History Creator / PeterSellers

Richard Henry Sellers, better known as [[StageNames Peter]] Sellers [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever CBE]] (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) is widely regarded as one of Britain's – and cinema's – great comic actors.

Richard Henry Sellers, better known as [[StageNames Peter]] Sellers [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever CBE]] (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) is widely regarded as one of Britain's—and cinema's—great comic actors.

His film breakthrough was a supporting role to Creator/AlecGuinness in ''Film/{{The Ladykillers|1955}}'' in 1955.[[note]]Sellers made his own tape recording of the film's audio track, performing every role himself in all of the actors' voices, and then played it to the unsuspecting cast and crew over a loudspeaker. Producer Michael Falcon recalled it was spooky to listen to.[[/note]] He became firmly established as a film star in 1959 with two of his biggest successes. One was ''I'm All Right, Jack'', for which he won the British Academy Award for Best Actor - and he wasn't even the lead. ''Film/TheMouseThatRoared'' was his first international hit in which he played ''three'' lead roles. His short film ''Film/TheRunningJumpingAndStandingStillFilm'', made at this same time in collaboration with Milligan and Lester, got nominated for an Oscar and got Lester a gig directing ''Film/AHardDaysNight''.

[[quoteright:300:[[Magazine/TimeMagazine https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2e73e650_8fd0_425d_ab32_87824634ec5f.jpeg]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:300: From back row to front, going from left to right: Clare Quilty (''Film/{{Lolita}}''), Grand Duchess Gloriana XII (''Film/TheMouseThatRoared''), Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (''Franchise/ThePinkPanther''), Chance the Gardener (''Film/BeingThere''), Dr. Strangelove (''Film/DrStrangelove''), and the actual(?) Peter Sellers.]]-]

He was the son of the mixed marriage between a Jewish mother and a gentile father, and adopted his nickname from the actual name of his parents' short-lived first child. Sellers first attracted attention on [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio in the late 1940s; he was an excellent impersonator, capable of a wide variety of accents, and was particuarly gifted at [[ActingForTwo taking on multiple roles]], making the individual characters distinct.

In fact, his talent for impersonation got him his first job. He rang a BBC producer and used the voice of [[Radio/RoundTheHorne Kenneth Horne]], a respected radio talent, [[ButHeSoundsHandsome to wax enthusiastic about the talented young performer called Peter Sellers whom he, Horne, had just seen on stage.]] He then confessed that he was Sellers, using Horne's voice to make a point. The producer, who had been taken in completely, was impressed and offered Sellers a contract.

He was the son of the mixed marriage between a Jewish mother and a gentile father, but ultimately adopting his nickname, the actual name of his parents' short-lived first child. Sellers first attracted attention on [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio in the late 1940s; he was an excellent impersonator, capable of a wide variety of accents, and was particuarly gifted at [[ActingForTwo taking on multiple roles]], making the individual characters distinct. In fact, his talent for impersonation got him his first job: he rang a BBC producer and used the voice of [[Radio/RoundTheHorne Kenneth Horne]], a respected radio talent, [[ButHeSoundsHandsome to wax enthusiastic about the talented young performer called Peter Sellers whom he, Horne, had just seen on stage.]] He then confessed that he was Sellers, using Horne's voice to make a point. The producer, who had been taken in completely, was impressed and offered Sellers a contract. Joining up with Creator/HarrySecombe and Creator/SpikeMilligan (and Creator/MichaelBentine, who left after the first two years), he was a key member of ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' in the 1950s, staying with it even as he started seeking film roles and expanding on his talents. Also during this period, a few television variants on the show's absurdity, such as ''A Show Called Fred'', were made and launched the career of director Richard Lester. (Music/TheBeatles were quite fond of the Goons.)

Born Richard Henry Sellers, son of the mixed marriage between a JewishMother and a gentile father, but ultimately adopting his nickname, the actual name of his parents' short-lived first child, Peter Sellers [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever CBE]] (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) is widely regarded as one of Britain's—and cinema's—great comic actors.

Sellers first attracted attention on [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] radio in the late 1940s; he was an excellent impersonator, capable of a wide variety of accents, and was particuarly gifted at [[ActingForTwo taking on multiple roles]], making the individual characters distinct. In fact, his talent for impersonation got him his first job: he rang a BBC producer and used the voice of [[Radio/RoundTheHorne Kenneth Horne]], a respected radio talent, [[ButHeSoundsHandsome to wax enthusiastic about the talented young performer called Peter Sellers whom he, Horne, had just seen on stage.]] He then confessed that he was Sellers, using Horne's voice to make a point. The producer, who had been taken in completely, was impressed and offered Sellers a contract. Joining up with Creator/HarrySecombe and Creator/SpikeMilligan (and Creator/MichaelBentine, who left after the first two years), he was a key member of ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' in the 1950s, staying with it even as he started seeking film roles and expanding on his talents. Also during this period, a few television variants on the show's absurdity, such as ''A Show Called Fred'', were made and launched the career of director Richard Lester. (Music/TheBeatles were quite fond of the Goons.)