The British actor and comedian Peter Sellers (1925–1980) performed in many genres of light entertainment, including film, radio and theatre. He appeared in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show, recorded a number of hit comic songs and became known internationally through his many film characterisations, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series. The filmmakers John and Roy Boulting described him as "the greatest comic genius [Britain] has produced since Charles Chaplin".[1]
Sellers's career on radio, film, television and record spanned from 1948 until his death.[2] He made his radio debut on ShowTime in 1948, followed by appearances in Ray's a Laugh, Starlight Hour, The Gang Show, Henry Hall's Guest Night and It's Fine to Be Young.[3][4] Along with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, he took part in the radio series The Goon Show (1951–60).[5] Throughout his career, Sellers made a number of television appearances, in character roles and for interviews and advertisements.[6] His stage appearances were few, largely because he had been unhappy with the touring he had done as a child with his family.[7] During his career, he also released a number of albums containing sketches and comic songs;[8] the songs were undertaken in a variety of comic characters.[9]
Starting in the 1950s, Sellers appeared in over fifty films,[2] including I'm All Right Jack, Dr. Strangelove, Lolita, Being There and the Pink Panther series. At the peak of his career, he was one of the most popular stars at the British box office: third in most popular films in 1962,[10] and second in 1963.[11] 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.[12] In 2005, Channel 4 conducted a survey of modern-day comedians, who ranked Sellers the 14th most influential comedian of all time.[13][14]
Stage credits
| Show | Dates | Theatre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack and the Beanstalk | 1946 | Théâtre Marigny | Various | [15][16] |
| Mother Goose | December 1954 – March 1955 | London Palladium | The Squire | [17] |
| Brouhaha | 17 August 1958 – February 1959 | Aldwych Theatre | The Sultan | [15] |
At the start of his career, Sellers also performed acts in a number of variety shows in various parts of Britain;[15] his wartime service with the Gang Shows of Ralph Reader saw him perform in India, Ceylon and Burma.[18]
Selected radio broadcasts
| Programme | Year(s) | Number of episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ShowTime | 1948 | 2 | Appeared in the 1 July and 19 August 1948 broadcasts[4] |
| It's Fine to Be Young | 1948 | 4 | Appeared in the weekly 31 August–21 September 1948 broadcasts[4] |
| Third Division | 1949 | 6 | First broadcast in late January 1949[19] |
| Petticoat Lane | 1949 | 7 | Unknown broadcast dates[20] |
| Sellers Market | 1950 | 8 | Broadcast in March 1950[20][21] |
| Crazy People | 1951 | 17 | Broadcast under the show's original name, Crazy People, against the wishes of the Goons;[22] broadcast 28 May – 20 September 1951[23] |
| "Cinderella" | 1951 | 1 | The Goon Show pantomime; broadcast 26 December 1951[23] |
| The Goon Show, Season 2 | 1952 | 25 | Broadcast 22 January–15 July 1952[23] |
| The Goon Show, Season 3 | 1952–1953 | 25 | Broadcast 11 November 1952 –5 May 1953[23] |
| "Coronation Edition" | 1953 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 1 June 1953[24] |
| The Goon Show, Season 4 | 1953–1954 | 30 | Broadcast 2 October 1953 –19 April 1954[25][24] |
| "Archie in Goonland" | 1954 | 1 | The Goon Show crossover with Educating Archie; broadcast 11 June 1954[24] |
| "The Starlings" | 1954 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 31 August 1954[26] |
| The Goon Show, Season 5 | 1954–1955 | 26 | Broadcast 28 September 1954 –22 March 1955[26] |
| The Goon Show, Season 6 | 1955–1956 | 27 | Broadcast 20 September 1955 –15 November 1955[26] |
| "China Story" | 1956 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 29 August 1956[27] |
| The Goon Show, Season 7 | 1956 | 25 | Broadcast 4 October 1956 –1 November 1956[27] |
| Sellers Market | 1957 | 8 | Broadcast in March 1950[20][21] |
| Desert Island Discs | 1957 | 1 | Broadcast on 4 February 1957[28] |
| The Goon Show, Season 8 | 1957–1958 | 26 | Broadcast 30 September 1957 –24 March 1958[29] |
| Vintage Goons | 1957–1958 | 14 | Selected remakes of past episodes of The Goon Show; broadcast 6 October 1957 –23 March 1958[30] |
| The Goon Show, Season 9 | 1958–1959 | 17 | Broadcast 2 November 1958 –23 February 1959[30] |
| The Goon Show, Season 10 | 1959–1960 | 6 | Broadcast 24 December 1959 –28 January 1960[31] |
| "The Last Goon Show of All" | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast 5 October 1972[32] |
Sellers also appeared in supporting roles in a number of other radio programmes from the 1940s to the 1970s.[33]
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Television
Main series and appearances
| Programme | Year | Number of episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| And So to Bentley | 1954 | 13 | [73] |
| The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d | 1956 | 6 | As "The Editor"; broadcast 24 February–23 April 1956[73] |
| A Show Called Fred | 1956 | 5 | Broadcast 2–30 May 1956[73] |
| Son of Fred | 1956 | 8 | Broadcast 17 September–5 November 1956[74] |
| Yes, It's the Cathode-Ray Tube Show! | 1957 | 6 | Broadcast 11 February–18 March 1957[74] |
| The Telegoons, Series 1 | 1963 | 11 | Broadcast 10 October–28 December 1963[75] |
| The Telegoons, Series 2 | 1964 | 15 | Broadcast 20 March–1 August 1964[75] |
Selected guest appearances
| Programme | Year | Number of episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Steve Allen Show | 1964 | 1 | Broadcast on 20 March 1964[76] |
| Not Only... But Also | 1965 | 1 | Broadcast in 1965[77] |
| This Is Tom Jones | 1969 | 1 | Broadcast on 7 February 1969[78] |
| Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | 1969-1970 | 3 | Broadcast on 15 September 1969,[79] 17 November 1969,[80] and 16 March 1970[81] |
| The New Bill Cosby Show | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast on 18 September 1972[82] |
| Sykes | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast in October 1972[77] |
| Parkinson | 1974 | 1 | Broadcast in the autumn of 1974[83] |
| The Muppet Show | 1978 | 1 | Broadcast in February 1978[84] |
Advertisements
| Product | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PG Tips | mid-1950s | Sellers and Kenneth Connor voiced chimpanzees for the first six adverts.[6] |
| Benson & Hedges | 1973 | Only shown in UK cinemas[6] |
| Trans World Airlines | 1975 | Sellers played several characters, including Thrifty McTravel, Jeremy 'Piggy' Peak Thyme and an Italian singer, Vito.[6] |
| Barclaycard | 1980 | Three adverts as Monte Casino, a Jewish con-man[6] |
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [85] | ||
| The Best of Sellers |
| 3 |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers |
| 3 |
| Peter and Sophia (with Sophia Loren) |
| 5 |
| How to Win an Election (Or Not Lose by Much) (with Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan) [nb 2] |
| 20 |
| He's Innocent of Watergate.... Or Dick's Last Stand (with Spike Milligan) |
| — |
| Sellers Market |
| — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||
Other albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [85] | ||
| Fool Britannia (with Joan Collins and Anthony Newley) |
| 10 |
| The Parkinson Interview |
| — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Songs of Sellers |
|
| The Peter Sellers Collection | |
| Legends of the 20th Century |
|
| Classic Songs and Sketches |
|
| Greatest Comedy Cuts |
|
| Peter Sellers & Friends |
|
| Remembering Peter Sellers |
|
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers... And a Little Bit More |
|
| Vintage Peter Sellers |
|
| Goodness Gracious Me! |
|
Box sets
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Voice Behind the Mask |
|
| A Celebration of Sellers |
|
EPs
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [87][85] | ||
| The Best of Sellers |
| 15 |
| The Best of Sellers No.2 |
| 8 |
| The Best of Sellers No.3 |
| — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 1 |
| — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 2 |
| — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 3 |
| — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 4 |
| — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 1 |
| — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 2 |
| — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 3 |
| — |
| The Two Peters |
| — |
| Fool Britannia – Volume One |
| — |
| More Fool Britannia |
| — |
| A Hard Day's Night |
| 52 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [85] | AUS [88] | IRE [89] | NZ [90] | |||
| "Dipso-Calypso" | 1954 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Any Old Iron" | 1957 | 17 | — | — | — | |
| "I'm So Ashamed" | 1958 | — | 79 | — | — | The Best of Sellers |
| "My Old Dutch" | 1959 | — | — | — | — | Songs for Swingin' Sellers |
| "Goodness Gracious Me!" (with Sophia Loren) | 1960 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 3 | Peter and Sophia |
| "Bangers and Mash" (with Sophia Loren) | 22 | — | — | — | ||
| "A Hard Day's Night" | 1965 | 14 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "After the Fox" (with the Hollies) | 1966 | — | — | — | — | After the Fox soundtrack |
| "The House on Rue Sichel" | 1974 | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" (as Chef Inspecteur Jacques Clouseau with the Academie de la Surete) | 1978 | — | — | — | — | Revenge of the Pink Panther soundtrack |
| "They're Parking Camels Where Taxis Used to Be" | 1980 | — | — | — | — | Sellers Market |
| "The Unreleased She Loves You" | 1981 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Unchained Melody" (with Spike Milligan) | 1990 | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||
Contributions
| Year | Album | Artist | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Commoners Crown | Steeleye Span | Played ukulele on one track[91] |
| 1977 | Captain Beaky & His Band | Captain Beaky and His Band | Performed on two tracks[86] |
References
Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
