Bio: Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers has frequently been described as the greatest comic genius to emerge from the UK since Charlie Chaplin.
Born in 1925, at an early age, Sellers accompanied his parents on tours with their variety act at provincial theatres around Britain.
Sellers first worked as a drummer and member of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The ENSA provided entertainment to British armed forces during World War 2 and was where Sellers developed his mimicry and improvisational skills.
After the War, his first job was as a caretaker at a theatre. Steady promotions ultimately saw him given a stage act playing ukuleles, singing songs and telling jokes.
With his gift for imitation and improvisation, Sellers became a regular performer on BBC radio shows. His big break came in the early 1950s when he formed The Goon Show with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine.
During the 1950s, Sellers also began a film career which enabled him to demonstrate his full artistic range.
Sellers first top billing came in 1955 when he starred alongside Alec Guinness in The Ladykillers.
By this time, Sellers was a household name in the UK and was able to indulge his passion for fine motor cars. MGs, Rileys and Rovers made way for a Jaguar XK140 and the first of several Rolls Royce Silver Clouds.
In 1958, Sellers appeared opposite Terry Thomas in Tom Thumb which marked his first contact with the Hollywood film industry. That same year, he released his debut studio album, The Best of Sellers, a collection of sketches and comedic songs which reached number three on the UK album charts.
Film roles came thick and fast and, in 1959, Sellers purchased a Bentley S1 Continental Saloon with special coachwork by Mulliner (684 GYH).
The Goon Show ended in 1960, by which time Sellers was internationally renowned. That year, he became infatuated with co-star, Sophia Loren, on the set of The Millionairess and his behaviour turned increasingly erratic.
During the 1960s, Sellers car buying increased dramatically.
He commissioned several customised Mini Coopers from coachbuilders Hooper and Radford including 6189 PK (royal purple with brocade trim and beige leather) and 57 PJ (blue with brocade trim and red leather).
In 1962, he purchased a year old Aston Martin DB4 GT (chassis DB4GT/0157/R, registration 41 DPX) and later added a new Mercedes 300 SE Cabriolet (1105 PK).
Sellers became even more compulsive after the death of his father and his marriage began to break down.
Towards the end of 1962, Sellers teamed up with director, Blake Edwards, for one of his most famous roles: Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther.
More cars followed in 1963: a Lincoln Continental Convertible was acquired along with a Buick Riviera, a Bristol 407 and a unique Viotti-bodied Bristol 407/410 Cabriolet which had been displayed at the Turin Motor Show.
His DB4 GT then starred alongside a white Ferrari 250 GTE (3481 GT, registered 3 YPH) in The Wrong Arm of the Law. Sellers reputedly sold the Ferrari after a week because he did not like the colour.
1963 saw Sellers divorce his first wife, Anne Howe, whom he had married in 1951.
Later that year, he joined up for a project with Stanley Kubrick. The two men had worked together on Lolita in 1962 and Kubrick’s latest film, Dr. Strangelove, was another massive success.
This was followed in 1964 by the second Clouseau film, A Shot in the Dark.
Towards the end of filming, Sellers met 21 year old Swedish starlet, Britt Eklund. They married in February 1964, ten days after having first met. As a wedding gift, Sellers bought Eklund a red Shapecraft Lotus Elan that he had seen at the London Racing Car Show. It was followed by a matching red Jaguar E-type Roadster and a Radford Mini Cooper.
A couple of months after his marriage to Eklund, Sellers had the first of multiple heart attacks.
In July 1964, he purchased a Caribbean Blue Pearl Aston Martin DB5 Convertible; by this time he was able to command $1m per film. The DB5 was later sold to Sellers’ friend, Lord Snowden, who was married to Princess Margaret.
In early 1965, Sellers acquired a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3 Coupe by Mulliner Park Ward.
At the London Motor Show in October, he purchased two cars: a Ferrari 500 Superfast (6679 SF, first registered PS 2204 and then GYK 5C) and another Rolls Royce Cloud 3, this time a Mulliner Park Ward Drop Head which later appeared in the 1967 film There’s a Girl in my Soup alongside Goldie Hawn.
A third Cloud 3 (this time a standard saloon) was given to Sellers by Columbia Pictures as an inducement to play the lead role in the James Bond spoof Casino Royale.
Soon after filming for Casino Royale had been completed, Seller’s was deeply affected by the death of his mother with whom he had been particularly close.
In 1966, he purchased a white Lotus Elan S2 (45/5897, SAR 57D).
In early 1967, the Lotus was followed by a lightly used Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3 with Drop Head coachwork by Mulliner Park Ward (NBY 837D).
Sellers and Britt Eklund divorced in December 1968 and he began to spend more time at his residence in Geneva.
In 1969, Sellers purchased a two year old Celeste blue Ferrari 275 GTB/4 (09475) which he used as his daily driver.
During the 1970s, Sellers’ physical and mental problems worsened. His car buying habit reduced drastically; although the odd Rolls Royce came and went, the new generation of mid-engined supercars did not seem to appeal.
In 1970, he married third wife, the model Miranda Quarry.
1973 saw Sellers become engaged to Liza Minelli, despite still being married to Quarry. The relationship with Minelli lasted a month.
Sellers’ film career was reinvigorated when, in 1974, he teamed up with Blake Edwards for The Return of the Pink Panther which was released to critical acclaim.
It was followed by The Pink Panther Strikes Again (released 1976).
Against the odds, Sellers was once again considered an A-list star despite several years of indifferent movies. However, during filming, the already fraught relationship between Sellers and Blake Edwards had deteriorated to the point that Edwards said of the actor's mental state: "If you went to an asylum and you described the first inmate you saw, that's what Peter had become. He was certifiable."
In 1977, Sellers married his fourth wife, actress Lynne Frederick. A month after they married, Sellers had his second major heart attack.
Although his love affair with motor cars had dwindled, Sellers took delivery of a black Porsche 930 in 1978 (9308700256).
While other machinery had come and gone, throughout his career he had retained a 1930 Austin Heavy Twelve Open Road Tourer Deluxe that he had affectionately named ‘Old Min’.
Despite Sellers’ well documented problems, his last film, the 1979 black comedy Being There, was universally lauded by critics and came to be regarded as the crowning triumph of his career.
On 22nd July 1980, Peter Sellers suffered a heart attack in his suite at the Dorchester Hotel. He died two days later at the age of 54.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
