Peter Sellers was born to a well-off English acting family in 1925. His mother and father worked in an acting company run by his grandmother. As a child, Sellers was spoiled, as his parents' first child had died at birth. He enlisted in the army and fought during World War II, where he met Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, who would become his future workmates. After the war he set up a review in London, which was a combination of music (he played the drums) and impressions. Then, all of a sudden, he burst into prominence as the voices of numerous favourites on "The Goon Show" (1951-1960), making his debut in films in Penny Points to Paradise and Down Among the Z Men, before making it big as one of the criminals in The Ladykillers. These small but showy roles continued throughout the 1950s, but he got his first big break playing the dogmatic union man, Fred Kite, in I'm All Right Jack. The film's success led to starring vehicles into the 1960s that showed off his extreme comic ability to its fullest, but after the relative failure of What's New, Pussycat, which was Woody Allen's first film, Sellers embarked on a rapid downfall to "Grade Z" movies in the 1970s, all of which he claimed to have made only because he needed the money. In 1972 he read the book "Being There" and decided to make it into a film. It took him seven years to finally bring it to the screen, but it earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination (he lost to Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of "Superdad" in Kramer vs. Kramer). Being There proved to be somewhat of a last hurrah for Sellers, as he died the following year. His last movie, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu, completed just before his death, proved to be another flop. Director Blake Edwards' attempt at reviving the Pink Panther series after Sellers' death resulted in two panned 1980s comedies, the first of which, Trail of the Pink Panther, deals with Inspector Clouseau's disappearance and was made from material cut from previous Pink Panther films and includes interviews with the original casts playing their original characters.
Father, with actress Britt Ekland, of actress Victoria Sellers. Ranked #84 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Born at 6:00am-BST Interred at Golders Green Crematorium, London, England, UK. Sellers, Spike Milligan, Michael Bentine and Harry Secombe performed on BBC Radio as "The Goon Show" in the early 1950s. Duet with Sophia Loren, "Goodness Gracious Me," was released in 1960 and reached the top four. Also with Loren, "Bangers and Mash" peaked at 22 in the UK charts in 1961. Sellers also enjoyed success in the UK music charts, with "Any Old Iron" reaching 17 in 1957 and a cover of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" released in 1965 and reaching 14. Claims to have had a near-death experience during a heart attack, in which he saw Heaven. Appointed a CBE in 1966. First actor to be nominated for a single Academy award (best actor) for a film in which he potrayed three different characters in the same film: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Sellers was the first male to appear on the cover of Playboy Magazine, in April 1964 Was a vegetarian. Father, with Anne Howe, of Michael Sellers and Sarah Sellers. His third wife, Miranda Quarry, is now "The Countess of Stockton." Turned down the role of George Webber in Blake Edwards 10 (George Segal was cast instead but eventually replaced by Dudley Moore). Sellers made a cameo appearance but it was cut out of the movie. His "Goon Show" records, and other comedy recordings from the 1950s and early 1960s, were produced by George Martin, before he worked with The Beatles. Recorded a comedic rendition of "Unchained Melody" which wasn't released until years afterwards. He was voted the 41st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine. Died at 12:26am - BST after being in a coma for more than 30 hours after suffering a massive heart attack. Mel Brooks considered him for - and he expressed interest in - the role of Leo Bloom in The Producers, but nothing ever came of it, and the role eventually went to Gene Wilder. However, Sellers was instrumental in the success of The Producers. After its release, he happened, almost by accident, to see a private screening of the film, and was so impressed with it that the next day he took out two full-page newspaper ads at his own expense proclaiming that The Producers was one of the greatest comedies he had ever seen. This exposure helped promote the film at a critical time when it appeared that the movie was destined to sink without a trace. Is portrayed by Geoffrey Rush in _Life and Death of Peter Sellers, The (2004) (TV)_ At the time of his death, he was due to undergo heart surgery. One afternoon, the doorbell rang in Peter Sellers's London flat. As Sellers was busy in his study, his wife Anne went to the door, where she was handed a telegram. The message? "Bring me a cup of coffee. Peter." Late one night, following a disappointing day wrestling with a troublesome scene in one of the Pink Panther films, director Blake Edwards was roused by a call from the film's star, Peter Sellers. "I just talked to God!" he exclaimed. "And he told me how to do it!" The next day, Edwards humored Sellers - and the result was an unmitigated disaster. "Peter," Edwards suggested, "next time you talk to God, tell him to stay out of show business!" Died a few days after filming a "Barcalays Bank" commercial, which was never aired. His performance as Chance the Gardener in Being There is ranked #29 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). His performance as Dr. Strangelove in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is ranked #75 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. His performance as Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the "Pink Panther" franchise is ranked #67 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. His performance as Chance the Gardener in Being There is ranked #49 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. At the time of his death, Sellers was set to play Inspector Clouseau again in Romance of the Pink Panther. The script had been written by Sellers and Jim Moloney and the film was to be directed by Clive Donner. Also in the pipeline were the leads in Lovesick and Unfaithfully Yours. Both these roles were taken over by Dudley Moore. Left the bulk of his estate, cash, cars, houses and art amounting to £4.5 million, to fourth wife Lynne Frederick. Sellers left his son Michael and his daughter Sarah from his first marriage to actress Anne Howe only £800 each. "It was a calculated and considered act. Even his lawyers blushed when they told me," Michael said. Sellers had married Frederick, who was known primarily as David Frost's girlfriend (and subsequently his wife after Sellers death), in 1977. Reportedly Sellers was in the process of excluding Frederick from his will in the time immediately preceding his death by heart attack in 1980. A drug addict and an alcoholic, Frederick died at aged 39 and all income from Sellers' estate, including royalties from movie profit sharing deals, was inherited by her daughter with third husband Barry Unger. Together with actors Nicolas Cage (Adaptation.) and Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou), he is the only actor with an Oscar nomination for playing multiple characters in a film (in (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, he plays three characters, Group Captain (G/C) Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove). Marvin is the only one who actually won one for a double role.