Peter Sellers's Real Name: Peter Sellers

Quick answer: The actor is known professionally as Peter Sellers. Britannica and Encyclopedia.com independently date his birth to September 8, 1925, in Southsea, England, and his death to July 24, 1980, in London. Published longer forms do not fully agree: Britannica lists Richard Henry Sellers, while Encyclopedia.com lists Peter Richard Henry Sellers, so this page titles him under the public name.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers identify him under the professional name Peter Sellers. Britannica lists the longer form Richard Henry Sellers, dates the birth to September 8, 1925, in Southsea, England, and says he was the son of British vaudeville performers and later developed his mimicry skills while serving in the Royal Air Force. Encyclopedia.com independently lists the name Peter Richard Henry Sellers, dates the birth to September 8, 1925, in Southsea, Hampshire, and says he worked as a drummer after leaving school and served in the Royal Air Force from 1943 to 1946, including tours with the Gang Show. Britannica independently says he performed in Ralph Reader's "gang shows" that toured British army bases during World War II. In 1951, Britannica says, he teamed with Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe to create the radio series The Goon Show. Encyclopedia.com independently dates The Goon Show among his 1950s radio work.

Career highlights

Britannica says a breakthrough film role came as a crook in The Ladykillers (1955), followed by I'm All Right Jack (1959), The Mouse That Roared (1959), and, for Stanley Kubrick, Clare Quilty in Lolita (1962) and three roles in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), which brought an Academy Award nomination for best actor. The same account says the role that earned him superstar status was Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther (1963) and A Shot in the Dark (1964), and that he later repeated the role in three sequels. Encyclopedia.com independently records I'm All Right, Jack, a British Academy award for best British actor in 1959, and later international stardom in the Pink Panther films. Britannica later names Being There (1979), as the gardener Chance, as an Oscar-nominated performance often cited among his finest.

Death

Britannica dates his death to July 24, 1980, in London, and says he died at age 54 after a series of heart attacks. Encyclopedia.com independently dates the death to July 24, 1980, in London.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Peter Sellers, Richard Henry Sellers, or Peter Richard Henry Sellers are looking for the same actor. This page uses the public professional name because the published longer forms do not agree on a single spelling of the full name.