Peter Sellers - Sadness of a clown

Shaun Anthony looks back at the life and times of Peter Sellers
“If you ask me to play myself, I will not know what to do. I do not know who or what I am” Peter Sellers
    
There are not many people, right across the age spectrum, who have not laughed themselves sick at his portrayal of Inspector Clouseau, the French Detective with the penchant for disaster, and while Peter Sellers was undoubtedly one of the most talented, clever and funny men to come out of the England, he was also a troubled individual who battled depression, drug and alcohol abuse and insecurity.

Sellers seemed to spread much of his life battling his inner demons, like so many English comics of his generation (Spike Milligan and Tony Hancock are two that immediately spring to mind). But he was certainly a comic genius (you only have to watch Dr Strangelove to recognize that fact) and as such, deserves a place in history as one of the funniest men on stage or screen to come to Britain
   
Born in Southsea, Peter (real name Richard but he was affectionately called after his older still-born brother) came from a family of entertainers of Jewish and Portuguese descent.  He learned acting at a very early age on the Variety Show circuit with his parents, performing on stage from the age of five; he was also an accomplished musician, playing drums, ukulele and banjo.  After attending St Aloysius Boarding and Day School for Boys, in the early 1940’s Sellers toured with jazz bands before being drafted into the British Royal Air Force where, despite his terrible eye-sight he rose to the rank of corporal, serving in India, Burma, France and Germany.  
   
During this time he joined the Entertainments National Service Association and would amuse his fellow-enlistees by impersonating his fellow officers. (They would inspire some of his later creations – like Officer Lionel Mandrake in ‘Dr Strangelove’ and the ‘Goon Show’s’ Major Dennis Bloodnok).  After his discharge in 1948 Sellers returned to England where he worked in variety before being cast in ‘The Goon Show’ with those other stalwarts of British comedy, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine.
  
The zany antics of the comedy quartet delighted audiences and the show soon had a he following, opening doors for Sellers who had ample opportunity to demonstrate his skill as an impressionist as well as his impeccable talent for improvisation.  By the time The Goon show ended, Sellers was more than ready for the big screen and made a series of Ealing comedies, that still stand up today as well-acted pieces, where he equipped himself with natural comedic talent. His performance as the power mad shop steward in ‘It’s Alright Jack’ was an absolute gem and it wasn’t long before his profile rose substantially and he was cast opposite Sophia Loren The Millionairess’, in 1961. 

He received international acclaim and also developed an infatuation with his co-star. His marriage to first wife Anne Howe (with whom he had two children) broke down around this time and there was the suggestion of an affair with a co-star; the inference being that it may have been the sultry Italian actress although she always maintained it was all in his mind. 

Sellers’ behaviour was eccentric, both on and off the screen. His first wife Anne recalled one afternoon the doorbell rang in Sellers' London flat. As he was busy in his study, Anne went to the door, where she was handed a telegram. The message: "Bring me a cup of coffee. Peter".

In 1963, his most popular screen personae was introduced to the film-going public in the shape of the unfortunate bumbling French detective, Inspector Clouseau, in the first of a (now iconic) series of four films directed by Blake Edwards.  Although he and Edward’s were friends at first, he was difficult to work with.
 
Late one night, following a disappointing day wrestling with a troublesome scene in one of the Pink Panther films, director Blake Edwards was roused by a call from Sellers. "I just talked to God!" he exclaimed, "and he told me how to do it!" The next day Edwards humored Sellers - and the result was an unmitigated disaster. "Peter," Edwards suggested, "next time you talk to God, tell him to stay out of show business!” 

His troublesome and megalomaniac behaviour on set cost the film company millions
Sellers would frequently be difficult on set treating his fellow actors with contempt (he later refused to share the set with actor Orson Welles while filming ‘Casino Royale’, due in part to his jealousy over Welles’ star status and friendship with Princess Margaret). Indeed it was suggested that his troublesome and megalomaniac behaviour on set cost the film company millions and caused the producer and director major headaches.
    
It has been suggested that Sellers suffered with depression, and it was this struggle with his inner demons that led to his abuse of alcohol and drugs. The series of heart attacks in 1964, which left him with extreme heart damage, were attributed to the large amounts of amyl nitrates he was imbibing; however instead of having proper medical treatment Seller’s opted to be ‘treated’ by psychic healers and consultations with an astronomer, Maurice Woodruff.  
  
Regardless of his difficulties on set, Sellers had a remarkable talent, which was used to it fullest in the remarkable ‘Dr Strangelove’ in which he played multiple roles: his work in the film would earn him his second Oscar nomination in 1965. (The first was for ‘The Running, Jumping & Standing Still Film’ in 1960) In 1964 he married the young and beautiful Britt Ekland and the duo went on to star in two films together, ‘After the Fox’ (1966) and ‘The Bobo’ (1967).  The couple had a daughter together but parted after just four years of marriage and he was known to have assaulted her on more than one occasion during their relationship.
  
During the early 70’s Seller’s made over 20 films, as well as the Pink Panther series, including ‘There’s a Girl in my Soup’ opposite Goldie Hawn (1970), the pirate caper ‘Ghosts in the Midday Sun’ where he played opposite old pal Spike Milligan (1973), the musical ‘The Optimists’ (1973), the murder mystery ‘Murder By Death’ (1978) and a plethora of other, often forgettable comedies.  He married Australian model Miranda Quarry in 1970, but this was another short-lived union and the pair would divorce four years later. In 1977 Sellers married for the fourth time, to English actress Lynne Fredrick - they would remain married until his death in 1980.   
   
In 1979, Sellers would make what many consider his finest film after ‘Dr Strangelove’, the touching ‘Being There’ adapted from a short story by Jerzy Kosinski and directed by Hal Ashby.  Seller’s portrayal of the old gardener Chance, who has never left the garden he works in, but then finds himself in the heady world of politics was tender and affectionate and gained him another Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role: he lost out to Dustin Hoffman and the weepy ‘Kramer V. Kramer’. 
 
Seller’s was due to have a reunion dinner with old Goon Show friends, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan in London in the summer of 1980.  But on July 22nd, while staying at the Dorchester Hotel he suffered a heart attack and subsequently fell into a coma, from which he never recovered: he died two days later.   In his will he requested ‘In the Mood’ by Glenn Miller to be played at his funeral: this was another of his example of his caustic wit as he actually hated that song.  He was cremated and interred in Golders Green cemetery. He left his son Michael and his daughter Sarah from his first marriage only £800 each. "It was a calculated and considered act. 

 At the time of his death it was reported that Sellers was in the process of writing Fredrick out of his will, however she inherited all his money, cash, cars, houses and art amounting to £4.5 million. He left his son Michael and his daughter Sarah from his first marriage to actress Anne Howe only £800 each. 

"It was a calculated and considered act. Even his lawyers blushed when they told me," his son Michael said. 
 A drug addict and an alcoholic, Lynne Frederick died at aged 39; after Fredrick’s death all his money passed to her mother Iris whom he detested, including all income and royalties from his work. 
   
While he may have died forty-five years ago, his legacy to comedy has lived on and in a poll in 2005 to find ‘The Comedian’s Comedian’, Peter Sellers was voted number 14 in the list of the top 20 greatest comedians of all time by fellow comedians: a fitting tribute to a man who bought so much laughter to so many.