# Peter Sellers on stage, radio, screen and record

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. English filmmakers the Boulting brothers described Sellers as "the greatest comic genius this country has produced since Charles Chaplin".
Sellers's career on radio, film, television and record spanned from 1948 until his death. 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. Along with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, he took part in the radio series The Goon Show (1951–60). One newspaper described it as "probably the most influential comedy show of all time". For Sellers, the BBC considers it had the effect of launching his career "on the road to stardom".
Throughout his career, Sellers made a number of television appearances, in character roles and for interviews and advertisements. His stage appearances were few, largely because he had been unhappy with the touring he had done as a child with his family. During his career, he also released a number of albums containing sketches and comic songs; the songs were undertaken in a variety of comic characters. 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. A feature of the characterisations undertaken by Sellers is that, regardless of how clumsy or idiotic they are, he ensured that they always retained their dignity.
Starting in the 1950s, Sellers appeared in over fifty films, 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, and second in 1963. Sellers was nominated three times for an Academy Award, twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Turner Classic Movies calls Sellers "one of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century". In 2005, Channel 4 conducted a survey of modern-day comedians, who ranked Sellers as the 14th most influential comedian of all time.

## Stage credits

Stage credits of Peter Sellers :
| Show | Dates | Theatre | Role |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | 1946 | Théâtre Marigny | Various |
| Mother Goose | December 1954 – March 1955 | London Palladium | The Squire |
| Brouhaha | 17 August 1958 – February 1959 | Aldwych Theatre | The Sultan |
At the start of his career, Sellers also performed acts in a number of variety shows in various parts of Britain; his wartime service with the Gang Shows of Ralph Reader saw him perform in India, Ceylon and Burma.

## Selected radio broadcasts

Selected radio broadcasts of Peter Sellers :
| Programme | Year(s) | Number of episodes | Notes |
| ShowTime | 1948 | 2 | Appeared in the 1 July and 19 August 1948 broadcasts |
| It's Fine to Be Young | 1948 | 4 | Appeared in the weekly 31 August–21 September 1948 broadcasts |
| Third Division | 1949 | 6 | First broadcast in late January 1949 |
| Petticoat Lane | 1949 | 7 | Unknown broadcast dates |
| Sellers Market | 1950 | 8 | Broadcast in March 1950 |
| Crazy People | 1951 | 17 | Broadcast under the show's original name, Crazy People, against the wishes of the Goons; broadcast 28 May – 20 September 1951 |
| "Cinderella" | 1951 | 1 | The Goon Show pantomime; broadcast 26 December 1951 |
| The Goon Show, Season 2 | 1952 | 25 | Broadcast 22 January–15 July 1952 |
| The Goon Show, Season 3 | 1952–1953 | 25 | Broadcast 11 November 1952 –5 May 1953 |
| "Coronation Edition" | 1953 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 1 June 1953 |
| The Goon Show, Season 4 | 1953–1954 | 30 | Broadcast 2 October 1953 –19 April 1954 |
| "Archie in Goonland" | 1954 | 1 | The Goon Show crossover with Educating Archie; broadcast 11 June 1954 |
| "The Starlings" | 1954 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 31 August 1954 |
| The Goon Show, Season 5 | 1954–1955 | 26 | Broadcast 28 September 1954 –22 March 1955 |
| The Goon Show, Season 6 | 1955–1956 | 27 | Broadcast 20 September 1955 –15 November 1955 |
| "China Story" | 1956 | 1 | The Goon Show special; broadcast 29 August 1956 |
| The Goon Show, Season 7 | 1956 | 25 | Broadcast 4 October 1956 –1 November 1956 |
| Sellers Market | 1957 | 8 | Broadcast in March 1950 |
| Desert Island Discs | 1957 | 1 | Broadcast on 4 February 1957 |
| The Goon Show, Season 8 | 1957–1958 | 26 | Broadcast 30 September 1957 –24 March 1958 |
| Vintage Goons | 1957–1958 | 14 | Selected remakes of past episodes of The Goon Show; broadcast 6 October 1957 –23 March 1958 |
| The Goon Show, Season 9 | 1958–1959 | 17 | Broadcast 2 November 1958 –23 February 1959 |
| The Goon Show, Season 10 | 1959–1960 | 6 | Broadcast 24 December 1959 –28 January 1960 |
| "The Last Goon Show of All" | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast 5 October 1972 |
Sellers also appeared in supporting roles in a number of other radio programmes from the 1940s to the 1970s.

## Filmography

Filmography of Peter Sellers :
| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
| The Black Rose | 1950 | Lu Chung (voice only) | Sellers dubbed the part played by Alfonso Bedoya (uncredited) |
| Penny Points to Paradise | 1951 | The Major, Arnold Fringe | |
| Let's Go Crazy | 1951 | Groucho, Giuseppe, Cedric, Izzy, Gozzunk, Crystal Jollibottom | Short film. Also co-wrote screenplay (uncredited) |
| Burlesque on Carmen | 1951 | Narrator | 1951 re-release of Charlie Chaplin's 1915 short |
| Down Among the Z Men | 1952 | Major Bloodnok | |
| Our Girl Friday | 1953 | Parrot | Voice (uncredited) |
| Orders Are Orders | 1954 | Private Griffin | |
| John and Julie | 1955 | Police Constable Diamond | |
| The Ladykillers | 1955 | Harry Robinson | |
| The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn | 1956 | Narrator, Supt. Quilt, Asst. Commissioner Sir Jervis Fruit, Henry Crun | Short film. Also additional material |
| The Man Who Never Was | 1956 | Winston Churchill | Voice only |
| Insomnia Is Good for You | 1957 | Hector Dimwiddle | Short film |
| The Smallest Show on Earth | 1957 | Percy Quill | |
| The Naked Truth | 1957 | Sonny McGregor | |
| Dearth of a Salesman | 1957 | Hector Dimwiddle | Short film |
| Up the Creek | 1958 | CPO Doherty | |
| Tom Thumb | 1958 | Antony | |
| Carlton-Browne of the F.O. | 1959 | Prime Minister Amphibulos | |
| The Mouse That Roared | 1959 | Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy, Tully Bascombe | |
| I'm All Right Jack | 1959 | Fred Kite | Won: BAFTA Award for Best British Actor |
| The Battle of the Sexes | 1959 | Mr. Martin | |
| The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film | 1960 | Photographer | Short film. Also co-writer and producer Won: San Francisco International Film Festival Award for Best Fiction Short Nominated: Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Never Let Go | 1960 | Lionel Meadows | |
| The Millionairess | 1960 | Dr. Ahmed el Kabir | |
| Two-Way Stretch | 1960 | Dodger Lane | |
| Mr. Topaze | 1961 | Auguste Topaze | Also director |
| Only Two Can Play | 1962 | John Lewis | Nominated: BAFTA Award for Best British Actor |
| Waltz of the Toreadors | 1962 | General Leo Fitzjohn | Won: San Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
| The Road to Hong Kong | 1962 | Indian Neurologist | Uncredited |
| Lolita | 1962 | Clare Quilty | Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| The Dock Brief (a.k.a. Trial & Error) | 1962 | Wilfred Morgenhall | |
| The Wrong Arm of the Law | 1963 | Pearly Gates | |
| Heavens Above! | 1963 | The Reverend John Smallwood | |
| The Pink Panther | 1963 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | Nominated: BAFTA Award for Best British Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | 1964 | Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove | Nominated: Academy Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best British Actor |
| The World of Henry Orient | 1964 | Henry Orient | |
| A Shot in the Dark | 1964 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | |
| Carol for Another Christmas | 1964 | King of the Individualists | TV film |
| Birds, Bees and Storks | 1965 | Narrator | Short film |
| What's New Pussycat? | 1965 | Doctor Fritz Fassbender | |
| The Wrong Box | 1966 | Doctor Pratt | |
| After the Fox | 1966 | Aldo Vanucci | |
| Casino Royale | 1967 | Evelyn Tremble / James Bond | Also additional screenplay (uncredited) |
| Woman Times Seven | 1967 | Jean | |
| The Bobo | 1967 | Juan Bautista | |
| The Party | 1968 | Hrundi V. Bakshi | |
| I Love You, Alice B. Toklas | 1968 | Harold Fine | |
| The Magic Christian | 1969 | Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE | Also additional material |
| A Day at the Beach | 1970 | Salesman | Credited under the alias "A. Queen" |
| Hoffman | 1970 | Benjamin Hoffman | |
| Simon, Simon | 1970 | Man with two cars (cameo) | Short film |
| There's a Girl in My Soup | 1970 | Robert Danvers | |
| Where Does It Hurt? | 1972 | Dr. Albert T. Hopfnagel | |
| Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | 1972 | March Hare | |
| Ghost in the Noonday Sun | 1973 | Dick Scratcher | Released posthumously in 1985 on VHS and Betamax |
| The Blockhouse | 1973 | Rouquet | Shown at the Berlin Film Festival, but otherwise unreleased until 1978. |
| The Optimists of Nine Elms | 1973 | Sam | Won: Tehran Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
| Soft Beds, Hard Battles | 1974 | Général Latour, Major Robinson, Herr Schroeder, Adolf Hitler, The President, Prince Kyoto | |
| The Great McGonagall | 1974 | Queen Victoria | |
| The Return of the Pink Panther | 1975 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | Won: The Evening News British Film Award for Best Actor Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| Murder by Death | 1976 | Sidney Wang | |
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | 1976 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| Kingdom of Gifts | 1978 | Larcenous Mayor | Voice only |
| Revenge of the Pink Panther | 1978 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | |
| The Prisoner of Zenda | 1979 | Rudolf IV, Rudolf V, Syd Frewin | |
| Being There | 1979 | Chance | Won: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy London Film Critics Circle Special Award National Board of Review Award for Best Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated: Academy Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best British Actor |
| The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu | 1980 | Sir Denis Nayland Smith, Dr. Fu "Fred" Manchu | Also director (uncredited) |
| Trail of the Pink Panther | 1982 | Inspector Jacques Clouseau | Sellers' material consists entirely of previously cut footage from previous films. MGM, United Artists, and film director Blake Edwards were successfully sued by Sellers' widow, Lynne Frederick. |

### Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for Peter Sellers's film work :
| Film | Year | Award | Category | Result | Notes |
| The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film | 1959 | 32nd Academy Awards | Short Subject (Live Action) | Nominated | Sellers was the producer and cast member |
| I'm All Right Jack | 1959 | 13th British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actor | Won | |
| Waltz of the Toreadors | 1962 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | |
| Lolita | 1962 | 20th Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
| Only Two Can Play | 1962 | 16th British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actor | Nominated | |
| Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | 1964 | 37th Academy Awards | Best British Actor | Nominated | |
| The Pink Panther | 1964 | 22nd Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | 1964 | 18th British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actor | Nominated | |
| The Pink Panther | 1965 | 18th British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actor | Nominated | |
| The Optimists of Nine Elms | 1973 | Tehran Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | |
| The Return of the Pink Panther | 1976 | 33rd Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| The Return of the Pink Panther | 1976 | The Evening News British Film Awards | Best Actor | Won | |
| The Pink Panther Strikes Again | 1977 | 34th Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Being There | 1979 | 51st National Board of Review Awards | Best Actor | Won | |
| Being There | 1979 | 45th New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Won | |
| Being There | 1980 | 37th Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Musical or Comedy | Won | |
| Being There | 1980 | 52nd Academy Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Being There | 1980 | 34th British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
| Being There | 1980 | London Film Critics' Circle Award | Best Actor | Won | |

## Television

Main series and appearances
Television: main series and notable appearances of Peter Sellers :
| Programme | Year | Number of episodes | Notes |
| And So to Bentley | 1954 | 13 | |
| The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d | 1956 | 6 | As "The Editor"; broadcast 24 February–23 April 1956 |
| A Show Called Fred | 1956 | 5 | Broadcast 2–30 May 1956 |
| Son of Fred | 1956 | 8 | Broadcast 17 September–5 November 1956 |
| Yes, It's the Cathode-Ray Tube Show! | 1957 | 6 | Broadcast 11 February–18 March 1957 |
| The Telegoons, Series 1 | 1963 | 11 | Broadcast 10 October–28 December 1963 |
| The Telegoons, Series 2 | 1964 | 15 | Broadcast 20 March–1 August 1964 |
Selected guest appearances
Television: guest appearances of Peter Sellers :
| Programme | Year | Number of episodes | Notes |
| The Steve Allen Show | 1964 | 1 | Broadcast on 20 March 1964 |
| Not Only... But Also | 1965 | 2 | Broadcast in 1965 |
| This Is Tom Jones | 1969 | 1 | Broadcast on 7 February 1969 |
| Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | 1969–1970 | 3 | Broadcast on 15 September 1969, 17 November 1969, and 16 March 1970 |
| The New Bill Cosby Show | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast on 18 September 1972 |
| Sykes | 1972 | 1 | Broadcast in October 1972 |
| Parkinson | 1974 | 1 | Broadcast in the autumn of 1974 |
| The Muppet Show | 1978 | 1 | Broadcast in February 1978 |
| The Beatles: Get Back | 2021 | 1 | Streamed on Disney Plus |

## Advertisements

Advertisements in which Peter Sellers appeared :
| Product | Year(s) | Notes |
| PG Tips | mid-1950s | Sellers and Kenneth Connor voiced chimpanzees for the first six adverts. |
| Benson & Hedges | 1973 | Only shown in UK cinemas |
| Trans World Airlines | 1975 | Sellers played several characters, including Thrifty McTravel, Jeremy 'Piggy' Peak Thyme and an Italian singer, Vito. |
| Barclaycard | 1980 | Three adverts as Monte Casino, a Jewish con-man |

## Discography
### Albums
#### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | UK |
| The Best of Sellers | Released: December 1958 Label: Parlophone Formats: LP | 3 |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers | Released: 4 December 1959 Label: Parlophone Formats: LP | 3 |
| Peter and Sophia (with Sophia Loren) | Released: November 1960 Label: Parlophone Formats: LP | 5 |
| How to Win an Election (Or Not Lose by Much) (with Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan) | Released: April 1964 Label: Philips Formats: LP | 20 |
| He's Innocent of Watergate.... Or Dick's Last Stand (with Spike Milligan) | Released: 1974 Label: Decca Formats: LP | — |
| Sellers Market | Released: October 1979 Label: United Artists Formats: LP, MC | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||

#### Other albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | UK |
| Fool Britannia (with Joan Collins and Anthony Newley) | Released: September 1963 Label: Ember Formats: LP Cast recording of the musical of the same name | 10 |
| The Parkinson Interview | Released: 1980 Label: BBC Formats: LP, MC Edited highlights of 1974 interview with Michael Parkinson | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||

#### Compilation albums

| Title | Album details |
| The Songs of Sellers | Released: November 1983 Label: Music for Pleasure Formats: LP |
| The Peter Sellers Collection | Released: July 1990 Label: EMI Formats: CD, 2xMC |
| Legends of the 20th Century | Released: June 1999 Label: EMI Formats: CD |
| Classic Songs and Sketches | Released: 18 September 2000 Label: EMI Gold Formats: CD |
| Greatest Comedy Cuts | Released: 19 July 2004 Label: EMI Gold Formats: 2xCD |
| Peter Sellers & Friends | Released: December 2008 Label: Secret Society Formats: CD |
| Remembering Peter Sellers | Released: August 2010 Label: BBC Formats: 2xCD |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers... And a Little Bit More | Released: April 2010 Label: Delta Formats: CD |
| Vintage Peter Sellers | Released: 2012 Label: Duke Marketing Formats: CD |
| Goodness Gracious Me! | Released: 2012 Label: One Day Music Formats: CD |

#### Box sets

| Title | Album details |
| The Voice Behind the Mask | Released: 1981 Label: Guild Formats: 4xLP |
| A Celebration of Sellers | Released: November 1993 Label: EMI Formats: 4xCD |

### EPs

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | UK |
| The Best of Sellers | Released: November 1959 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | 15 |
| The Best of Sellers No.2 | Released: January 1960 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | 8 |
| The Best of Sellers No.3 | Released: September 1960 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 1 | Released: January 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 2 | Released: March 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 3 | Released: April 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Songs for Swingin' Sellers No. 4 | Released: May 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 1 | Released: September 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 2 | Released: October 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| Peter and Sophia No. 3 | Released: December 1961 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| The Two Peters | Released: August 1962 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" Split EP with Peter Ustinov | — |
| Fool Britannia – Volume One | Released: September 1963 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| More Fool Britannia | Released: September 1963 Label: Parlophone Formats: 7" | — |
| A Hard Day's Night | Released: November 1993 Label: Parlophone Formats: CD | 52 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||

### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | UK | AUS | IRE | NZ | Album |
| "Dipso-Calypso" | 1954 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Any Old Iron" | 1957 | 17 | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "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) | 1960 | 22 | — | — | — | Peter and Sophia |
| "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 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "—" 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 |
| 1977 | Captain Beaky & His Band | Captain Beaky and His Band | Performed on two tracks |