“There is no such person as Peter Sellers”
—Stanley Kubrick
He was a man of a thousand voices, and perhaps none of his own.
This week, we trace the restless life of Peter Sellers: his meteoric rise from radio chaos to global stardom, the fragile heart behind the laughter, the glamour, the volatility, the brilliance.
From Inspector Clouseau’s immaculate incompetence to the quiet mystery of Being There, we explore the range and life of a comic genius who conquered the world and never quite found solid ground.
If you think you know him, read on: there is more beneath the mustache.
Table of Contents: Early Years / Education / WWII / Career / Inspector Clouseau / Other Notable Performances / Personal Life / Residences / Health Issues / Later Years
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Peter Sellers was born Richard Henry Sellers on September 8th, 1925, in Southsea, Hampshire, England.
The name “Peter” was not the one on his birth certificate. It was the name his parents had already chosen for a son who was born before him and died at birth. When Richard was born in 1925, they gave him a different legal name — but soon began calling him Peter, reusing the name of the child they had lost.
His parents, Bill Sellers and Agnes Doreen “Peg” Marks, were vaudeville performers.
His mum Peg was Jewish, the daughter of Solomon Marks and Welcome Mendoza, and a distant relative of the 18th‑century bare‑knuckle boxing champion Daniel Mendoza.
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