Peter Sellers came into this world on September 8th, 1925. He was born Richard Henry Sellers in Hampshire, England. His parents were Vaudeville performers so Peter grew up around the theater. As a result of his parents’ background, Peter developed a liking for entertainment. In his youth he took dancing classes and learned how to play various instruments.

Not long after Peter’s 18th birthday, he joined the British Royal Air Force. From 1943-1946, Peter performed comedy and played the drums for the other servicemen. He had a desire to achieve stardom and after the war he returned to England to pursue his dream. He attempted to get a job with the British Broadcasting Corporation. He was unsuccessful at first but did not give up easily. He called the BBC producer Roy Speer and posed as a popular radio host. Speers was impressed by his acting skills and offered Peter a radio spot on BBC.

Peter called the BBC show, acting as different crazy personas. This earned him his place as a great impressionist in comedy. The show was later renamed “The Goon Show” which became very popular and earned Sellers his fame as he portrayed Major Bloodnok, Bluebottle, and Henry Crun. The Show was canceled in January of 1960. By this time Peter had earned enough recognition to easily begin his film career.

The radio host started out by appearing in some British films. He found success in America with the movie “The Mouse that Roared” . Peter received international notoriety in 1960 for a film he did with Sophia Loren called “The Millionaires” . This movie made him stand out as he could change characters so quickly and easily. This was seen in several of his movies throughout his film career.

In 1965, Peter Sellers received his first Oscar Nomination for the movie “Dr. Strangelove” . This was considered one of his best roles. In 1963, he became very famous around the world for his character as inspector Clouseau, the Pink Panthers bumbling master of disguise. The result was four successful sequels of this popular comic film including, “A Shot in the Dark (1964),” “The Return of the Pink Panther (1974),” “The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976),” and “Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)” .

Sellers received an Oscar nomination for the second time in 1979 for his role in the film “Being There” . He acted and continued doing radio and television shows until he died in 1980. Peter Sellers will be remembered for his comedy and ability to play so many diverse characters.

• Watch "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" with Peter Sellers and Fiona Fullerton on FMO
• Watch "The smallest show on earth" with Peter Sellers, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna on FMO