Protean comic actor who first came to attention on the popular radio series "The Goon Show," a precursor to both "Beyond the Fringe" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Sellers made his screen debut in 1951 and demonstrated a remarkable gift for character transformation in films such as "The Mouse That Roared" (1959), a political spoof in which he played three very different roles. In 1963, Sellers starred in the first installment of the hugely popular "Pink Panther" series, introducing the loveable bumbler, Inspector Clouseau. (In that same year, he again assumed multiple identities in Stanley Kubrick's barbed satire, "Dr. Strangelove"). Although the Clouseau character made him a rich, international star, Sellers expressed frustration with the limitations of the role; he turned in a triumphant valedictory performance as Chance, the gardener-turned-statesman, in Hal Ashby's gentle political satire, "Being There" (1979). He was at one time married to actress Britt Ekland.

After his death in 1982 Sellers' colorful yet tormented life off the screen became the inspiration of the acclaimed HBO

telepic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (2004), which explored the various demons that drove the comedian.