview |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=Hal Erickson |author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=2012 |archivedate= 7 November 2012}}</ref> However, the film was a critical failure, and Sellers's career and life reached an all-time low. As a result, by 1974 he agreed to accept salaries of £100,000 and 10 per cent of the gross to appear in TV productions and advertisements, well below the £1 million he had once commanded per film.{{sfn|Upton|2004|p=56}} In 1973, he appeared in a [[Benson & Hedges]] cinema commercial; in 1975, he appeared in a series of advertisements for [[Trans World Airlines]], in which he played several eccentric characters, including Thrifty McTravel, Jeremy "Piggy" Peak Thyme and an Italian singer, Vito.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=176}} Biographer Michael Starr asserts that Sellers showed enthusiasm towards these roles, {{sfn|Starr|1991|p=185}} although the airline campaign failed commercially.{{sfn|Segrave|2005|p=161}}

A turning point in Sellers's flailing career came in 1974, when he teamed up with Blake Edwards to make ''[[The Return of the Pink Panther]]'', starring alongside [[Christopher Plummer]], Herbert Lom and [[Catherine Schell]].{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=469}} The film was shot on a budget of £3 million and earned $33 million at the box office upon release in May 1975, reinvigorating Sellers's career as an A-list film star and restoring his millionaire status.<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" />{{sfnm|1a1=Barnes&Noble|1y=2004|1p=828|2a1=Upton|2y=2004|2p=56}} The film earned Sellers a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy]] award at the [[33rd Golden Globe Awards]].<ref name="Globes 74">{{cite web|title=The 22nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1976)|url=http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1975|work=Golden Globe Awards|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|accessdate=9 July 2012|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130414205751/http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1975|archivedate=14 April 2013}}</ref> In 1976, he followed it with ''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]''. During the filming from February to June 1976, the already fraught relationship between Sellers and Blake Edwards had seriously deteriorated. Edwards says of the actor's mental state at the time of ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'', "If you went to an asylum and you described the first inmate you saw, that's what Peter had become. He was certifiable."<ref name="tcmarticle">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=17706&category=Articles |title=The Pink Panther Strikes Again |website=[[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]] |author=Thames, Stephanie |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122214231/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=17706 |archivedate=22 January 2010}}</ref> With declining physical health, Sellers could at times be unbearable on set. His behaviour was regarded as unprofessional and childish, and he frequently threw tantrums, often threatening to abandon projects.{{sfn|Upton|2004|p=56}} His difficult behaviour during productions was widely reported and made it more difficult for Sellers to get employment in the industry at a time when he most needed the work.<ref name="WT1002" /> Despite Sellers's deep personal problems, ''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' was well received critically. Vincent Canby of ''The New York Times'' said of Sellers in the film, "There is, too, something most winningly seedy about Mr. Sellers' Clouseau, a fellow who, when he attempts to tear off his clothes in the heat of passion, gets tangled up in his necktie, and who, when he masquerades—for reasons never gone into—as Quasimodo, overinflates his hump with helium."<ref name="NYT76" /> Sellers's performance earned him a further nomination at the [[34th Golden Globe Awards]].<ref name="Globes 77">{{cite web|title=The 23rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1977)|url=http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1976|work=Golden Globe Awards|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|accessdate=9 July 2012|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130414215627/http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1976|archivedate=14 April 2013}}</ref>

In March 1976 Sellers began dating actress [[Lynne Frederick]], whom he married on 18 February 1977.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=192}} Biographer Roger Lewis documents that of all of Sellers's wives, Frederick was the most poorly treated; Julian Upton likened it to a boxing match between a heavyweight and a featherweight, a relationship that "oscillated from ardour to hatred, reconciliation and remorse."{{sfn|Upton|2004|p=58}} On 20 March 1977, Sellers suffered a second major heart attack during a flight from Paris to London; he was subsequently fitted with a [[Artificial pacemaker|pacemaker]].{{sfn|Upton|2004|p=58}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Buchan|first=David|title=Sellers 'op'|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=29 March 1977|location=London|page=7}}</ref> Sellers returned from his illness to undertake ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]''; although it was a commercial success, the critics were tiring of Inspector Clouseau. Julian Upton expressed the view that the strain behind the scenes began to manifest itself in the sluggish pace of the film, describing it as a "laboured, stunt-heavy hotchpotch of half-baked ideas and rehashed gags".{{sfn|Upton|2004|p=58}} Sellers too had become tired of the role, saying after production, "I've honestly had enough of Clouseau—I've got nothing more to give".{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=131}} [[Steven Bach]], the senior vice-president and head of worldwide productions for [[United Artists]], who worked with Sellers on ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'', considered that Sellers was "deeply unbalanced, if not committable: that was the source of his genius and his truly quite terrifying aspects as manipulator and hysteric."{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=591}} He refused to seek professional help for his mental issues.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103152085.html |title=Rebuilding Peter Sellers |work=The Record|location=Bergen County, NJ |date=5 December 2004 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107203023/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103152085.html |archivedate=7 November 2012}}{{subscription required}}
</ref> Sellers would claim that he had no personality and was almost unnoticeable, which meant that he "needed a strongly defined character to play."<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary: Mr Peter Sellers|newspaper=[[The Times]]|date=25 July 1980|location=London|page=16}}</ref> He would make similar references throughout his life: when he appeared on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in 1978, a guest appearance that earned him an [[Emmy]] nomination for Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Variety or Music,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/muppet-show |title=The Muppet Show |publisher=[[Emmys]] |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008131737/http://www.emmys.com/shows/muppet-show |archivedate= 8 October 2012}}</ref> he chose not to appear as himself, instead appearing in a variety of costumes and accents. When [[Kermit the Frog]] told Sellers he could relax and be himself, Sellers replied:
{{blockquote
| But that, you see, my dear Kermit, would be altogether impossible. I could never be myself&nbsp;... You see, there is no me. I do not exist&nbsp;... There used to be a me, but I had it surgically removed.|Peter Sellers, ''The Muppet Show'', February 1978{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=352}}
}}

=== ''Being There'', ''Fu Manchu'', and continued domestic problems (1979–1980) ===
In 1979, Sellers starred alongside Lynne Frederick, [[Lionel Jeffries]] and [[Elke Sommer]] in [[Richard Quine]]'s ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1979 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]''. He portrayed three roles, including King Rudolf IV and King Rudolf V—rulers of the fictional small nation of Ruritania—and Syd Frewin, Rudolf V's half-brother. Upon its release in May 1979, the film was well received; [[Janet Maslin]] of ''The New York Times'' observed how Sellers divided "his energies between a serious character and a funny one, but that it was his serious performance which was more impressive".<ref>{{cite web|last=Maslin|first=Janet|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9506EED61439E732A25756C2A9639C946890D6CF|title=The Prisoner of Zenda (1979)|author-link=Janet Maslin|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=25 May 1979|accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> However, [[Philip French]], for ''The Observer'', was unimpressed by the film, describing it as "a mess of porridge" and stating that "Sellers reveals that he cannot draw the line between the sincere and the sentimental".<ref name="French Zenda" />

Later in 1979, Sellers starred opposite [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[Melvyn Douglas]] and [[Jack Warden]] in the [[black comedy]] ''[[Being There]]'' as Chance, a simple-minded gardener addicted to watching TV who is regarded as a sage by the rich and powerful.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=357}} In a BBC interview in 1971, Sellers had said that more than anything else, he wanted to play the role, and successfully persuaded the author of the book, [[Jerzy Kosinski]], to allow him and director [[Hal Ashby]] to make the film, provided Kosinski could write the script.<ref name="Smith" />{{sfn|Dawson|2009|p=211}} During filming, to remain in character, Sellers refused most interview requests and kept his distance from the other actors.{{sfn|Dawson|2009|p=211}} Sellers considered Chance's walking and voice the character's most important attributes, and in preparing for the role worked alone with a tape recorder or with his wife, and then with Ashby, to perfect the clear enunciation and flat delivery needed to reveal "the childlike mind behind the words".{{sfn|Dawson|2009|p=211}} Sellers described his experience of working on the film as "so humbling, so powerful", and co-star Shirley MacLaine found Sellers "a dream" to work with.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=204}} Sellers's performance was universally lauded by critics and is considered by critic Danny Smith to be the "crowning triumph of Peter Sellers's remarkable career".<ref name="Smith" /> Critic [[Frank Rich]] wrote that the acting skill required for this sort of role, with a "schismatic personality that Peter had to convey with strenuous vocal and gestural technique&nbsp;... A lesser actor would have made the character's mental dysfunction flamboyant and drastic&nbsp;... [His] intelligence was always deeper, his onscreen confidence greater, his technique much more finely honed":<ref name="Rich" /> in achieving this, Sellers "makes the film's fantastic premise credible".<ref name="Rich" /> The film earned Sellers a [[National Board of Review Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award at the [[National Board of Review Awards 1979|51st National Board of Review Awards]];<ref name="NBR 79">{{cite web|title=Awards for 1979 |url=http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1979 |work=NBR Awards |publisher=[[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures]] |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912143237/http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/past.cfm?year=1979 |archivedate=12 September 2012}}</ref> the [[London Critics Circle Film Awards]] Special Achievement Award, the [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award at the [[1979 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|45th New York Film Critics Circle Awards]];<ref name="official">{{cite web|title=Peter Sellers: The Official Site |url=http://www.petersellers.com/about/awards.html |work=Peter Sellers: Awards |publisher=The Estate of Peter Sellers |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314030303/http://www.petersellers.com/about/awards.html |archivedate=14 March 2012}}</ref> and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy]] award at the [[37th Golden Globe Awards]].<ref name="Globes 79">{{cite web|title=The 37th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1980)|url=http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1979|work=Golden Globe Awards|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|accessdate=9 July 2012|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130414203800/http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1979|archivedate=14 April 2013}}</ref> Additionally, Sellers was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] award at the [[52nd Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars 79">{{cite web|title=The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980 |work=Oscar Legacy |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110134116/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980 |archivedate=10 November 2014}}</ref> and the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]] award at the [[34th British Academy Film Awards]].<ref name="BAFTA 79">{{cite web|title=BAFTA Awards 1980 |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1980&category=false&award=false |work=BAFTA Awards Database |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |accessdate=9 July 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923113635/http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1980&category=false&award=false |archivedate=23 September 2012}}</ref>

In March 1980, Sellers asked his 15-year-old daughter Victoria what she thought about ''Being There'': she reported later that "I said yes, I thought it was great. But then I said, 'You looked like a little fat old man'.&nbsp;... he went mad. He threw his drink over me and told me to get the next plane home."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=374}} His other daughter Sarah told Sellers her thoughts about the incident and he sent her a telegram that read "After what happened this morning with Victoria, I shall be happy if I never hear from you again. I won't tell you what I think of you. It must be obvious. Goodbye, Your Father."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=374}}

Sellers's last film was ''[[The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu]]'', a comedic re-imagining of the eponymous adventure novels by [[Sax Rohmer]]; Sellers played both police inspector [[Nayland Smith]] and [[Fu Manchu]], alongside [[Helen Mirren]] and [[David Tomlinson]]. The production of the film was troublesome before filming started, with two directors—[[Richard Quine]] and [[John Avildsen]]—fired before the script had been completed.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=242}} Sellers also expressed dissatisfaction with his own portrayal of Manchu{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=212}} with his ill-health often causing delays.{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=213}} Arguments between Sellers and director [[Piers Haggard]] led to Haggard's firing at Sellers's instigation and Sellers took over direction, using his long-time friend David Lodge to direct some sequences.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=370–371}} [[Tom Shales]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' described the film as "an indefensibly inept comedy",<ref name="Shales" /> adding that "it is hard to name another good actor who ever made so many bad movies as Sellers, a comedian of great gifts but ferociously faulty judgment. "Manchu" will take its rightful place alongside such colossally ill-advised washouts as ''Tell Me Where It Hurts'', ''The Bobo'' and ''The Prisoner of Zenda''".<ref name="Shales" />

Sellers's final performances were a series of advertisements for [[Barclays Bank]]. Filmed in April 1980 in Ireland, he played Monty Casino, a Jewish con-man.{{efn|According to biographer Peter Evans, Sellers received criticism for his portrayal of characters interpreted to be Jewish right from ''The Goon Show'' days and the show received complaints accusing them of anti-Semitism. The Monty Casino character was similarly criticised, and Barclays made the decision to immediately cancel the commercial, although, according to them, as a mark of respect upon his death.{{sfnm|1a1=Evans|1y=1980|1pp=194–195|2a1=Lewis|2y=1995|2p=47|3a1=Rigelsford|3y=2004|3p=176}}}} Four adverts were scheduled, but only three were filmed as Sellers collapsed in Dublin, again with heart problems.{{sfnm|1a1=Walker|1y=1981|1p=215|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=375}} After two days in care—and against the advice of his doctors—he travelled to the [[Cannes Film Festival]], where ''Being There'' was in competition.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=375–376}} Sellers was again ill in Cannes, returning to his residence in [[Gstaad]] to work on the script for his next project, ''[[The Pink Panther (film series)|Romance of the Pink Panther]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Evans|1y=1980|1p=246|2a1=Walker|2y=1981|2p=217}} At the urging of his friends, he made an appointment to undergo an [[Angiography|angiogram]] at the [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles on 30 July 1980, to see if he was able to undergo open-heart surgery.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=379}} Spike Milligan later considered that Sellers's heart condition had lasted for over 15 years and had "made life difficult for him and had a debilitating effect on his personality."<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> Sellers's fourth marriage to Frederick collapsed soon after.{{sfnm|1a1=Sellers|1y=1981|1p=222|2a1=Sikov|2y=2002|2p=379}}

Sellers had recently started to rebuild his relationship with his son Michael after the failure of the latter's marriage. In lighter moments, Sellers had joked that his epitaph should read "Star of stage, screen and alimony."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=336}}

===Death and subsequent family issues===
[[File:Peter Sellers ashes, Golders Green Crematorium - geograph.org.uk - 825499.jpg|thumb|Plaque commemorating Sellers at [[Golders Green Crematorium]]]]

On 21 July 1980 Sellers arrived in London from Geneva. He checked into [[the Dorchester]] hotel, before visiting [[Golders Green Crematorium]] for the first time to see the location of his parents' ashes.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=380}} He had plans to attend a reunion dinner with his ''Goon Show'' partners Milligan and Secombe, scheduled for the evening of 22 July.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=246}} On the day of the dinner, Sellers took lunch in his hotel suite and shortly afterwards collapsed from a heart attack. He was taken to the [[Middlesex Hospital]], London, and died just after midnight on 24 July 1980, aged 54.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=381–382}}

Following Sellers's death, fellow actor Richard Attenborough said that Sellers "had the genius comparable to Chaplin",<ref name="Penny (1980)" /> while the Boulting brothers considered Sellers as "a man of enormous gifts; and these gifts he gave to the world. For them, he is assured of a place in the history of art as entertainment."<ref name="Boulting" /> [[Burt Kwouk]], who appeared as Cato in the ''Pink Panther'' films, stated that "Peter was a well-loved actor in Britain&nbsp;... the day he died, it seemed that the whole country came to a stop. Everywhere you went, the fact that Peter had died seemed like an umbrella over everything".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=382}} Director Blake Edwards thought that "Peter was brilliant. He had an enormous facility for finding really unusual, unique facets of the character he was playing".<ref name="D Mirror (1980)" /> Sellers's friend and ''Goon Show'' colleague Spike Milligan was too upset to speak to the press at the time of Sellers's death,<ref name="Merrin (1980)" /> while fellow Goon Harry Secombe said "I'm shattered. Peter was such a tremendous artist. He had so much talent, it just oozed out of him";<ref name="Mason (1980)" /> in dark humour, referring to the missed dinner the Goons had planned, he added, "Anything to avoid paying for dinner".{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=382}} Secombe later declared to journalists "Bluebottle is deaded now".{{sfn|Walker|1981|p=225}} Milligan later said that "it's hard to say this, but he died at the right time."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=382}}

A private funeral service was held at Golders Green Crematorium on 26 July, conducted by Sellers's old friend, [[Canon (priest)|Canon]] John Hester.{{sfn|Evans|1980|p=246}} Sellers's final joke was the playing of "[[In the Mood]]" by [[Glenn Miller]], a tune which all the Goons hated; he knew they would have to sit there in silence and listen to it.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=7}} A memorial service was held at [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]] on 8 September 1980—what would have been Sellers's 55th birthday.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=383}} Close friend [[Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon|Lord Snowdon]] read the [[Psalm 23|twenty-third Psalm]], Harry Secombe sang "[[Bread of Heaven]]" and the eulogy was read by David Niven.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=383}}

Although Sellers was reportedly in the process of excluding Frederick from his will a week before he died,<ref name="Will change"/> she inherited almost his entire estate worth an estimated £4.5 million (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|4.5|1980|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} pounds){{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}} while his children received £800 each<ref name="Will change">{{cite news |title=Peter Sellers 'changed his will on the day he died', legal papers show |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/7892368/Peter-Sellers-changed-his-will-on-the-day-he-died-legal-papers-show.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/7892368/Peter-Sellers-changed-his-will-on-the-day-he-died-legal-papers-show.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |accessdate=7 December 2020 |newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|800|1980}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} pounds).{{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}} Spike Milligan appealed to her on behalf of Sellers's three children, but she refused to increase the amount.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=384}}{{efn|Frederick subsequently married [[David Frost]]; she divorced him and married a cardiologist, Dr Barry Unger. She died in 1994 after struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=384}}}} Sellers's only son, Michael, died of a heart attack at 52 during surgery on 24 July 2006, twenty-six years to the day after his father's death.{{sfn|Sellers|Morecambe|2000|p=}}

After his death, [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] tried to continue with ''Romance of the Pink Panther'' and offered the role of Clouseau to [[Dudley Moore]], who turned it down. The studio subsequently returned to Blake Edwards, who was adamant not to recast the character, feeling certain that no one could adequately replace Sellers. In 1982 Edwards released ''[[Trail of the Pink Panther]]'', which was composed entirely of deleted scenes from his past three ''Panther'' films.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=385}} Frederick sued, claiming the use of the clips was a breach of contract; the court awarded her $1{{nbsp}}million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1|1982|r=1}}}} million today), plus 3.15 per cent of the film's profits and 1.36 per cent of its gross revenue.{{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=385–386}}<ref>{{cite news|title=$1m damages awarded to widow of Peter Sellers over 'Pink Panther' film|work=[[The Times]]|issue=62147|date=25 May 1985|location=London|page=3}}</ref>

== Technique ==
{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|quote="I start with the voice. I find out how the character ''sounds''. It's through the way he speaks that I find out the rest about him.&nbsp;... After the voice comes the looks of the man. I do a lot of drawings of the character I play. Then I get together with the makeup man and we sort of transfer my drawings onto my face. An involved process. After that I establish how the character walks. Very important, the walk. And then, suddenly, something strange happens. ''The person takes over''. The man you play begins to exist."|source=—Sellers describing how he prepared for his wide range of roles in an October 1962 interview for ''[[Playboy]]''.<ref name="Playboy" /> }}

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' said of the Pink Panther films "I'm not sure why Mr. Sellers and Mr. Lom are such a hilarious team, though it may be because each is a fine comic actor with a special talent for portraying the sort of all-consuming, epic self-absorption that makes slapstick farce initially acceptable—instead of alarming—and finally so funny."<ref name="NYT76">{{cite web|author=Canby, Vincent|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C04E3DD133FE334BC4E52DFB467838D669EDE|title=The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=16 December 1976|accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> The film critic [[Elvis Mitchell]] said that Sellers was one of the few comic geniuses who was able to truly hide behind his characters, giving the audience no sense of what he was really like in real life.<ref>
{{cite web |author=Simon, Scott |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103117053.html |title=Profile: Movie on HBO examines the life of Peter Sellers |work=NPR Weekend Edition&nbsp;– Saturday |date=4 December 2004 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107203015/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103117053.html |archivedate=7 November 2012}}{{subscription required}}
</ref> A feature of the characterisations undertaken by Sellers is that, regardless of how clumsy or idiotic they are, he ensured that they always retain their dignity.{{sfn|Lewis|1995|p=164}} On his playing of Clouseau, Sellers said: "I set out to play Clouseau with great dignity because I feel that he thinks he is probably one of the greatest detectives in the world. The original script makes him out to be a complete idiot. I thought a forgivable vanity would humanise him and make him kind of touching."{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=97}}

Sellers's [[biographer]], Ed Sikov, notes that because of this retained dignity, Sellers is "the master of playing men who have no idea how ridiculous they are."{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=270}} Social historian Sam Wasson notes the complexity in Sellers's performances in the ''Pink Panther'' films, which has the effect of alienating Clouseau from his environment. Wesson considers that "As 'low' and 'high' comedy rolled into one, it's the performative counterpoint to [[Nineteenth-century theatre#Naturalism and Realism|Edwardian sophisticated naturalism]]".{{sfn|Wasson|2009|p=86}} This combination of "high" and "low", exemplified by Clouseau's attempting to retain dignity after a fall, means that within the film Clouseau was "the sole representative of humanity".{{sfn|Wasson|2009|p=87}} Film critic Dilys Powell also saw the inherent dignity in the parts and wrote that Sellers had a "balance between character and absurdity".<ref name="Powell (1980)" /> Richard Attenborough also thought that because of his sympathy, Sellers could "inject into his characterisations the frailty and substance of a human being".<ref name="Penny (1980)" />

Author Aaron Sultanik observed that in Sellers's early films, such as ''I'm All Right Jack'', he displays "deft, technical interpretations [that] pinpoint the mechanical nature of his comic characterization", which "reduces each of his characters to a series of gross, awkward tics".{{sfn|Sultanik|1986|p=86}} Academic Cynthia Baron observed that Sellers's external characterisations led to doubt with reviewers as to whether Sellers's work was "true" acting.{{sfn|Baron|2012|p=138}}{{efn|Baron goes on to note that much of the "true acting" question was due to the "polemical publicity" of [[Lee Strasberg]] that British characterisation led to artificial performances in contrast to method acting.{{sfn|Baron|2012|p=138}}}} Critic [[Tom Milne]] saw a change over Sellers's career and thought that his "comic genius as a character actor was&nbsp;... stifled by his elevation to leading man" and his later films suffered as a result.<ref name="Milne (1980)" /> Sultanik agreed, commenting that Sellers's "exceptional vocal and physical technique" was under-used during his career in the US.{{sfn|Sultanik|1986|p=86}}

Academics Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Wallis remarked that Sellers fits the mould of a technical actor because he displays a mastery of physical characterisation, such as accent or physical trait.{{sfn|Pramaggiore|Wallis|2005|p=86}} Writer and playwright [[John Mortimer]] saw the process for himself when Sellers was about to undertake filming on Mortimer's ''[[The Dock Brief]]'' and could not decide how to play the character of the barrister. By chance he ordered [[Cockle (bivalve)|cockles]] for lunch and the smell brought back a memory of the seaside town of [[Morecambe]]: this gave him "the idea of a faded North Country accent and the suggestion of a scrappy moustache".<ref name="Mortimer (1980)" /> So important was the voice as the starting point for character development, that Sellers would walk around London with a [[Reel-to-reel audio tape recording|reel-to-reel tape recorder]], recording voices to study at home.{{sfn|Rigelsford|2004|p=72}}

== Legacy ==
[[File:Impronte di Peter Sellers al TCL Chinese Theatre - Los Angeles - USA - agosto 2011.jpg|thumb|Sellers's hands and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre]]
''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine stated that all of the films starring Sellers as Clouseau showcased his "comedic brilliance".<ref name="New York">{{cite book |title=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oaEpAQAAIAAJ |accessdate=3 August 2012 |year=2003 |publisher=New York Magazine Company |page=54 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620144943/http://books.google.com/books?id=oaEpAQAAIAAJ |archivedate=20 June 2013}}</ref> Sellers's friend and ''Goon Show'' colleague Spike Milligan said that Sellers "had one of the most glittering comic talents of his age",<ref name="Milligan (DNB)" /> while English filmmakers John and Roy Boulting noted that he was "the greatest comic genius this country has produced since [[Charlie Chaplin|Charles Chaplin]]".<ref name="Boulting" /> Irv Slifkin said that the most prominent albeit ever-changing face in comedies of the 1960s was Sellers who "changed like a chameleon throughout the era, dazzling audiences".{{sfn|Slifkin|2004|pp=358}} In a 2005 poll to find "The Comedian's Comedian", Sellers was voted 14 in the list of the top 20 greatest comedians by fellow comics and comedy insiders.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4141019.stm |title=Cook voted 'comedians' comedian' |accessdate=15 June 2008 |publisher=BBC News |date=2 January 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080823085014/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4141019.stm |archivedate=23 August 2008}}</ref>

Sellers and ''The Goon Show'' were a strong influence on the [[Monty Python]] performers,{{sfn|Perry|2007|p=16}} with [[John Cleese]] calling him "the greatest voice man of all time", adding, "If he could listen to you for five minutes, he could do a perfect impersonation of you."<ref>{{cite news |first=Erik |last=Abriss |title=John Cleese on The Goon Show, His Earliest Comedy Influence |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/talking-peter-sellers-and-the-goon-show-with-john-cleese.html |date=10 July 2018 |accessdate=10 September 2019 |work=Vulture}}</ref> The Goons were imported to the United States by the [[NBC]] program ''[[Monitor (radio program)|Monitor]]'', which played recorded Goon show episodes starting in 1955. The American comedy troupe [[the Firesign Theatre]] also cited the Goons as a big influence on their radio comedy style.<ref name="Firezine_Goons">{{cite web |url=http://www.firezine.net/issue4/fz4_13.htm |title=Firezine #4: Under the Influence of the Goons |publisher=Firezine.net |date=Winter 1997–1998 |accessdate=28 October 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627180615/http://www.firezine.net/issue4/fz4_13.htm |archivedate=27 June 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sellers and the Goons were also an influence on [[Peter Cook]],{{sfn|Perry|2007|p=19}} who described Sellers as "the best comic actor in the world".<ref name="Penny (1980)" /> British actor [[Stephen Mangan]] stated that Sellers was a large influence,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/free-agents/articles/stephen-mangan-interview|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105074558/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/free-agents/articles/stephen-mangan-interview |archivedate=5 November 2012 |title=Stephen Mangan Interview|date=6 March 2009|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref> as did the comedians [[Mike Myers]],<ref>{{cite news |title=I owe film fame to dad's Scouse sense of humour |url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/owe-film-fame-dads-scouse-3510240 |accessdate=10 September 2019 |work=Liverpool Echo}}</ref> [[Alan Carr]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/channel-4s-comedy-gala/articles/an-interview-with-alan-carr|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024175804/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/channel-4s-comedy-gala/articles/an-interview-with-alan-carr |archivedate=24 October 2012 |title=An Interview with Alan Carr|date=8 March 2010|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref> and [[Rob Brydon]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Grant|first=Brigit|title=Little big man boxing clever|newspaper=[[Sunday Express]]|date=18 December 2011|location=London|pages=47–49}}</ref> Sellers's characters [[Hrundi Bakshi]] (''The Party'') and [[Inspector Clouseau]] (''The Pink Panther'') later influenced comedian [[Rowan Atkinson]]'s characters [[Mr. Bean]] and [[Johnny English]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Want funny? See his movies. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-13-ca-welkos13-story.html |accessdate=8 September 2019 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=13 July 2003}}</ref> The comic performer [[Sacha Baron Cohen]] referred to Sellers as "the most seminal force in shaping [his] early ideas on comedy". Cohen was considered for the role of Sellers in the biographical film ''[[The Life and Death of Peter Sellers]]''.{{sfn|Saunders|2009|p=22}} [[Will Ferrell]] considers Sellers to be an important influence on him, citing his "unique combination of being extremely subtle and over-the-top all at the same time."<ref>{{cite news |title=Will Ferrell interview: Megamind, Anchorman and playing a villain |url=http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/16729/will-ferrell-interview-megamind-anchorman-and-playing-a-villain |accessdate=17 November 2020 |website=Den of Geek}}</ref> The three members of [[Spinal Tap (band)|Spinal Tap]]—[[Michael McKean]], [[Christopher Guest]] and [[Harry Shearer]]—have also cited Sellers as being an influence on them,<ref>{{cite news|last=Molitorisz|first=Sacha|title=Hard rock troubadours turn folk for larks|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=22 July 2003|location=Sydney|page=12}}</ref> as has the US talk-show host [[Conan O'Brien]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Houpt|first=Simon|title=Conan gets creative with his Canadian invasion|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=7 February 2004|location=Toronto|page=R1}}</ref> [[David Schwimmer]] is another whose approach was influenced by Sellers: "he could do anything, from Dr Strangelove to Inspector Clouseau. He was just amazing."<ref>{{cite news|last=Waterman|first=Ivan|title=After winning $1million an episode deal, the sitcom superstars call it a day; goodbye dear friends|newspaper=[[Sunday Express]]|date=17 June 2001|location=London|page=3}}</ref>

As a child, [[Eddie Murphy]] developed his dual acting skills in imitation of Sellers, whom he called his acting hero,<ref>{{cite news |title=Eddie Murphy: I'll retire from films at 50 |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/eddie-murphy-i-ll-retire-films-50-wbna25581773 |accessdate=23 September 2019 |work=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]}}</ref> with [[Chris Rock]] hailing Murphy's performances (such as the multiple roles in ''[[The Nutty Professor (1996 film)|The Nutty Professor]]'') as "Peter Sellers-esque".<ref>{{cite news |title=The 5 Greatest Comedies of All-Time, According To Chris Rock |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new/5-Greatest-Comedies-All-Time-According-Chris-Rock-68419.html |accessdate=23 September 2019 |work=Cinemablend}}</ref> During an interview in 2002, [[Robin Williams]] told [[Michael Parkinson]] that Sellers was an important influence, especially his multi-character roles in ''Dr. Strangelove'', stating, "It doesn't get better than that." Williams was considered to play Sellers in the HBO biopic but turned it down over scheduling conflicts, though Williams considered it an honour to be able to portray him.<ref>video: {{cite interview|last=Williams|first=Robin|interviewer=[[Michael Parkinson]]|title=Robin Williams, Parkinson interview 2002|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LaJDOD5cJI|accessdate=18 September 2014|archivedate=17 September 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917135858/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LaJDOD5cJI|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eddie Izzard]] notes that the Goons "influenced a new generation of comedians who came to be known as [[Alternative comedy|'alternative']]"—including herself,{{sfn| Games|2003|p=vii}} while the media historian Graham McCann states "the anarchic spirit of the Goon Show&nbsp;... would inspire, directly or indirectly and to varying extents,&nbsp;... ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', ''[[The Young Ones (TV series)|The Young Ones]]'', ''[[Vic Reeves Big Night Out]]'', ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' [and] ''[[Brass Eye]]''."{{sfn|McCann|2006|pp=344–345}}

The stage play ''Being Sellers'' premiered in Australia in 1998, three years after the release of the biography by [[Roger Lewis]], ''The Life and Death of Peter Sellers''.  In 2004, the book was turned into an [[HBO]] [[The Life and Death of Peter Sellers|film with the same title]], starring [[Geoffrey Rush]]. The play later transferred to New York in December 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last=Merwin |first=Ted |title=Who Was Peter Sellers? |url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/theater/who_was_peter_sellers |accessdate=26 June 2012 |newspaper=[[The Jewish Week]] |date=23 November 2010 |location=New York |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020231421/http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/theater/who_was_peter_sellers |archivedate=20 October 2012}}</ref> ''[[The Belfast Telegraph]]'' notes how the film captured Sellers's "life of drugs, drink, fast cars and lots and lots of beautiful women".<ref name="DM1004">
{{cite web |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10713796.html |title=The Life and Death of Peter Sellers: The monster who made us laugh |work=[[The Belfast Telegraph]] |date=8 October 2004 |accessdate=4 August 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107203029/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-10713796.html |archivedate=7 November 2012}}{{subscription}}
</ref>

== Filmography and other works ==
{{main|Peter Sellers on stage, radio, screen and record}}
<!-- This list is based on films on which Sellers was nominated for an award. Please do not add any films to the list for which he was not nominated. -->
'''Selected works, based on award nominations'''
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" |Film
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Role
! scope="col" |Award
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|Running Jumping & Standing Still Film|''[[The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film]]''}}
| 1959
| {{efn|Sellers appeared in the film but was nominated in his capacity as the producer. It was Sellers's only producing credit.}}
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[32nd Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for Short Subject (Live Action){{sfn|Sikov|2002|pp=120–121}}
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]''
| 1959
| Fred Kite
| Won&nbsp;– [[13th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best British Actor<ref name="ARJ Guardian" />
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Waltz of the Toreadors (film)|Waltz of the Toreadors]]''
| 1962
| General Leo Fitzjohn
| Won&nbsp;– [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]] for Best Actor{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=171}}
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]''
| 1962
| Clare Quilty
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[20th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] for Best Supporting Actor
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Only Two Can Play]]''
| 1962
| John Lewis
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[16th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best British Actor<ref name="BAFTA 62" />
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|Pink Panther|''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]''}}
| 1963
| [[Inspector Clouseau|Inspector Jacques Clouseau]]
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[22nd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy<ref name="Globes 64"/><br />Nominated&nbsp;– [[18th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best British Actor<ref name="BAFTA 64" />
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]''
| 1964
| Group Captain Lionel Mandrake/<br />President Merkin Muffley/<br />Dr. Strangelove
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[37th Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for Best Actor<ref name="Oscars 65"/><br />Nominated&nbsp;– [[18th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best British Actor<ref name="BAFTA 64" />
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|Optimists of Nine Elms|''[[The Optimists of Nine Elms]]''}}
| 1973
| Sam
| Won&nbsp;– Tehran Film Festival Award for Best Actor{{sfn|WWW|1981|p=714}}
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|Return of the Pink Panther|''[[The Return of the Pink Panther]]''}}
| 1975
| [[Inspector Clouseau|Inspector Jacques Clouseau]]
| Won&nbsp;– [[List of Evening Standard British Film Awards|''The Evening News'' British Film Award]] for Best Actor<br />Nominated&nbsp;– [[33rd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy<ref name="Globes 74"/>
|-
! scope="row" | {{sort|Pink Panther Strikes Again|''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]''}}
| 1976
| [[Inspector Clouseau|Inspector Jacques Clouseau]]
| Nominated&nbsp;– [[34th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy<ref name="Globes 77"/>
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Being There]]''
| 1979
| Chance
| Won&nbsp;– [[National Board of Review Awards 1979|National Board of Review Award]] for Best Actor<ref name="NBR 79"/><br />Won&nbsp;– [[1979 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Award]] for Best Actor<ref name="official"/><br />Won&nbsp;– [[37th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor&nbsp;– Musical or Comedy<ref name="Globes 79"/><br />Won&nbsp;– [[London Film Critics Circle Award]] for Best Actor<br />Nominated&nbsp;– [[34th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Award]] for Best Actor in a Leading Role<ref name="BAFTA 79"/><br />Nominated&nbsp;– [[52nd Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for Best Actor<ref name="Oscars 79"/>
|}

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
{{notes|30em}}

===References===
{{reflist
| colwidth = 25em
| refs =
<ref name="Shales">
{{cite news|last=Shales|first=Tom|title='Fu' for Naught; The Fiendish Plod|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=8 August 1980|author-link=Tom Shales|location=Washington|page=C1
}}
</ref>

<ref name="French Zenda">
{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=The Panting Pathan: Cinema|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=7 December 1979|author-link=Philip French|location=London|page=18
}}
</ref>

<ref name="ARJ Guardian">
{{cite news|title=Boultings on top form: Satirical "I'm All Right, Jack!"|newspaper=[[The Guardian|The Manchester Guardian]]|date=15 August 1959|location=Manchester|page=3
}}
</ref>

<ref name="D Mirror (1980)">
{{cite news|title=Showbiz hails a comic genius|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]|date=25 July 1980|location=London|page=5
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Merrin (1980)">
{{cite news|last=Merrin|first=Tom|title=No ex-wives at funeral|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]|date=25 July 1980|location=London|page=5
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Powell (1962)">
{{cite news|last=Powell|first=Dilys|title=A Test for 'Lolita'|newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|date=9 September 1962|author-link=Dilys Powell|location=London|page=33
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Milligan (DNB)">
{{cite ODNB
 |last=Milligan
 |first=Spike
 |title=Sellers, Peter (1925–1980)
 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31669
 |accessdate=9 July 2012
 |author-link=Spike Milligan
 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31669
 |year=2004
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407125112/http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31669
 |archivedate= 7 April 2014
}} 
</ref>

<ref name="Playboy">
{{cite journal | title = Playboy interview: Peter Sellers | journal = [[Playboy]] | date = 1 October 1962 | volume = 9 | issue = 10 | page = 72
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Barker (DNB)">
{{cite ODNB | last = Barker | first = Dennis | title = Goons (act. 1951–1960) | url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/theme/95276 | accessdate = 11 July 2012
| doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/95276 | year = 2004 }} {{subscription}}
</ref>

<ref name="PS-A">
{{cite web
 |title=Peter Sellers, albums
 |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/peter%20sellers/#albums
 |work=Official UK Charts Archive
 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company|The Official UK Charts Company]]
 |accessdate=26 June 2012
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629043657/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/peter%20sellers/
 |archivedate=29 June 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Mason (1980)">
{{cite news|last=Mason|first=Peter|title=Actor Peter Dies|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=24 July 1980|location=London|page=1
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Boulting">
{{cite news | last1=Boulting | first1=John | last2=Boulting | first2=Roy | title = Peter the Great | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = 25 July 1980 | author-link1=Boulting brothers | author-link2=Boulting brothers | location = London | page = 11
}}
</ref>

<ref name="PS&SL">
{{cite web
 |title=Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren
 |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/peter%20sellers%20%26%20sophia%20loren/
 |work=Official UK Charts Archive
 |publisher=[[Official Charts Company|The Official UK Charts Company]]
 |accessdate=26 June 2012
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928155823/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/peter%20sellers%20%26%20sophia%20loren/
 |archivedate=28 September 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="BAFTA 62">
{{cite web
 |title=BAFTA Awards 1962
 |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1962&category=false&award=false
 |work=BAFTA Awards Database
 |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
 |accessdate=9 July 2012
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923113643/http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1962&category=false&award=false
 |archivedate=23 September 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="BAFTA 64">
{{cite web
 |title=BAFTA Awards 1964
 |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1964&category=false&award=false
 |work=BAFTA Awards Database
 |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
 |accessdate=9 July 2012
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923113624/http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?year=1964&category=false&award=false
 |archivedate=23 September 2012
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Milne (1980)">
{{cite news | last = Milne | first = Tom | title = The comic chameleon | newspaper = [[The Observer]] | date = 27 July 1980 | author-link = Tom Milne | location = London | page = 32
}}
</ref>

<ref name="NYT">
{{cite news
 |last=Vinciguerra
 |first=Thomas
 |title=Marley Is Dead, Killed in a Nuclear War
 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/fashion/20CAROL.html?_r=1
 |accessdate=18 July 2012
 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
 |date=20 December 2007
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215002936/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/fashion/20CAROL.html?_r=1
 |archivedate=15 February 2017
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Mortimer (1980)">
{{cite news | last = Mortimer | first = John | title = Creative Force of a Meticulous Clown | newspaper = [[The Sunday Times]] | date = 27 July 1980 | author-link = John Mortimer | location = London | page = 37
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Smith">
{{cite journal | last = Smith | first = Danny | title = Giving Peter Sellers a Chance | journal = [[Third Way (magazine)|Third Way]] | date = February 1981 | volume = 4 | issue = 12 | pages = 22–23 | publisher = Hymns Ancient & Modern
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Rich">
{{cite news
 |last=Rich
 |first=Frank
 |title=Cinema: Gravity Defied
 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921794-2,00.html
 |accessdate=26 June 2012
 |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]
 |date=14 January 1980
 |author-link=Frank Rich
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105183945/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C921794-2%2C00.html
 |archivedate= 5 November 2012
}} {{subscription}}
</ref>

<ref name="Gilliatt (1964)">
{{cite news|last=Gilliatt|first=Penelope|title=Sellers strikes encore: FILMS|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=12 January 1964|author-link=Penelope Gilliatt|location=London|page=27
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Penny (1980)">
{{cite news | last = Chorlton | first = Penny | title = Stars' tributes to Peter Sellers | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | date = 25 July 1980 | location = London | page = 1
}}
</ref>

<ref name="Powell (1980)">
{{cite news | last = Powell | first = Dilys | title = The delicate balance of Peter Sellers | newspaper = [[The Sunday Times]] | date = 27 July 1980 | author-link = Dilys Powell | location = London | page = 37
}}
</ref>
}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|25em}}
* {{cite book | last = Anthony | first = Barry | year = 2010 | title = The King's Jester | location = London | publisher = [[I.B. Tauris]] | isbn = 978-1-84885-430-7}}
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* {{cite book | last = Perry | first = George | year = 2007 | title = The Life of Python | publisher = [[Anova Books|Pavilion Books]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J_Zg-9u4yLAC&pg=PP1 | location = London | isbn = 978-1-86205-762-3}}
* {{cite book| last1= Pramaggiore |first1= Maria | last2= Wallis |first2= Tom |title=Film: A Critical Introduction|url=https://archive.org/details/filmcriticalintr0000pram| url-access= registration |year=2005|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|location=London|isbn=978-1-85669-442-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Rankin|first=Nicholas|title=A Genius for Deception: How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars|url=https://archive.org/details/geniusfordecepti0000rank|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/geniusfordecepti0000rank/page/383 383]|year= 2009|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-538704-9}}
* {{cite book | last = Rigelsford | first = Adrian | author-link = Adrian Rigelsford | year = 2004 | title = Peter Sellers: A Life in Character | publisher = [[Virgin Books]] | location = London | isbn = 978-0-7535-0270-9}}
* {{cite book | last = Saunders | first = Robert A. | title = The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle Over Borat | year = 2009 | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]] | location = Lanham, Maryland | isbn = 978-0-7391-2337-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Segrave|first=Kerry|title=Endorsements in advertising: a social history|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-TtAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-2043-8}}
* {{cite book | last = Sellers | first = Michael | author-link = Michael Sellers (actor) | year = 1981 | title = P.S. I Love You! | publisher = [[William Collins, Sons]] | location = Glasgow | isbn = 0-00-216649-6| url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/psiloveyoupeters0000sell }}
* {{cite book | last1 = Sellers | first1 = Michael | last2 = Morecambe | first2 = Gary | year = 2000 | title = Sellers on Sellers | publisher = [[Carlton Publishing Group|André Deutsch]] | location =London | isbn = 978-0-233-99883-1}}
* {{cite book | last = Sikov | first = Ed | title = Mr Strangelove; A Biography of Peter Sellers | year = 2002 | publisher = [[Sidgwick & Jackson]] | author-link = Ed Sikov | location = London | isbn = 978-0-283-07297-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Slifkin|first=Irv|title=VideoHound's Groovy Movies: Far-Out Films of the Psychedelic Era|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nfCsh3yCpz0C&pg=PA358|year= 2004|publisher=[[Visible Ink Press]]|location=Detroit, Michigan|isbn=978-1-57859-155-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Spicer|first=Andrew|title=Typical Men: The Representation of Masculinity in Popular British Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y87qYiZcnocC&pg=PA116|year= 2003|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-86064-931-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Starr|first=Michael|title=Peter Sellers: A Film History|date=1991|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-89950-512-1}}
* {{cite book|last= Sultanik |first= Aaron |title= Film, a Modern Art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NQByIjvN8x8C&pg=PP1|year=1986|publisher=[[Associated University Presses]]|location=Cranbury, New Jersey|isbn=978-0-8453-4752-2}}
* {{cite book|last1=Terry-Thomas|last2=Daum|first2=Terry|title=Terry-Thomas Tells Tales|year=1990|publisher=Robson Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-86051-662-0}}
* {{cite book | year = 2004 | title = TV Guide film & video companion| location = New York | publisher = [[Barnes & Noble]] | isbn = 978-0-7607-6104-5 | ref = {{sfnRef|Barnes&Noble|2004}} }}
* {{cite book | last = Walker | first = Alexander | title = Peter Sellers | year = 1981 | publisher = Littlehampton Book Services | author-link = Alexander Walker (critic) | location = Littlehampton | isbn = 978-0-297-77965-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Upton|first=Julian|title=Fallen Stars: Tragic Lives and Lost Careers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gb5ci9IF_SMC&pg=RA1-PT28|year= 2004|publisher=Headpress/Critical Vision|location=Manchester|isbn=978-1-900486-38-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Wasson|first=Sam|title=A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7fw7bjPSdgC&pg=PA383|year= 2009|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|location=Middletown, Connecticut|isbn=978-0-8195-6915-8}}
* {{cite book | year = 1981 | title = Who Was Who (1971–1980) | location = London | publisher = [[A & C Black]] | isbn = 978-0-7136-2176-1 | ref = {{sfnRef|WWW|1981}} | url = https://archive.org/details/whowaswho197119800lond }}
* {{cite book | last1=Wilmut | first1=Roger | last2=Grafton | first2=Jimmy | author-link1=Roger Wilmut| author-link2=Jimmy Grafton | title=The Goon Show Companion&nbsp;– A History and Goonography | year=1981 | publisher=[[Anova Books|Robson Books]] | location=London | isbn=0-903895-64-1}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{BFI|4ce2ba1b423e3|name=Peter Sellers}}
* {{Screenonline name|461941}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* [http://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/Peter+sellers Peter Sellers on [[w:Pathé News|Pathé News]]]

{{Goons|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellers, Peter}}
[[Category:Peter Sellers| ]]
[[Category:1925 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Portsmouth]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
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[[Category:Best British Actor BAFTA Award winners]]
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[[Category:British male comedy actors]]
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