The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

"Never judge a man by his cover."

Oct 1 2004 TV-MA 2h 2m
Biography, Comedy, Drama

The turbulent personal and professional life of actor Peter Sellers (1925-1980), from his beginnings as a comic performer on BBC Radio to his huge success as one of the greatest film comedians of all time; an obsessive artist so dedicated to his work that neglected his loved ones and sacrificed part of his own personality to convincingly create that of his many memorable characters.

Plot

The professional and personal life of actor and comedian Peter Sellers was a turbulent one. His early movie fame was based primarily on his comic characterizations, often of bumbling and foreign-accented persons, characters which he embodied. As his movie fame rose, he began to lose his own personal identity to his movie characters, leading to self-doubt of himself as a person and a constant need for reassurance and acceptance of his work. This self-doubt manifested itself in fits of anger and what was deemed as arrogance by many. In turn, his personal relationships began to deteriorate as his characterizations were continually used to mask his problems. His first wife, Anne Howe, left/divorced him and his relationships with his parents and children became increasingly distant. His relationship with his second wife, Swedish actress Britt Ekland, was based on this mask. In his later life, he tried to rediscover himself and his career with what would become his penultimate film role, that of Chance in Being There (1979).

Written by

Roger Lewis, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Directed by

Stephen Hopkins

Production Countries

United States of America, United Kingdom

Production Companies

DeMann Entertainment Company, Company Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

Won 9 Primetime Emmys. 31 wins & 35 nominations total

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