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- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Often credited as the greatest comedian of all time, Peter Sellers was born Richard Henry Sellers to a well-off acting family in 1925 in Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth. He was the son of Agnes Doreen "Peg" (Marks) and William "Bill" Sellers. His parents worked in an acting company run by his grandmother. His father was Protestant and his mother was Jewish (of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi background). His parents' first child had died at birth, so Sellers was spoiled during his early years. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force and served during World War II. After the war he met Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, who would become his future workmates.
After the war, he set up a review in London, which was a combination of music (he played the drums) and impressions. Then, all of a sudden, he burst into prominence as the voices of numerous favorites on the BBC radio program "The Goon Show" (1951-1960), and then making his debut in films in Penny Points to Paradise (1951) and Down Among the Z Men (1952), before making it big as one of the criminals in The Ladykillers (1955). These small but showy roles continued throughout the 1950s, but he got his first big break playing the dogmatic union man, Fred Kite, in I'm All Right Jack (1959). The film's success led to starring vehicles into the 1960s that showed off his extreme comic ability to its fullest. In 1962, Sellers was cast in the role of Clare Quilty in the Stanley Kubrick version of the film Lolita (1962) in which his performance as a mentally unbalanced TV writer with multiple personalities landed him another part in Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) in which he played three roles which showed off his comic talent in play-acting in three different accents; British, American, and German.
The year 1964 represented a peak in his career with four films in release, all of them well-received by critics and the public alike: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), for which he was Oscar nominated, The Pink Panther (1963), in which he played his signature role of the bumbling French Inspector Jacques Clouseau for the first time, its almost accidental sequel, A Shot in the Dark (1964), and The World of Henry Orient (1964). Sellers was on top of the world, but on the evening of April 5, 1964, he suffered a nearly fatal heart attack after inhaling several amyl nitrites (also called 'poppers'; an aphrodisiac-halogen combination) while engaged in a sexual act with his second wife Britt Ekland. He had been working on Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid (1964). In a move Wilder later regretted, he replaced Sellers with Ray Walston rather than hold up production. By October 1964, Sellers made a full recovery and was working again.
The mid-1960s were noted for the popularity of all things British, from the Beatles music (who were presented with their Grammy for Best New Artist by Sellers) to the James Bond films, and the world turned to Sellers for comedy. What's New Pussycat (1965) was another big hit, but a combination of his ego and insecurity was making Sellers difficult to work with. When the James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967) ran over budget and was unable to recoup its costs despite an otherwise healthy box-office take, Sellers received some of the blame. He turned down an offer from United Artists for the title role in Inspector Clouseau (1968), but was angry when the production went ahead with Alan Arkin in his place. His difficult reputation and increasingly erratic behavior, combined with several less successful films, took a toll on his standing. By 1970, he had fallen out of favor. He spent the early years of the new decade appearing in such lackluster B films as Where Does It Hurt? (1972) and turning up more frequently on television as a guest on The Dean Martin Show (1965) and a Glen Campbell TV special.
In 1974, Inspector Clouseau came to Sellers rescue when Sir Lew Grade expressed an interest in a TV series based on the character. Clouseau's creator, writer-director Blake Edwards, whose career had also seen better days, convinced Grade to bankroll a feature film instead, and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) was a major hit release during the summer of Jaws (1975) and restored both men to prominence. Sellers would play Clouseau in two more successful sequels, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), and Sellers would use his newly rediscovered clout to realize his dream of playing Chauncey Gardiner in a film adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's novel "Being There". Sellers had read the novel in 1972, but it took seven years for the film to reach the screen. Being There (1979) earned Sellers his second Oscar nomination, but he lost to Dustin Hoffman for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).
Sellers struggled with depression and mental insecurities throughout his life. An enigmatic figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he played. His behavior on and off the set and stage became more erratic and compulsive, and he continued to frequently clash with his directors and co-stars, especially in the mid-1970s when his physical and mental health, together with his continuing alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. He never fully recovered from his 1964 heart attack because he refused to take traditional heart medication and instead consulted with 'psychic healers'. As a result, his heart condition continued to slowly deteriorate over the next 16 years. On March 20, 1977, Sellers barely survived another major heart attack and had a pacemaker surgically implanted to regulate his heartbeat which caused him further mental and physical discomfort. However, he refused to slow down his work schedule or consider heart surgery which might have extended his life by several years.
On July 25, 1980, Sellers was scheduled to have a reunion dinner in London with his Goon Show partners, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. However, at around 12 noon on July 22, Sellers collapsed from a massive heart attack in his Dorchester Hotel room and fell into a coma. He died in a London hospital just after midnight on July 24, 1980 at age 54. He was survived by his fourth wife, Lynne Frederick, and three children: Michael, Sarah and Victoria. At the time of his death, he was scheduled to undergo an angiography in Los Angeles on July 30 to see if he was eligible for heart surgery.
His last movie, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980), completed just a few months before his death, proved to be another box office flop. Director Blake Edwards' attempt at reviving the Pink Panther series after Sellers' death resulted in two panned 1980s comedies, the first of which, Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), deals with Inspector Clouseau's disappearance and was made from material cut from previous Pink Panther films and includes interviews with the original casts playing their original characters.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Christopher Cazenove was born on 17 December 1943 in Winchester, Hampshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for A Knight's Tale (2001), Three Men and a Little Lady (1990) and Dynasty (1981). He was married to Angharad Rees. He died on 7 April 2010 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- A distinguished stage and screen actor, Lyndon Brook was the son of the silent British film star Clive Brook, and the actress, Mildred Evelyn. His elder sister, Faith Brook, is one of Britain's best known stage and TV actresses. Brook was best-known to cinema-goers of the 1950s and 60s for his quiet sympathetic roles in films such as The Purple Plain (1954) and Reach for the Sky (1956) and he was also a successful writer of dramas and light comedies. Born in Los Angeles, where his father worked for much of his career, he was educated in England at Stowe and Cambridge. At Cambridge, he founded his own drama group, in which he both acted and directed. He began appearing on the London stage in the 1940s before gaining wider recognition in the cinema during the 1950s. One of his most memorable roles was as "Johnny Sanderson" in Reach for the Sky (1956), the biographical drama based on the life of RAF hero Douglas Bader. Brook also narrated the film which went on to become one of the cinema's most successful World War Two dramas. In 1951, he met his future wife, the actress Elizabeth Kentish, whilst they were appearing on the London stage, in a play with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. His later notable film appearances included Song Without End (1960), in which he played "Wagner" to Dirk Bogarde's "Liszt", Pope Joan (1972), with Liv Ullmann, The Hireling (1973) and Defense of the Realm (1985). He made numerous television appearances but one of his most memorable roles was as "King George VI" in Churchill and the Generals (1979). Brook's most successful play was "Mixed Doubles" (1969), which has been performed all over the world.
- Tony Doyle was an Irish television and film actor. He attended Belcamp College, Dublin as a boarder before going onto University College Dublin (which he did not finish). He got his first big break playing Father Sheehy in the RTE weekly soap The Riordans (1965) in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1998, he won an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for best leading performance for his role in Amongst Women (1998). He also won a Silver Nymph award at the Monte Carlo TV Awards. His most famous film role saw Tony as the head of the SAS, Colonel Hadley, in the 1982 British film Who Dares Wins. His other film roles included appearances in Ulysses (1967), Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970), Loophole (1981), Eat the Peach (1986), Secret Friends (1991), Damage (1992), Circle of Friends (1995), and as Tom French in I Went Down (1997). He died at St Thomas's Hospital in Lambeth, London, England. Brian Quigley, Doyle's Ballykissangel character, was written out of the show in the first episode of the final series where Quigley fakes his own suicide (he supposedly drowned himself) and flees to Brazil. The Tony Doyle Bursary for New Writing was launched by the BBC following his death. Judges include his friend and Ballykissangel co-star Lorcan Cranitch.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Paul Angelis was born on 18 January 1943 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Yellow Submarine (1968), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and The Alf Garnett Saga (1972). He died on 19 March 2009 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Elaine Ives-Cameron was born on 5 December 1938 in the USA. She was an actress, known for The Message (1976), The Message (1976) and Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985). She died on 15 November 2006 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Helena McCarthy was born on 18 October 1908 in St. Annes, Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Avengers (1961), The Wicked Lady (1983) and Never Say Die (1987). She was married to Henry McCarthy. She died on 11 May 1998 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Barry Lowe was born in 1925 in Southport, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Cash on Demand (1961), Opportunity Murder (1956) and Up the Creek (1958). He died on 12 December 2011 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
A leading British stage and screen actress, Rosamund John is remembered with affection for her roles in film classics such as The Way to the Stars, Green For Danger and Tawny Pipit.
Born in 1913 she grew up in Tottenham, London and studied at the Embassy School of Acting. She made her film debut in 1934 in The Secret of the Loch and two years later made her first appearance on the West End stage in Anthony and Cleopatra. Spotted by the legendary impresario C.B.Cochran she went on to appear in the revue Home and Beauty.
In 1940 she starred opposite Robert Donat in Shaw's Devils Disciple (Adelphi Theatre) and as a result went on to make three films with the actor Leslie Howard. In 1989 she spoke of her relationship with Howard: "He taught me everything I know about filmmaking. I got on very well with him and luckily he didn't want to get into bed with me - as he did with quite a few people he worked with."
In 1949 John was nominated to be the Actors Representative on the Working Party on Film Production Costs and for many years she was a leading figure with Equity, the British actors trade union. Reflecting on her work with the union in 1990 she said: "I worked on several committees including one to establish minimum rates for chorus workers. After World War Two we fought a tough battle with the BBC which wanted to claim that all actors were self-employed and therefore the BBC need not pay their income tax or National Insurance - which would mean they couldn't claim unemployment benefit. We had to fight to get actors paid for performances."
John made several television appearances including a guest cameo in Crimes of Passion (1971).- Barry Martin was born on 20 September 1927 in Bethnal Green, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Children of Men (2006), Hereafter (2010) and Unfinished Song (2012). He died on 20 March 2017 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Terence Feely joined Paramount Pictures (UK) Ltd. in 1967 as foreign story head of Paramount Pictures Corporation, reporting to Bud Ornstein in London and Marvin Birdt in New York. He was one of the only two executives in the London office of Paramount who wanted to make "If..." when the screenplay was first submitted to it by Memorial Pictures. It was subsequently financed and distributed by Paramount at the insistence of the Chairman, Charles Bluhdorn. In November 1968 Terence Feely resigned from Paramount to join Everyman Films where Feely was a co-director with Patrick McGoohan and David Tomlin.- Reginald Barratt was born on 25 January 1920 in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Department S (1969), Open All Hours (1976) and The Three Musketeers (1954). He died on 10 June 1977 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Rita Daniel was born on 27 December 1901 in Chiswick, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Middle Watch (1948), Candida (1939) and The Director (1949). She was married to Torin Thatcher. She died on 14 July 1951 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Larry Adler was born on 10 February 1914 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Genevieve (1953), The Hellions (1961) and The House in the Woods (1957). He was married to Sally Irene Cline and Eileen Walser. He died on 6 August 2001 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Producer
James Mellor was born on 4 February 1933 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for Night After Night After Night (1969), Doctor Who (1963) and The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970). He died on 28 January 1976 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Rita Tobin-Weske was born on 8 April 1906 in Galway, Ireland. She was an actress, known for Harmony Heaven (1930), The Wrong Box (1966) and Away from It All (1973). She was married to H Victor Weske. She died on 31 October 1987 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Art Director
Howard Douglas was born on 12 January 1896 in Hackney, London, England, UK. He was an actor and art director, known for The Monsters (1962), Treasure Island (1950) and Quick Before They Catch Us (1966). He died in 1973 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Pam Marmont was born on 2 January 1923 in Long Island, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) and Barney Is My Darling (1965). She was married to Moray Watson. She died on 25 August 1999 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Elizabeth Kentish was born in 1920 in Woolwich, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Point Counter Point (1968), Strictly Personal (1953) and You Can't Escape (1957). She was married to Lyndon Brook. She died on 12 May 2010 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Casting Director
Martin Case was born on 19 March 1911 in Berlin, Germany. He was a casting director. He was married to Joan Benham. He died on 26 September 1981 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Romy Baskerville was born in 1941 in Romford, Essex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Way (2010), Coronation Street (1960) and North Square (2000). She died on 12 January 2012 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Harold Wilson was born in Huddersfield,West Yorkshire in 1916. He had a sharp mind and after graduating from Oxford University, he became a lecturer in economics in 1937. He represented Huyton in parliament from 1945 until his retirement in 1983. He became President of the Board of Trade in 1947 and succeeded Hugh Gaitskell as the Labour party leader in 1963. He defeated Sir Alec Douglas-Home in the 1964 General Election with an overall majority of four. He was re-elected in 1966 and after a period in opposition between 1970 and 1974, he returned after the February election. He was re-elected for a fourth term in October 1974, but resigned unexpectedly on his 60th birthday in 1976. He was created a Knight of the Garter by HM The Queen and he received a life peerage in 1983, becoming Lord Wilson of Rievaulx. Following a long illness, he died in May 1995 aged 79, leaving a widow Mary.
- Producer
- Director
- Additional Crew
George Spenton-Foster was born on 11 November 1926 in Lambeth, London, England, UK. He was a producer and director, known for Out of the Unknown (1965), Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) and Blake's 7 (1978). He died on 26 December 1993 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.- Lawrence James was born on 7 April 1927 in Birmingham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Compact (1962), The Avengers (1961) and The Men from Room 13 (1959). He was married to Maureen Stephenson. He died on 21 February 1986 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
- Herbert C. Walton was born on 28 April 1880 in Islington, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Take My Life (1947), Young and Willing (1954) and Hobson's Choice (1954). He died on 16 January 1955 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.