Lilias, Yoga and You (later shortened to Lilias! ) is a PBS television show hosted by Lilias Folan , a Cincinnati, Ohio based practitioner of yoga as exercise . The show first aired on October 5, 1970 on Cincinnati PBS member station WCET and three years later was carried on PBS across the United States , where it ran until 1999.
104-396: Being There is a 1979 American satirical comedy-drama film starring Peter Sellers , Shirley MacLaine , and Melvyn Douglas . Directed by Hal Ashby , it is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński , and adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones . Jack Warden , Richard Dysart , and Richard Basehart are featured in support. Douglas won
208-616: A chief petty officer in Val Guest 's Up the Creek . Guest later claimed that he had written and directed the film as a vehicle for Sellers and thus had started Sellers' film career. To practise his voice, Sellers purchased a reel-to-reel tape recorder. The film received critical acclaim in the United States and Roger Lewis viewed it as an important practice ground for Sellers. Next, Sellers featured with Terry-Thomas as one of
312-559: A "cheeky young sod" for his efforts, but gave him an audition. This led to his brief appearance on 1 July 1948 on ShowTime and subsequently to work on Ray's a Laugh with comedian Ted Ray . In October 1948, Sellers was a regular radio performer, appearing in Starlight Hour , The Gang Show , Henry Hall's Guest Night and It's Fine To Be Young . By the end of 1948, the BBC Third Programme began to broadcast
416-492: A "flawless sense of mistiming" in a performance that was "one of the most delicate studies in accident-proneness since the silents". Despite the views of the critics, the film was one of the top ten grossing films of the year. The role earned Sellers a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the 22nd Golden Globe Awards , and for a Best British Actor award at
520-421: A $ 1 million contract for the film ($ 9,100,000 in 2023 dollars). Seven screenwriters worked on the project, and filming was chaotic. To make matters worse, according to Ekland, Sellers was "so insecure, he won't trust anyone". A poor working relationship quickly developed between Sellers and Welles: Sellers eventually demanded that the two should not share the same set. Sellers left the film before his part
624-731: A Swedish actress who had arrived in London to film Guns at Batasi . On 19 February 1964, just ten days after their first meeting, the couple married. Sellers soon showed signs of insecurity and paranoia; he would become highly anxious and jealous, for example, when Ekland starred opposite attractive men. Shortly after the wedding, Sellers started filming on location in Twentynine Palms, California , for Billy Wilder 's Kiss Me, Stupid , opposite Dean Martin and Kim Novak . The relationship between Wilder and Sellers became strained; both had different approaches to work and often clashed as
728-501: A chance meeting with a North American Indian spirit guide in the 1950s Sellers became convinced that the music hall comedian Dan Leno , who had died in 1904, haunted him and guided his career and life-decisions. Sellers was a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats , the exclusive theatrical fraternity founded by Leno in 1890. In 1958 Sellers starred with David Tomlinson , Wilfrid Hyde-White , David Lodge and Lionel Jeffries as
832-554: A close connection with the Soviet ambassador, and appears on a talk show during which his detailed advice about what a serious gardener should do is misunderstood as his opinion on presidential policy. Louise tells other African Americans as they watch Chance on TV that he has "rice pudding between the ears" and that whiteness is all that is needed to succeed in America. The President is shown as sexually impotent with his wife when watching
936-590: A collection of comic songs and sketches, among them Balham - Gateway to the South , where Sellers plays a variety of comic characters. Produced by George Martin and released on Parlophone , the album reached number three in the UK Albums Chart ; The same year, Sellers made his first film with John and Roy Boulting in Carlton-Browne of the F.O. , a comedy in which he played a supporting role for
1040-547: A complete idiot. I think a forgivable vanity would humanize him and make him kind of touching. It's as if filmgoers are kept one fall ahead of him." —Sellers on portraying Clouseau. After his father's death in October 1962, Sellers decided to leave England and was approached by director Blake Edwards who offered him the role of Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther , after Peter Ustinov had backed out of
1144-577: A congratulatory telegram. Upon its release in September 1967, The Bobo was poorly received. Lilias, Yoga and You Lilias Folan (born 1936) began to practice yoga as exercise in 1964, and was soon teaching at the YWCA in Stamford, Connecticut . She studied asanas under the yoga masters T. K. V. Desikachar , B. K. S. Iyengar , and Angela Farmer , and gained wider knowledge of yoga under
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#17327796637491248-551: A film career and took a number of small roles such as a police officer in John and Julie (1955). He accepted a larger part in the 1955 Alexander Mackendrick -directed Ealing comedy The Ladykillers in which he starred opposite his idol Alec Guinness , in addition to Herbert Lom and Cecil Parker . Sellers portrayed Harry Robinson, the Teddy Boy ; biographer Peter Evans considers this Sellers' first good role. The Ladykillers
1352-474: A free artistic licence. Sellers later claimed that his relationship with Kubrick became one of the most rewarding of his career. Writing in The Sunday Times , Dilys Powell commented that Sellers gave "a firework performance, funny, malicious, only once for a few seconds overreaching itself, and in the murder scene which is both prologue and epilogue achieving the macabre in comedy." Towards
1456-410: A heart attack; Parrish asked Sellers if he wanted to visit her in hospital, but Sellers remained on set. She died within days, without Sellers having seen her. He was deeply affected by her death and remorseful at not having returned to London to see her. Ekland served him with divorce papers shortly afterwards. The divorce was finalised on 18 December 1968, and Sellers' friend Spike Milligan sent Ekland
1560-406: A knife at him; Chance ineffectually tries to click him out of existence with a TV remote control. Passing by a TV shop, Chance sees himself captured by a video camera in the shop window. Entranced, he steps backward off the sidewalk and is struck by a limousine chauffeuring Eve Rand, the glamorous and much younger wife of elderly business mogul Ben Rand. When she asks him his name she mishears "Chance,
1664-522: A lot different from Harry Secombe." Sellers and Loren developed a close relationship during filming, culminating in Sellers declaring his love for her in front of his wife. Sellers also woke his son at night to ask, "Do you think I should divorce your mummy?" There is uncertainty if the relationship was anything more than platonic: a number of people, including Spike Milligan, consider it an affair, while others, including Graham Stark, think it remained only
1768-461: A lot. A lot. I suppose I feel mainly I need the help of a woman. I'm continually searching for this woman. They mother you, they're great in bed, they're like a sister, they're there when you want to see them, they're not there when you don't. I don't know where they are. Maybe they're around somewhere. I'll find one, one of these days." —Sellers on his need for women. Towards the end of filming, in early February 1964, Sellers met Britt Ekland ,
1872-605: A love triangle. Because of Sellers' poor health, producer Charles K. Feldman insured him at a cost of $ 360,000 ($ 3,500,000 in 2023 dollars). On 20 January 1965, Sellers and Ekland announced the birth of a daughter, Victoria . They moved to Rome in May to film After the Fox , an Anglo-Italian production in which they were both to appear. The film was directed by Vittorio De Sica , whose English Sellers struggled to understand. Sellers attempted to have De Sica fired, causing tensions on
1976-493: A make-up artist cover the marks. During his next film, The Bobo , which again co-starred Ekland, the couple's marital problems worsened. Three weeks into production in Italy, Sellers told director Robert Parrish to fire his wife, saying "I'm not coming back after lunch if that bitch is on the set". Ekland later stated that the marriage was "an atrocious sham" at this stage. In the midst of filming The Bobo , Sellers' mother had
2080-581: A member of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), which provided entertainment for British forces and factory workers during the war. Sellers also performed comedy routines at these concerts, including impersonations of George Formby , with Sellers accompanying his own singing on ukulele. In September 1943, he joined the Royal Air Force , although it is unclear whether he volunteered or
2184-596: A pair of comic villains in George Pal 's Tom Thumb (1958), a musical fantasy film, opposite Russ Tamblyn , Jessie Matthews and Peter Butterworth . Terry-Thomas later said that "my part was perfect, but Peter's was bloody awful. He wasn't difficult about it, but he knew it". The performance was a landmark in Sellers' career and became his first contact with the Hollywood film industry. Sellers released his first studio album in 1958 called The Best of Sellers ;
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#17327796637492288-659: A premise that's funny but fragile." Variety called it "an unusually fine film" that "represents Peter Sellers' most smashing work since the mid-1960s." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a gentle, exquisitely funny film," adding that "Sellers hasn't been so terrific—or had such terrific material—in years." Vincent Misiano reviewed Being There in Ares Magazine and commented that "the film's humor never flags and yet its delicately bitter irony
2392-417: A result. On the night of 5 April 1964, prior to having sex with Ekland, Sellers inhaled amyl nitrite ( poppers ) as a sexual stimulant in his search for "the ultimate orgasm ", and suffered a series of eight heart attacks over the course of three hours as a result. His illness forced him to withdraw from the filming of Kiss Me, Stupid and he was replaced by Ray Walston . Wilder was unsympathetic about
2496-630: A retired British army general in John Guillermin 's Waltz of the Toreadors , based on the play of the same name . The film was widely criticised for its slapstick cinematic adaption, and director Guillermin himself considered the film "amateurish". However, Sellers won the San Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best Actor and a BAFTA award nomination for his performance, and it
2600-526: A straight villain part. In 1961, Sellers made his directorial debut with Mr. Topaze , in which he also starred. The film was based on the Marcel Pagnol play Topaze . Sellers portrayed an ex-schoolmaster in a small French town who turns to a life of crime to obtain wealth. The film and Sellers' directorial abilities received unenthusiastic responses from the public and critics, and Sellers rarely referred to it again. The same year, he starred in
2704-402: A strong friendship. Sellers' wife at the time, Anne, afterwards commented, "I don't know to this day whether he had an affair with her. Nobody does." Roger Lewis observed that Sellers immersed himself completely in the characters he enacted during productions, that "He'd play a role as an Indian doctor, and for the next six months, he'd be an Indian in his real [daily] life." The film inspired
2808-612: A strong influence on a number of later comedians. Sellers was nominated three times for an Academy Award , twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor , for his performances in Dr. Strangelove and Being There , and once for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in I'm All Right Jack and
2912-487: A television star with a talent for disguises in Mario Zampi 's offbeat black comedy The Naked Truth , opposite Terry-Thomas , Peggy Mount , Shirley Eaton and Dennis Price . Sellers' difficulties in getting his film career to take off and increasing problems in his personal life prompted him to seek periodic consultations with astrologer Maurice Woodruff , who held considerable sway over his later career. After
3016-547: A trial tape entitled The Goons , and sent it to the BBC producer Pat Dixon, who eventually accepted it. The first Goon Show was broadcast on 28 May 1951. Against their wishes, they appeared under the name Crazy People . Sellers appeared until the last programme of the ten-series run, broadcast on 28 January 1960. Sellers played four main characters— Major Bloodnok , Hercules Grytpype-Thynne , Bluebottle and Henry Crun —and seventeen minor ones. Starting with 370,000 listeners,
3120-499: A wealthy old man's townhouse in Washington, D.C., along with the man's African-American maid Louise, who is kind to Chance. He has spent his whole life tending the garden and never left the property. Other than gardening, his knowledge is derived entirely from television. When the old man dies, his estate lawyers order Chance out. He wanders aimlessly, discovering the outside world for the first time. An African-American youth points
3224-487: Is also a confidant and advisor to the President of the United States, whom he introduces to Chauncey. In a discussion about the economy, Chance takes his cue from the words "stimulate growth" and talks about the changing seasons of the garden. The President misinterprets this as optimistic political advice and quotes "Chauncey Gardiner" in a speech. Chance now rises to national prominence, attends important events, develops
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3328-463: Is making him in his final days. The dying Ben encourages Eve to become close to "Chauncey". She is already attracted to him and makes a sexual advance. Chance has no interest in or knowledge of sex, but mimics a kissing scene from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair , which happens to be on TV. When the scene ends, Chance stops suddenly and Eve is confused. She asks what he likes, meaning sexually; he replies "I like to watch," meaning television. She
3432-481: Is momentarily taken aback, but masturbates for his voyeuristic pleasure, not noticing he has turned back to the TV and is imitating Lilias, Yoga and You on another channel. Chance is present at Ben's death and shows genuine sadness. Questioned by Allenby, he admits that he "loves Eve very much" and also that he is just a gardener. When he leaves to inform Eve of Ben's death, Allenby says to himself, "I understand." While
3536-475: Is never far away. It satirizes politics and politicians, business and businessmen, and, finally, all the rest of us and what we imagine we see when we look at one another." In 2006 Roger Ebert mentioned the reaction of his students to the final scene (which is unique to the film, not appearing in the book), stating that they once suggested that Chance may be walking on a submerged pier. But, Ebert writes, "The movie presents us with an image, and while you may discuss
3640-680: Is regarded as being on par with that of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton , according to biographer Peter Evans. Although the Clouseau character was in the script, Sellers created the personality, devising the costume, accent, make-up, moustache and trench coat. The Pink Panther was released in the UK in January 1964 and received a mixed reception from the critics, although Penelope Gilliatt , writing in The Observer , remarked that Sellers had
3744-464: The Pink Panther series (1963–1978). Sellers' versatility enabled him to portray a wide range of comic characters using different accents and guises, and he would often assume multiple roles within the same film, frequently with contrasting temperaments and styles. Satire and black humour were major features of many of his films, as they had been in his radio and record performances, and they had
3848-786: The 18th British Academy Film Awards . In 1963, Stanley Kubrick cast Sellers to appear in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb alongside George C. Scott , Sterling Hayden , Keenan Wynn and Slim Pickens . Sellers and Kubrick got along famously during the film's production and had the greatest of respect for each other, also sharing a love of photography. The director asked Sellers to play four roles: US President Merkin Muffley, Dr. Strangelove, US Air Force Major T. J. "King" Kong, and Group Captain Lionel Mandrake of
3952-808: The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Sellers was nominated for Best Actor. The screenplay won the British Academy Film Award for Best Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected Being There for preservation in the National Film Registry , finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Middle-aged, simple-minded Chance lives in
4056-636: The Boulting brothers described Sellers as "the greatest comic genius this country has produced since Charles Chaplin ". Sellers was born on 8 September 1925 in Southsea , a suburb of Portsmouth . His parents were Yorkshire -born William "Bill" Sellers and Agnes Doreen "Peg" (née Marks). Both were variety entertainers; Peg was in the Ray Sisters troupe. Although he was christened Richard Henry, his parents called him Peter, after his elder brother, who
4160-549: The Kings Theatre, Southsea , when he was two weeks old. He began accompanying his parents in a variety act that toured the provincial theatres. He first worked as a drummer and toured around England as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). He developed his mimicry and improvisational skills during a spell in Ralph Reader 's wartime Gang Show entertainment troupe, which toured Britain and
4264-495: The Pink Panther series. Film critic Roger Ebert awarded a full grade of four out of four stars in his original print review. Gene Siskel also gave the film a perfect grade of four stars, calling it "one of those rare films, a work of such electric comedy that you are more likely to watch it in amazement than to break down and laugh." Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "a stately, beautifully acted satire with
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4368-613: The Sidney Gilliat -directed Only Two Can Play , a film based on the novel That Uncertain Feeling by Kingsley Amis . He was nominated for the Best British Actor award at the 16th British Academy Film Awards for his role as John Lewis, a frustrated Welsh librarian whose affections swing between the glamorous Liz ( Mai Zetterling ) and his long-suffering wife Jean ( Virginia Maskell ). In 1962, Sellers played
4472-765: The Sivananda Yoga masters Swami Vishnudevananda and Swami Satchidananda . She joined the Connecticut ashram of the Divine Life Society led by Swami Chidananda . In the 1980s she met Swami Muktananda , creator of Siddha Yoga , who told her to teach meditation . Through her show she became known to Americans as the "First Lady of Yoga". She is married with two sons and seven grandchildren. WCET premiered Lilias! Yoga Gets Better With Age in March 2006, highlighting Folan's career and exploring
4576-571: The 32-year-old actor as a 68-year-old projectionist in Basil Dearden 's The Smallest Show on Earth , supporting Bill Travers , Virginia McKenna and Margaret Rutherford . The film was a commercial success and is now thought of as a minor classic of post-war British screen comedy. Following this, Sellers provided the growling voice of Winston Churchill to the BAFTA award-winning film The Man Who Never Was . Later in 1957 Sellers portrayed
4680-563: The Dark , an adaptation of a French play, L'Idiote by Marcel Achard . Sellers found the part and the director, Anatole Litvak , uninspiring; the producers brought in Blake Edwards to replace Litvak. Together with writer William Peter Blatty , they turned the script into a Clouseau comedy, also adding Herbert Lom as Commissioner Dreyfus and Burt Kwouk as Cato . During filming, Sellers' relationship with Edwards became strained;
4784-515: The Far East. After the war, Sellers made his radio debut in ShowTime , and eventually became a regular performer on various BBC Radio shows. During the early 1950s, Sellers, along with Spike Milligan , Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine , took part in the successful radio series The Goon Show , which ended in 1960. Sellers began his film career during the 1950s. Although the bulk of his work
4888-771: The George Martin-produced novelty hit single " Goodness Gracious Me ", with Sellers and Loren, which reached number four in the UK Singles Chart in November 1960. A follow-up single by the duo, "Bangers and Mash", reached number 22 in the UK chart. The songs were included on an album released by the couple, Peter & Sophia , which reached number five in the UK Albums Chart. That year he also appeared in Never Let Go (1960) playing
4992-577: The Oscar. As of 2023 the film holds a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The critical consensus calls it "smart, sophisticated, and refreshingly subtle." In 2003, The New York Times placed the film on its Best 1000 Movies Ever list. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in: A 30th Anniversary Edition was released on DVD and Blu-ray in February 2009. The Criterion Collection issued
5096-441: The President delivers a speech at Ben's funeral, the pallbearers hold a whispered discussion over potential replacements for the President in the next presidential term, and unanimously agree on "Chauncey" as successor. Oblivious, Chance wanders off through Ben's wintry estate. He straightens out a pine sapling flattened by a fallen branch, then walks across the surface of a lake without sinking. He pauses, dips his umbrella deep into
5200-482: The RAF. Sellers was initially hesitant about taking on these divergent characters, but Kubrick prevailed. According to some accounts, Sellers was also invited to play the part of General Buck Turgidson, but turned it down because it was too physically demanding. Kubrick later commented that the idea of having Sellers in so many of the film's key roles was that "everywhere you turn there is some version of Peter Sellers holding
5304-461: The United States. The film received high praise from critics. After completing I'm All Right Jack , Sellers returned to record a new series of The Goon Show . Over the course of two weekends, he took his 16mm cine-camera to Totteridge Lane in London and filmed himself, Spike Milligan, Mario Fabrizi , Leo McKern and Richard Lester . Originally intended as a private film, the eleven-minute short film The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
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#17327796637495408-551: The comedy series Third Division , which starred, among others, Harry Secombe , Michael Bentine and Sellers. One evening, Sellers and Bentine visited the Hackney Empire , where Secombe was performing, and Bentine introduced Sellers to Spike Milligan. The four would meet up at Grafton's public house near Victoria, owned by Jimmy Grafton , who was also a BBC script writer. The four comedians dubbed him KOGVOS (Keeper of Goons and Voice of Sanity) Grafton later edited some of
5512-477: The critic from The Guardian thought his portrayal of the RAF officer alone was, "worth the price of an admission ticket". For his performance in all three roles, Sellers was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor at the 37th Academy Awards , and the Best British Actor award at the 18th British Academy Film Awards. Between November 1963 and February 1964, Sellers began filming A Shot in
5616-430: The crowd sang " For He's a Jolly Good Fellow ", which caused the infant to cry. The family constantly toured, causing much upheaval and unhappiness in the young Sellers' life. Sellers maintained a very close relationship with his mother, which his friend Spike Milligan later considered unhealthy for a grown man. Sellers' agent, Dennis Selinger, recalled his first meeting with Peg and Peter Sellers, noting that "Sellers
5720-508: The duration of his stay in Asia is unknown, and Sellers may have exaggerated its length. He also served in Germany and France after the war. According to David Lodge , who became friends with Sellers, he was "one of the best performers ever" on the drums and developed a fine ability to impersonate military officers during this period. In 1946, Sellers made his final show with ENSA starring in
5824-534: The earliest film to showcase Sellers' ability to portray a series of different characters within the same film, and he made another appearance opposite his Goons co-stars in the 1952 flop, Down Among the Z Men . In 1954, Sellers was cast opposite Sid James , Tony Hancock , Raymond Huntley , Donald Pleasence and Eric Sykes in the British Lion Film Corporation comedy production, Orders Are Orders . John Grierson believes that this
5928-556: The end of 1962, Sellers appeared in The Dock Brief , a legal satire directed by James Hill and co-starring Richard Attenborough . Sellers' behaviour towards his family worsened in 1962; according to his son Michael, Sellers asked him and his sister Sarah "who we love more, our mother or him. Sarah, to keep the peace, said, 'I love you both equally'. I said, 'No, I love my mum.'" This prompted Sellers to throw both children out, saying that he never wanted to see them again. At
6032-612: The end of 1962, his marriage to Anne broke down. In 1963, Sellers starred as gang leader "Pearly Gates" in Cliff Owen 's The Wrong Arm of the Law , followed by his portrayal of a vicar in Heavens Above! "I'll play Clouseau with great dignity, because he thinks of himself as one of the world's best detectives. Even when he comes a cropper, he must pick himself up with that notion intact. The original script makes him out to be
6136-406: The entertainment field, even suggesting that his son's talents were only enough to become a road sweeper, while Sellers' mother encouraged him continuously. While at St Aloysius College, Sellers began to develop his improvisational skills. He and his closest friend at the time, Bryan Connon, both enjoyed listening to early radio comedy shows. Connon remembers that "Peter got endless pleasure imitating
6240-618: The family moved to the north Devon town of Ilfracombe , where Sellers' maternal uncle managed the Victoria Palace Theatre; Sellers got his first job at the theatre, aged fifteen, starting as a caretaker. He was steadily promoted, becoming a box office clerk, usher, assistant stage manager and lighting operator. He was also offered some small acting parts. Working backstage gave him a chance to study actors such as Paul Scofield . He became close friends with Derek Altman, and together they launched Sellers' first stage act under
6344-415: The fate of the world in his hands". Sellers was especially anxious about believably portraying Kong; he was unsure of his ability to speak in a Texan accent . Kubrick requested screenwriter Terry Southern to record in his natural accent a tape of Kong's lines. After practising with Southern's recording, Sellers got sufficient control of the accent, and started shooting the scenes in the aeroplane. After
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#17327796637496448-581: The film on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2017. Peter Sellers Peter Sellers CBE (born Richard Henry Sellers ; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show . Sellers featured on a number of hit comic songs, and became known to a worldwide audience through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series. Born in Southsea , Sellers made his stage debut at
6552-492: The film's enigmatic final scene. Melvyn Douglas's granddaughter, Illeana Douglas , visited the set and met Peter Sellers, who is her favorite actor. She has since credited the film for inspiring her to pursue a career in acting. According to Illeana, Sellers and Douglas had known each other since the 1940s, when they first met in the Burma campaign (1944–1945) during World War II. They often reminisced about their war days while on
6656-527: The film's lead, Terry-Thomas. Before the release of that film, the Boultings, along with Sellers and Thomas in the cast, started filming I'm All Right Jack , which became the highest-grossing film at the British box office in 1960. In preparation for his role as Fred Kite, Sellers watched footage of union officials. The role earned him a BAFTA , and the critic for The Manchester Guardian believed it
6760-521: The film. Edwards later recalled his feelings as "desperately unhappy and ready to kill, but as fate would have it, I got Mr. Sellers instead of Mr. Ustinov—thank God!" Sellers accepted a fee of £90,000 (£900,000 in 2023 pounds) for five weeks' work on location in Rome and Cortina. The film starred David Niven in the principal role, with two other actors— Capucine and Claudia Cardinale —having more prominent roles than Sellers. However, Sellers' performance
6864-515: The first Goon Shows . In 1949, Sellers started to date Anne Howe, an Australian actress who lived in London. He proposed to her in April 1950 and the couple were married in London on 15 September 1951; their son, Michael , was born on 2 April 1954, and their daughter, Sarah, followed in 1958. Sellers' introduction to film work came in 1950, where he dubbed the voice of Alfonso Bedoya in The Black Rose . He continued to work with Bentine, Milligan, and Secombe. On 3 February 1951, they made
6968-416: The first day's shooting, Sellers sprained his ankle while leaving a restaurant and could no longer work in the cramped cockpit set. Kubrick then re-cast Slim Pickens as Kong. The three roles Sellers undertook were distinct, "variegated, complex and refined", and critic Alexander Walker considered that these roles "showed his genius at full stretch". Sellers played Muffley as a bland, placid intellectual in
7072-602: The gardener" as "Chauncey Gardiner". Eve brings Chance to their palatial estate to be seen by Dr. Allenby, who is resident there caring for Ben, who is slowly dying from a blood disease . After checking Chauncey out, the doctor invites him to stay to keep an eye on him. Chauncey's manners are old-fashioned and courtly, and he wears expensively-tailored but outmoded 1930s clothes he took from his former employer's attic. When Ben meets him he takes "Chauncey" for an upper-class, highly-educated businessman fallen on hard times. Ben admires him, finding him direct, wise and insightful. Ben
7176-510: The heart attacks, saying that "you have to have a heart before you can have an attack". After some time recovering, Sellers returned to filming in October 1964, playing King of the Individualists alongside Ekland in A Carol for Another Christmas , a feature-length United Nations special broadcast in the United States on the ABC channel on 28 December 1964. Sellers had been concerned that his heart attacks might have caused brain damage and that he would be unable to remember his lines, but he
7280-514: The impact yoga has on the mind, body and spirit. Folan has published four books: Lilias, Yoga and You (1972), Lilias, Yoga and Your Life (1981), Lilias! Yoga Gets Better With Age (2005), and Lilias! Yoga: Your Guide to Enhancing Body, Mind, and Spirit in Midlife and Beyond (November 1, 2011) Several VHS and DVD recordings of her yoga routines have been released, plus an audio-only book, Lilias Yoga Complete (1987), and one meditation CD, The Inner Smile (1998). The music playing during
7384-407: The management to reinstate him. Sellers also continued his drumming and was billed on his appearance at The Hippodrome in Aldershot as "Britain's answer to Gene Krupa ". In March 1948 Sellers gained a six-week run at the Windmill Theatre in London, which predominantly staged revue acts: he provided the comedy turns in between the nude shows on offer. Sellers wrote to the BBC in 1948, and
7488-427: The meaning of the image, it is not permitted to devise explanations for it. Since Ashby does not show a pier, there is no pier—a movie is exactly what it shows us, and nothing more." The credits at the film's end roll over an outtake known as the "Rafael outtake." Sellers was displeased that the outtake ran because he believed that it took away from Chauncey's mystique. He also believed that it prevented him from winning
7592-428: The mould of Adlai Stevenson ; he played Mandrake as an unflappable Englishman; and Dr. Strangelove, a character influenced by pre-war German cinema, as a wheelchair-using fanatic. The critic for The Times wrote that the film includes, "three remarkable performances from Mr. Peter Sellers, masterly as the President, diverting as a revue-sketch ex-Nazi US Scientist ... and acceptable as an RAF officer," although
7696-409: The name "Altman and Sellers", consisting of playing ukuleles , singing, and telling jokes. During his backstage theatre job, Sellers began practising on a set of drums that belonged to the band Joe Daniels and his Hot Shots. Daniels noticed his efforts and gave him practical instructions. The instrument greatly suited Sellers' temperament and artistic skills. Spike Milligan later noted that Sellers
7800-475: The opening fanfare from Also Sprach Zarathustra and " Basketball Jones " by Cheech and Chong. These pieces respectively accompany the title credits and Chance's first arrival to the Biltmore Estate. Mandel was also assisted by his cousin and fellow composer Miles Goodman with the orchestration of the film. The film opened to positive reviews and gave Sellers a hit after many failed films outside of
7904-707: The pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris. He was posted back to England shortly afterwards to work at the Air Ministry , and demobilised later that year. On resuming his theatrical career, Sellers could get only sporadic work. He was dismissed after one performance of a comedy routine in Peterborough ; the headline act, Welsh vocalist Dorothy Squires , however, persuaded
8008-437: The part of a flamboyant American television playwright who was, according to Sellers, "a fantastic nightmare, part homosexual, part drug addict, part sadist". Kubrick encouraged Sellers to improvise and stated that he often reached a "state of comic ecstasy". Kubrick had American jazz producer Norman Granz record portions of the script for Sellers to listen to, so he could study the voice and develop confidence, granting Sellers
8112-590: The people in Monday Night at Eight . He had a gift for improvising dialogue. Sketches, too. I'd be the 'straight man', the 'feed', ... I'd cue Peter and he'd do all the radio personalities and chuck in a few voices of his own invention as well." With the outbreak of the Second World War , St. Aloysius College was evacuated to Cambridgeshire . Because his mother did not allow Sellers to go, his formal education ended at fourteen. Early in 1940,
8216-414: The roles that he played. His behaviour was often erratic and compulsive, and he frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars, especially in the mid-1970s, when his physical and mental health, together with his alcohol and drug problems, were at their worst. Sellers was married four times and had three children from his first two marriages. He died from a heart attack, aged 54, in 1980. English filmmakers
8320-460: The set. Sellers also became unhappy with his wife's performance, straining their relationship and triggering open arguments during one of which Sellers threw a chair at Ekland. Despite these conflicts, the script was praised for its wit. Following the commercial success of What's New Pussycat? , Charles Feldman again brought together Sellers and Woody Allen for his next project, Casino Royale , which also starred Orson Welles ; Sellers signed
8424-547: The set. The making of the film is portrayed in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers , a biographical film of Sellers' life. Incidental music is used very sparingly. What little original music is used was composed by Johnny Mandel , and primarily features two recurrent piano themes based on " Gnossiennes " No. 4 and No. 5 by Erik Satie . The other major pieces of music used are the Eumir Deodato jazz/funk arrangement of
8528-580: The show eventually reached up to seven million people in Britain, and was described by one newspaper as "probably the most influential comedy show of all time". For Sellers, the BBC considers it had the effect of launching his career "on the road to stardom". In 1951 the Goons made their feature film debut in Penny Points to Paradise . Sellers and Milligan then penned the script to Let's Go Crazy ,
8632-488: The show. Though Chance has now risen to the pinnacle of Washington society, the Secret Service and 16 foreign agencies are unable to find any background information on him. Meanwhile, Allenby becomes increasingly suspicious that Chance is not a wise political expert and that his mysterious identity may have a more mundane explanation. Allenby considers telling Ben, but remains silent when he realizes how happy Chance
8736-434: The two would often stop speaking to each other during filming, communicating only by the passing of notes. Sellers' personality was described by others as difficult and demanding, and he often clashed with fellow actors and directors. Upon its release in late June 1964, Bosley Crowther noted the "joyously free and facile way" in which Sellers had developed his comedy technique. "I feel extremely vulnerable, and I need help
8840-606: The water to the right of his path, then continues on, while the President is heard quoting Ben: "Life is a state of mind." Burt Lancaster was Ashby's first choice for the role of Ben Rand. Laurence Olivier was also considered for the role, but turned it down because of the masturbation scene. Principal filming occurred at the Biltmore Estate , the largest private home in the United States, located in Asheville, North Carolina . According to MacLaine, "(Peter) believed he
8944-601: Was The Battle of the Sexes , a comedy directed by Charles Crichton . In 1960, Sellers portrayed an Indian doctor, Dr Ahmed el Kabir, in Anthony Asquith 's romantic comedy The Millionairess , a film based on a George Bernard Shaw play of the same name . Sellers was not interested in the role until he learned that Sophia Loren would be his co-star. When asked about Loren, he explained to reporters, "I don't normally act with romantic, glamorous women ... She's
9048-470: Was stillborn . Sellers had no other siblings. Peg Sellers was related to the pugilist Daniel Mendoza (1764–1836), whom Sellers greatly revered and whose engraving later hung in his office. At one time Sellers planned to use Mendoza's image for his production company's logo. Sellers was two weeks old when he was carried on stage by Dick Henderson , the headline act at the Kings Theatre in Southsea:
9152-431: Was Chauncey. He never had lunch with me ... He was Chauncey Gardiner the whole shoot, but believing he was having a love affair with me." The original ending as written in the script was filmed; it shows Eve finding Chance by the lake, they declare they have found each other, and both walk back together. However, Ashby was unhappy with this ending so he had a platform submerged in the lake for Sellers to walk on, creating
9256-474: Was Sellers' best screen performance to date. In between Carlton-Browne of the F.O. and I'm All Right Jack , Sellers starred in The Mouse That Roared , a film in which Jean Seberg also appeared, and was directed by Jack Arnold . He played three distinct leading roles: the elderly Grand Duchess, the ambitious Prime Minister and the innocent and clumsy farm boy selected to lead an invasion of
9360-428: Was Sellers' breakthrough role on screen and credits this film with launching the film careers of both Sellers and Hancock. "The first real film I made was The Ladykillers . I used to watch Alec Guinness, who is an absolute idol of mine, do everything, his rehearsals, his scenes, everything. He is my ideal... and my idol." —Sellers on studying Sir Alec Guinness during filming The Ladykillers . Sellers pursued
9464-577: Was a success in both the UK and the US, and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . The following year Sellers appeared in a further three television series based on The Goons : The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d ; A Show Called Fred ; and Son of Fred . The shows aired on Britain's new ITV channel. In 1957 film producer Michael Relph , impressed with Sellers' portrayal of an elderly character in Idiot Weekly , cast
9568-493: Was according to the Church of England , his mother was Jewish, "and Jews take the faith of their mother ." According to Milligan, Sellers held a guilt complex about being Jewish and recalls that Sellers was once reduced to tears when he presented him with a candlestick from a synagogue for Christmas, believing the gesture to be an anti-Jewish slur. Sellers became a top student at the school, excelling in drawing in particular. He
9672-615: Was an immensely shy young man, inclined to be dominated by his mother, but without resentment or objection". As an only child, he spent much time alone. In 1935 the Sellers family moved to North London and settled in Muswell Hill . Although Bill Sellers was Protestant and Peg was Jewish , Sellers attended the nearby Roman Catholic school St Aloysius' College in Highgate , run by the Brothers of Our Lady of Mercy . The family
9776-412: Was comedic, often parodying characters of authority such as military officers or policemen, he also performed in other film genres and roles. Films demonstrating his artistic range include I'm All Right Jack (1959), Stanley Kubrick 's Lolita (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Party (1968), Being There (1979) and five films of
9880-556: Was complete. A further agent's part was then written for Terence Cooper , to cover Sellers' departure. Shortly after leaving Casino Royale , Sellers was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in honour of his career achievements. The day before the investiture at Buckingham Palace , Sellers and Ekland argued, with Ekland scratching his face in the process; Sellers had
9984-451: Was conscripted; his mother unsuccessfully tried to have him deferred on medical grounds. Sellers wanted to become a pilot, but his poor eyesight restricted him to ground staff duties. He found these duties dull, so auditioned for Squadron Leader Ralph Reader 's RAF Gang Show entertainment troupe: Reader accepted him and Sellers toured the UK before the troupe was transferred to India. His tour also included Ceylon and Burma , although
10088-607: Was nominated an additional three times for the previous two films and the satire Only Two Can Play . In 1980 he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role in Being There , having previously been nominated three times in the same category. Turner Classic Movies calls Sellers "one of the most accomplished comic actors of the late 20th century". In his personal life, Sellers struggled with depression and insecurities. An enigmatic figure, he often claimed to have no identity outside
10192-442: Was not rich, but Peg insisted on an expensive private schooling for her son. According to biographer Peter Evans , Sellers was fascinated, puzzled, and worried by religion from a young age, particularly Catholicism; Roger Lewis believed that soon after entering Catholic school, Sellers "discovered he was a Jew—he was someone on the outside of the mysteries of faith". Later in his life, Sellers observed that while his father's faith
10296-476: Was prone to laziness, but his natural talents shielded him from criticism by his teachers. Sellers recalled that a teacher scolded the other boys for not studying, saying: "The Jewish boy knows his catechism better than the rest of you!" Accompanying his family on the variety show circuit, Sellers learned stagecraft , but received conflicting encouragement from his parents and developed mixed feelings about show business. His father doubted Sellers' abilities in
10400-502: Was reassured that his memory and abilities were unimpaired after the experience of filming. Sellers followed this with the role of the perverted Austrian psychoanalyst Doctor Fritz Fassbender in Clive Donner 's What's New Pussycat? , appearing alongside Peter O'Toole , Romy Schneider , Capucine, Paula Prentiss and Ursula Andress . The film was the first screenwriting and acting credit for Woody Allen , and featured Sellers in
10504-402: Was screened at the 1959 Edinburgh and San Francisco film festivals. It won the award for best fiction short in the latter festival, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Subject (Live Action) . In 1959 Sellers released his second album, Songs for Swingin' Sellers , which—like his first record—reached number three in the UK Albums Chart. Sellers' last film of the fifties
10608-460: Was subsequently auditioned. As a result, he made his television debut on 18 March 1948 in New To You . His act, largely based on impressions, was well received, and he returned the following week. Frustrated with the slow pace of his career, Sellers telephoned BBC radio producer Roy Speer, pretending to be Kenneth Horne , star of the radio show Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh . Speer called Sellers
10712-407: Was very proficient on the drums and might have remained a jazz drummer, had he lacked his skills in mimicry and improvisation. As the war progressed, Sellers continued to develop his drumming skills, and played with a series of touring bands, including those of Oscar Rabin , Henry Hall and Waldini , as well as his father's quartet, before he left and joined a band from Blackpool . Sellers became
10816-502: Was well received by the critics. Stanley Kubrick asked Sellers to play the role of Clare Quilty in the 1962 film Lolita , opposite James Mason and Shelley Winters . Kubrick had seen Sellers in The Battle of the Sexes and listened to the album The Best of Sellers , and was impressed by the range of characters he could portray. Sellers was apprehensive about accepting the role, doubting his ability to successfully portray
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