Everything about Peter Sellers totally explained
Richard Henry Sellers,
CBE, commonly known as
Peter Sellers (
8 September 1925 –
24 July 1980) was an
English comedian and
actor best known for his three roles in
Dr. Strangelove, as
Inspector Clouseau in
The Pink Panther films, and as
Clare Quilty in the original 1962 screen version of
Lolita.
Sellers rose to fame on the
BBC Home Service radio series
The Goon Show. His ability to speak in different accents (for example French, Indian, American, British, German), along with his talent to portray a range of characters, contributed to his success as radio personality and screen actor and earned him national and international nominations and awards. Many of his characters and cultural stereotypes became ingrained in public perception of his work. Sellers's private life, however, was characterised by turmoil and crises, brought on by mental problems and
substance abuse. Sellers was married four times—his second wife was the Swedish actress
Britt Ekland—with three children from two of his marriages.
Biography
Early life
Sellers was born in
Southsea,
Portsmouth,
England to a family of entertainers. His parents nicknamed him Peter at an early age, after his elder stillborn brother. He attended a
Roman Catholic school,
St. Aloysius College, although his father was
Protestant and his mother was
Jewish. He was a descendant of English prizefighter
Daniel Mendoza, who was of
Portuguese-Jewish descent. Sellers is also a cousin of Talksport radio presenter
Mike Mendoza.
Accompanying his family on the
variety show circuit,
World War II
During
World War II, Sellers was an airman in the
Royal Air Force, rising to corporal, though he'd been relegated to ground staff due to poor eyesight. His tour included
India and
Burma, although the duration of his stay in
Asia is unknown, and he may have exaggerated its length. He also served in
Germany and
France after the war. But after the successful return of
Clouseau role in new Pink Panther movies, he produced and starred in a film,
Being There (1979).
It has been suggested that Sellers suffered
depression spurred by deep-seated anxieties of artistic and personal failure. Some behaviour may have been exacerbated by
substance abuse, for Sellers regularly smoked
cannabis, drank large amounts of
alcohol, and used other
recreational drugs. It is now believed that his
drug use, especially
amyl nitrites, contributed to
heart attacks in
1964 (see below). Sellers became aware that his frail psyche affected his career and life. However, rather than seeking professional counselling, he opted for periodic consultations with astrologer
Maurice Woodruff, who seemed to have had considerable sway over his later career." He also wore a
pacemaker, which caused him considerable problems.
A reunion dinner was scheduled in London with his
Goon Show partners,
Spike Milligan and
Harry Secombe, for late July 1980. But on
22 July Sellers collapsed from a massive heart attack in his
Dorchester Hotel room and fell into a coma. He died in a
London hospital just after midnight on
24 July,
1980, aged 54. He was survived by his fourth wife,
Lynne Frederick, and three children: Michael, Sarah and Victoria. At the time of his death he was scheduled to undergo
heart surgery in
Los Angeles within the month..
Sellers's fourth wife inherited the bulk of his estate, and his children received £800 each.
Sellers's only son, Michael, died of a heart attack at 52 during surgery on
24 July,
2006 . It was 26 years to the day after his father died of the same condition. Michael was survived by his second wife, Alison, whom he married in 1986, and their two children.
Legacy
In his will, Sellers requested that the
Glenn Miller song "
In the Mood" be played at his funeral. The request is considered his last touch of humour, as he hated the song. This is verified in
Michael Bentine's memoir
The Door Marked Summer. His body was cremated and he was interred at
Golders Green Crematorium in London.
The film
Trail of the Pink Panther, made by Blake Edwards using unused footage of Sellers from
The Pink Panther Strikes Again, is dedicated to Sellers's memory. The title reads "To Peter... The one and only Inspector Clouseau."
In a 2005 poll to find
The Comedian's Comedian, Sellers was voted among the top 20 greatest comedy acts by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Filmography
Comedy singles
Sellers released several comedy singles, many of them produced by
George Martin and released on the
Parlophone record label. These include the following hits:
"Any Old Iron" (1957) UK # 17
"Goodness Gracious Me" (1960) with Sophia Loren UK # 4
"Bangers and Mash" (1961), a follow-up also featuring Sophia Loren UK # 22
"A Hard Day's Night" (1965) UK # 14. This consisted of him speaking the lyrics using the stereotypical voice of an actor playing Shakespeare's Richard III. He also performed the song in costume on television. The recording was re-issued in 1993 and reached Number 52 in the UK Top 75 Singles chart.
He covered several other Beatles hits, including Help! and She Loves You. Sellers also recorded a parody version of "Unchained Melody", which long went unreleased.
Albums
Peter Sellers made several albums, mostly of comedy pieces using his talent for voices.
The piece "Balham, Gateway to the South" spoofed the kind of promotional film sometimes made by local governments eager to attract businesses to relocate to their towns, especially those seeking an escape from crowding and high rents in London proper. For this he performed all the voices, including the American narrator, and male and female characters in vignettes.
Another piece lampooned the "critics' forum" style of arts presentation where critics of different artistic genres discuss works they've all seen, heard or read before the programme. Sellers performed the voice of the plummy-voiced host, plus a Malcolm Muggeridge-like critic, and a slightly uncultured Scot, assisted by a comedy actress who weighed in as a strident blue-stocking academic, constantly correcting the others.
Discography:
The Best of Sellers (1959) UK # 3
Songs For Swinging Sellers (1959) UK # 3
Peter & Sophia (1960) UK # 5 with Sophia Loren
Fool Britannia (1963) UK # 10 with Anthony Newley and Joan Collins.
How To Win An Election (1964) UK # 20 with Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan (Note: unlike The Last Goon Show Of All this release wasn't credited to The Goons.)
He's Innocent of Watergate (1974) with Spike MilliganFurther Information
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