FashionState.Com salutes...

King Chameleon

Peter Sellers

1925 - 1980

"There is no me. I do not exist.
There used to be a me, but I had it surgically removed."
- Peter Sellers

Perhaps a clue as to the wildly temperamental nature of one of the 20th century's most enduring and popular comic movie actors lies in the fact that his real name - Richard Henry Sellers - was faded into the footnotes of history by his own parents, who nicknamed their only son "Peter" after another infant son of theirs who had died.

And thus perhaps it was at a very early age that the genius who starred in a wide array of diverse roles was given the impression that even the people nearest and dearest to him preferred him to be someone else. So talented was Peter Sellers at this that neither he nor his friends, loved ones, or closest associates seemed to know exactly who the real man underneath the melée of masks actually was. And the person who seemed to be most puzzled as to his real identity was Peter Sellers.

The undeniable truth above all about Peter Sellers was that despite very deplorable personal behavior due to his obsessive and whimsical nature (including his habit of falling in love with his leading ladies, most notably and disastrously with Sophia Loren), he possessed the rare and mad talent that permitted him to be a wide-ranging character actor as well as a headlining star and an enduring icon, even decades after his death at the age of 54.

The son of vaudeville performers and a veteran of the Royal Air Force, young Sellers had already mapped himself out a potential career as a military felon for impersonating his superior officers well enough to fool their peers. However, his cheek turned out to be a lucky charm for him, landing him into the realm of radio comedy, which became his launching pad to popular stardom in England when he, along with his mates Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, unleashed the absurdist godfather of all British comedy - The Goon Show - onto an unsuspecting public in 1951. (Check out the link below for a special tribute to Peter and his fellow Goons!)

With Peter's facility with voices and his ability to back up such characterizations with physical contortions, affectations, and stature matching the voices, it wasn't long before he advanced to the big screen, his versatility and prowess garnering him a British Academy Award for his role as Fred Kite in the comedy of union mores, "I'm All Right, Jack", after a steady run in mostly small but visible British films which established his reputation as a comedic any-man-you-wanted.

Having already established his unusual gift for playing multiple roles in the same film in "The Mouse That Roared" (amongst other films), he was cast in Stanley Kubrick's controversial "Lolita" as the smoothly debauched and ever-crafty Clare Quilty, showing the general public the dark side of the Goon that wasn't quite as startlingly threatening as his recent role in "Never Let Go" as a vicious heavy had been and inspiring Kubrick to expand Peter's role beyond the five-minute cameo originally intended, and so enamored was Kubrick of his Quilty's ability to brilliantly improvise that James Mason, the star of the film, was concerned that his own role in the movie would be overshadowed by Sellers, much as Quilty became the shadow in Humbert's life in the story of "Lolita".

It was therefore nearly predictable that Kubrick would cast Peter Sellers in his multi-role extravaganza in the dark nuclear war comedy "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". And because its outrageous script, stellar cast and Sellers' triple-threat performance as the American president, a British officer, and the crazed Strangelove himself (which earned Peter an Oscar nomination for Best Actor), the film still continually finds itself on critics' lists as one of the top comedy movies ever made.

Yet with all his personal battles with his closest associates, his outbursts of violence and temper that alienated his loved ones, his attempts with drugs to make himself a mod matinee idol (which contributed to over a half-dozen consecutive heart attacks in 1964) or his often exasperating choices of film projects during the 1970s, Peter Sellers' most lasting legacy on film is as the at-times bombastic, constantly bumbling, but always lovable loser of the French Sureté, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. What originated as a funny but very much supporting role in the original "Pink Panther" movie evolved into a frenzied series of cinematic slapstick adventures with Clouseau traveling to exotic locales, meeting with gorgeous women, and ultimately getting his criminal after a series of pratfalls and predicaments designed to entertain viewers without needing to worry about the language barrier. With Sellers as Clouseau, English became every audience's second language as they laughed over his verbal manglings.

Sellers' most critically-lauded mainstream role passed his way in 1979, and he drew his subtleties from one of his idols, Stan Laurel, in creating the childlike fool of fortune, Chance the gardener, in the political satire "Being There", for which he garnered a second Best Actor Oscar nomination. Although his timing was impeccable and his performance a marvel of underplaying, it was hard to ignore the eerie, tissue-paper frailty of his appearance that was not apparent before in his films but was plainly visible afterwards in his subsequent films and appearances.

Despite attempts by his legitimate doctors to set him on a corrective path to improve his health, Peter was ever interested in alternative or different ways of doing everything, dabbling in spiritism and psychic surgery as a preference to doing things as tradition would dictate a man with health problems should take care of himself. And even though Peter's ways to deal with his life regularly brought about an alleviation from boredom, it usually brought about no real improvement or happiness and served instead to estrange him from his family and friends even further as he surrounded himself with people who out of misguided love or out of calculation told him only the things he wanted to hear. His death in July, 1980 of a heart attack brought forward revelations of Peter's troubled and tempestuous private life from Peter's intimates and biographers, and all who came in contact with him - his wives, his children, his friends, his confidantes, his cronies - seemed to have stories to tell about the man that, no matter how affectionate, made vastly clear what kind of emotional tax was paid by any and all who came within his sphere.

Peter Sellers was a vastly insecure man who never could make up his mind who he was, so he could never be sure and secure that anyone ever loved him. The greatest clowns seem to experience the greatest pain and some share it far too generously with those who love them best and truly, and the efforts to delve behind the mask of Peter Sellers continues to this day. The HBO movie "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" was released in late 2004, starring Geoffrey Rush, and although controversial, it's yet another irresistible attempt to fathom the demons inside the man who, for all his personal warts, is still revered as one of the cinema's comic geniuses even this long after his death, and whose legacy of physical comedy and vocal agility continues to inspire a new generation of fans and funnymen.

Special Feature!

FASHIONSTATE.COM SALUTES "THE GOON SHOW"

A Cellarful of Sellers

SELLERS IN CINEMA - THE FUN-FILLED FIFTIES
SELLERS IN CINEMA - THE SWINGING SIXTIES, PT. 1
SELLERS IN CINEMA - THE SWINGING SIXTIES, PT. 2
SELLERS IN CINEMA - THE SWINGING SIXTIES, PT. 3
SELLERS IN CINEMA - THE SEVENTIES AND BEYOND
PORTRAITS OF PETER
PETER SELLERS - CLOWN PRINCE OF COMEDY

Site Links

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BBC News
A report on the dedication of a plaque in honor of Peter Sellers from the British Comedy Society.

BBC News: Inside story of Peter Sellers
A brief review of the Golden-Globe Award-winning HBO movie "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers".

BBC Radio 4 - "Best Sellers"
An article on the BBC radio program created from Peter Sellers' private recordings! Includes audio archives.

"Being There" - Peter Sellers' Masterpiece
This movie fansite features sound clips, pictures, a guestbook, and movie reviews, among other things. If you're a fan of this flick, check it out!

Buzzle.com
A 2003 article about the premiere at Cannes of the controversial biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers".

CMG Worldwide - Peter Sellers Print Campaign Helps to Raise Awareness
CMG Worldwide, which holds rights to intellectual property of Peter Sellers' estate, gave Bristol-Myers Squibb permission to use Peter's likeness for promotion of a cardiovascular medication. Check out the ad!

Cry Justice
Chris Lindsey is an artist who has featured this request for fan poetry about Peter Sellers and / or the characters he played. Feeling a bit of the muse surrounding you as you ponder Peter Sellers on the web? Perhaps a poem is in order!

CultureVulture.net
A review of the 2000 release "The Unknown Peter Sellers".

Darla's Peter Sellers Tribute Page
Web-award winning fansite with a Flash version and many links for the discriminating fan!

Don Ignacio Pays Tribute to Peter Sellers
The Don has given up writing movie reviews, but he still has a tribute to one of his favorite performers, Peter Sellers, on his website!

DVD Verdict
A review of Anchor Bay's "The Peter Sellers Collection" by Barrie Maxwell.

e-Reader.com: Excerpt from "Mr. Strangelove"
A snippet from Ed Sikov's Sellers biography.

EncycloComedia
Career bio on Peter Sellers.

Everything Celebrities: Peter Sellers
Loads and loads of links!

Gary Westfahl's Bio-Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Film: Peter Sellers
No-holds-barred review of Sellers' sci-fi / fantasy film career.

Geoffrey Rush: Being Sellers
The Academy Award-winning actor gives the scoop on what it was like to portray Peter in this short article.

The Golden Years
Link-rich reference site - find movie reviews, encyclopedia entries, bios, filmographies, tribute sites, and more!

HBO Films: "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"
A trailer for you to enjoy if you have the right multimedia equipment.

He's Fallen in the Water!!
This is Hallo Spaceboy at Tripod's tribute to Peter Sellers, smack dab in the middle of a Goon Show tribute site!

In the Mood for Peter Sellers?
A sound excerpt from Tom Browne's English radio program explaining why Peter asked for Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" to be played at his funeral. Requires equipment to play WAVs.

The Independent Online Edition - "Being Peter Sellers"
Detailed insights about the making of the biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers".

Inspector Clouseau
A site dedicated entirely to Peter Sellers' characterization of film comedy's - and the Surete's - funniest foul-up! Surveys, sound clips, scene clips, a guestbook...even a guide on how to speak Clouseauese!

The Lolita 1962 Fanlisting
"Lolita" links for hardcore fans.

Loomis-Walker Peter Sellers Fan Page
Now defunct, this page contains a bio, filmography, and links to other Sellers sites.

National Public Radio: Paying Tribute to the Comedy of Peter Sellers
Scott Simon and Elvis Mitchell review "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers", with focus on Peter Sellers' screen highlights. Requires RealPlayer or Windows MediaPlayer.

Near Death Experiences of the Rich and Famous
Intriguing insert on Peter Sellers' NDE following his succession of heart attacks in 1964.

The Official Site of Peter Sellers
Operated by CMG Worldwide, this site features lots of information and many photos on the master impressionist.

PeterSellers.org
Filmography with reviews, pictures, sound clips, links, and a message forum is provided by John for faithful fans of Sellers! Requires Flash.

Peter Sellers - Biografia
A bio of Peter for his Italian fans!

Peter Sellers and Dr. Strangelove
Mini-tribute site to the movie, mostly featuring links to other sites on Sellers, Strangelove, and Stanley Kubrick.

Peter Sellers Appreciation Society
These folks are entirely dedicated to preserving a positive legacy on the life and talent of Peter Sellers. News, links, bio, info, and an opportunity to become a member of the society, if you wish.

Peter Sellers, Did Anyone Really Know You?
Jeanine Basinger of Washington Post Book World Review Service ponders the question that has puzzled the man's fans for years.

The Pink Panther @ Maxpages
Emily's fansite dedicated to the Pink Panther films and, of course, Mr. Peter Sellers.

The Pink Panther Fan Home Page
For rabid fans of Clouseau and the cool cat who like to think pink...sound clips, graphics, and links to more Pink Panther fansites.

Playboy
Vintage 1962 Playboy interview with Peter Sellers, "England's Prime Minister of Mummery". Revealing!

Prisma Online: Peter Sellers
German language site with bio and a television listing of upcoming Peter Sellers features!

ReadersVoice.com
An interview with Ed Sikov, author of Hollywood biographies, on "Mr. Strangelove", his exposé on Peter Sellers.

Strangelove Outtake: Notes from the War Room
A segment from "Grand Street" written by Terry Southern on his experiences working with Stanley Kubrick and Peter Sellers.

Telegraph (U.K.) - In Search of the Hidden Sellers
A teaser on the movie "The Peter Sellers Story...As He Filmed It", a compilation of Peter's home films. Heavily biographical (warts and all) article.

Time Magazine - "That Old Feeling: Who Was Peter Sellers?"
Fan and columnist Richard Corliss' substantial article on the life, legacy, and talent of Peter Sellers.

Writers Guild of America
An interview with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, screenwriters for "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers".

Book Sellers

Evans, Peter. "The Mask Behind the Mask: A Life of Peter Sellers"
Ekland, Britt. "True Britt"
Lewis, Roger. "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"
Rigelsford, Adrian. "Peter Sellers: A Life in Character"
Sellers, Michael. "P.S. I Love You: Peter Sellers, 1925-1980"
Sikov, Ed. "Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers"
Walker, Alexander. "Peter Sellers: The Authorized Biography"

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