1960, Film and Television Awards: British Academy Awards (BAFTAs)

Best Film From Any Source
Winner: Ben-Hur (USA, William Wyler)

Ben-Hur Podter

Nominees:

• Anatomy of a Murder (USA, Otto Preminger)
• Ansiktet (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
• The Big Country (USA, William Wyler)
• Compulsion (USA, Richard Fleischer)
• Gigi (USA, Vincente Minnelli)
• Look Back in Anger (UK, Tony Richardson)
• North West Frontier (UK, J. Lee Thompson)
• The Nun's Story (USA, Fred Zinnemann)
• Sapphire (UK, Basil Dearden)
• Some Like It Hot (USA, Billy Wilder)
• Tiger Bay (UK, J. Lee Thompson) 
• Yesterday's Enemy (UK, Val Guest)
• Maigret tend un piège (France / Italy, Jean Delannoy)
• Popiół i diament (Poland, Andrzej Wajda)

Best British Film
Winner: Sapphire (Basil Dearden)

Sapphire Poster

Nominees:

• Look Back in Anger (Tony Richardson)
• North West Frontier (J. Lee Thompson)
• Tiger Bay (J. Lee Thompson)
• Yesterday's Enemy (Val Guest)

Best Foreign Actor
Winner: Jack Lemmon as Jerry / Daphne in Some Like It Hot

Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk and Jack Lemmon as Daphne

Nominees:

• James Stewart as Paul Biegler in Anatomy of a Murder
• Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe in Ikiru
• Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek Chelmicki in Popiół i diament
• Jean Gabin as Jules Maigret in Maigret tend un piège
• Jean Desailly as Marcel Maurin in Maigret tend un piège

Best British Actor
Winner: Peter Sellers as Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway in I'm All Right Jack

Peter Sellers as Fred Kite

Nominees:

• Laurence Olivier as General John Burgoyne in The Devil's Disciple
• Laurence Harvey as Johnny Jackson in Expresso Bongo
• Richard Burton as Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger
• Peter Finch as Dr. Fortunati in The Nun's Story
• Stanley Baker as Captain Alan Langford in Yesterday's Enemy
• Gordon Jackson as Sergeant MacKenzie in Yesterday's Enemy

Best Foreign Actress
Winner: Shirley MacLaine as Meg Wheeler in Ask Any Girl

Shirley MacLaine as Meg Wheeler

Nominees:

• Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame
• Susan Hayward as Barbara Graham in I Want to Live!
• Ava Gardner Moira Davidson in On The Beach
• Ellie Lambeti as Chloe Pella in A Matter of Dignity

Best British Actress
Winner: Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke in The Nun's Story

Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke

Nominees:

• Kay Walsh as Miss D. Coker in The Horse's Mouth
• Sylvia Syms as Hetty in No Trees in the Street
• Peggy Ashcroft as Mother Mathilde in The Nun's Story
• Yvonne Mitchell as Mildred Farr in Sapphire

Best British Screenplay
Winner: Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney with I'm All Right Jack

I'm All Right Jack Poster

Nominees:

• Ben Barzman and Millard Lampell: Chance Meeting
• Wolf Mankowitz: Expresso Bongo
• Alec Guinness: The Horse's Mouth
• Nigel Kneale: Look Back in Anger
• Ted Willis: No Trees in the Street
• Robin Estridge: North West Frontier
• Janet Green: Sapphire
• John Hawkesworth and Shelley Smith: Tiger Bay

Most Promising Newcomer To Leading Film Roles
Winner: Hayley Mills as Gillie Evans in Tiger Bay

Nominees:

• Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver in Anatomy of a Murder
• Liz Fraser as Cynthia Kite in I'm All Right Jack
• Gerry Duggan as Pat Fulton in Four Desperate Men

1974, Film: Soft Beds, Hard Battles

The British film comedy "Soft Beds, Hard Battles" premiered in January 1974. The film was directed by Roy Boulting, starring Peter Sellers (in six roles), Curd Jürgens, Lila Kedrova and Béatrice Romand. The film score was composed by Neil Rhoden.

"Soft Beds, Hard Battles" poster

Synopsis
During the German occupation of France, the story follows Major Robinson (Peter Sellers) of the British Army. Stationed in a Parisian brothel, he aids the French Resistance, working alongside Madame Grenier (Lila Kedrova) and her girls. Together, they eliminate high-ranking German officers right under the noses of the Gestapo…

Peter Sellers as General Latour

Peter Sellers as Major Robinson

Peter Sellers as Herr Schroeder

Peter Sellers as Adolf Hitler

Peter Sellers as Prince Kyoto

Peter Sellers as President of France

Main cast

• Peter Sellers as General Latour/Major Robinson/Herr Schroeder/Adolf Hitler/President of France/Prince Kyoto/Narrator
• Lila Kedrova as Madame Grenier
• Curd Jürgens as General von Grotjahn
• Béatrice Romand as Marie-Claude
• Jenny Hanley as Michelle
• Gabriella Licudi as Simone
• Françoise Pascal as Madeleine
• Rex Stallings as Alan Cassidy
• Rula Lenska as Louise
• Daphne Lawson as Claudine
• Hylette Adolphe as Tom-tom
• Vernon Dobtcheff as Padre
• Doug Sheldon as Kapitan Kneff
• Thorley Walters as General Erhardt
• Timothy West as Chaplain
• Jean Charles Driant as Jean
• Philip Madoc as Field Marshal Weber
• Patricia Burke as Mother Superior
• Basil Dignam as Brigadier
• Nicholas Loukes as Schultz
• Stanley Lebor as 1st Gestapo agent
• Gertan Klauber as 2nd Gestapo agent
• Barry J. Gordon as 3rd Gestapo agent
• Joan Baxter as Vera Lynn
• Carolle Rousseau as Hélène
• Windsor Davies as Bisset

Béatrice Romand as Marie-Claude

Lila Kedrova as Madame Grenier

Curd Jürgens as General von Grotjahn

Trivia
Herr Otto Flick of the Gestapo in 'Allo 'Allo! was obviously based on Herr Schroeder played by Peter Sellers complete with the limp.

Trailer 

1976, Film: The Pink Panther Strikes Again

The American-British comedy film "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" was released on 15 December 1976 (United States) and 22 December 1976 (United Kingdom). The film, directed by Blake Edwards, was written by himself together with Frank Waldman. Main stars are Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Colin Blakely, Leonard Rossiter, Lesley-Anne Down, Burt Kwouk and André Maranne. The music was composed by Henry Mancini. "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" is the fifth film in The Pink Panther series, its plot picks up three years after "The Return of the Pink Panther".

"The Pink Panther Strikes Again" poster

Synopsis
After three years in a psychiatric hospital, former Chief Inspector of the Sûreté Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), has recovered from his obsession to kill Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) and is about to be released; Clouseau, who has since replaced Dreyfus as Chief Inspector, arrives unannounced to speak on behalf of his former boss, and within minutes drives Dreyfus insane again...

Herbert Lom as Former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus and
Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau

Main cast

• Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau
• Herbert Lom as Former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus
• Colin Blakely as Inspector Alec Drummond
• Leonard Rossiter as Superintendent Quinlan
• Lesley-Anne Down as Olga Bariosova
• Michael Robbins as Ainsley Jarvis
• Richard Vernon as Professor Hugo Fassbender
• Briony McRoberts as Margo Fassbender
• Burt Kwouk as Cato Fong
• André Maranne as François
• Vanda Godsell as Mrs. Leverlilly
• Tony Sympson as Mr. Shork
• Patsy Smart as Mrs. Japonica
• Norman Burton as Mr. Bullock
• Dudley Sutton as Inspector McLaren
• Dick Crockett as the President of the United States (Gerald Ford)
• Byron Kane as the US Secretary of State (Henry Kissinger)
• Paul Maxwell as CIA Director
• Gordon Rollings as Inmate
• John Clive as Chuck
• Damaris Hayman as Fiona
• Deep Roy as Diminutive Assassin

Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau and
Chrome the parrot

Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau and
Lesley-Anne Down as Olga Bariosova

Trivia

• Michael Robbins' singing as the female Ainsley Jarvis was dubbed by Julie Andrews.
• Lesley-Anne Down was cast as Olga by mistake. Blake Edwards meant to audition Nicola Pagett, but auditioned Lesley-Anne Down, both acted in “Upstairs, Downstairs” at the time.
• Omar Sharif appeared briefly and uncredited as the Egyptian assassin.
• Peter Sellers' stunt double, Joe Dunne, performed in all of the scenes that required any action, owing to Sellers' fragile heart condition.
• Cyd Child, who did the stunts for Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson in “The Avengers” (1966-1969), appeared with her parrot "Chrome". The bird originally belonged to Diana Rigg, but she didn't have enough time to spend with him, so she gave him to Cyd Child.
• Tom Jones sang the Oscar-nominated song "Come to Me".
• Blake Edwards made a cameo appearance in the background of the nightclub scene.

Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau in Quasimodo disguise

Peter Sellers as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau and
Michael Robbins as Ainsley Jarvis

Awards

• Evening Standard British Film Awards for Best Comedy: Blake Edwards
• Writers Guild of America Awards for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium: Frank Waldman and Blake Edwards

"The Pink Panther Strikes Again" Trailer

1963, Film: The Wrong Arm of the Law

The British comedy film "The Wrong Arm of the Law" was released at the Warner Theatre in London's West End on 14 March 1963. The film, directed by Cliff Owen, was partly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Main stars are Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. The music was composed by Richard Rodney Bennett.

"The Wrong Arm of the Law" Poster

Synopsis
A gang of criminals from Australia led by Jack Coombes (Bill Kerr) impersonate London policemen to do several robberies. The local gang leader "Pearly" Gates (Peter Sellers), operating as a French couturier blames his rival gangster "Nervous" O'Toole (Bernard Cribbins)...

Peter Sellers as "Pearly" Gates

Lionel Jeffries as Inspector Fred "Nosey" Parker

Nanette Newman as Valerie and Peter Sellers as "Pearly" Gates

Main cast

• Peter Sellers as "Pearly" Gates
• Lionel Jeffries as Inspector Fred "Nosey" Parker
• Bernard Cribbins as "Nervous" O'Toole
• Davy Kaye as Trainer King
• Nanette Newman as Valerie
• Bill Kerr as Jack Coombes
• Ed Devereaux as "Bluey" May
• Reg Lye as Reg Denton
• John Le Mesurier as Assistant Commissioner
• Graham Stark as Sid Cooper
• Martin Boddey as Superintendent J.S. Forest
• Irene Browne as Dowager
• Arthur Mullard as "Brassknuckles"
• Dermot Kelly as Misery Martin
• Vanda Godsell as Annette
• Tutte Lemkow as "Siggy" Schmoltz
• Barry Keegan as Mr. Pointer

Bernard Cribbins as "Nervous" O'Toole and Peter Sellers as "Pearly" Gates

Lionel Jeffries as Inspector Fred "Nosey" Parker and Graham Stark as Sid Cooper

Peter Sellers as "Pearly" Gates

Trivia

• The white Ferrari 250GTE in which Peter Sellers pulled up at the fairground was his own.
• Michael Caine has an uncredited bit part as a gangster.  

Trailer

1964, Film: “A Shot in the Dark”

The British-American coproduction "A Shot in the Dark" was released on 23 June 1964 in New York City. The comedy, based on Harry Kurnitz adaption from the 1961 French play "L'Idiote" by Marcel Achard, was directed by Blake Edwards. The main cast includes Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, George Sanders and Elke Sommer. The music was written by Henry Mancini.

"A Shot in the Dark" is the second film in The Pink Panther series after “The Pink Panther” from 1963. Peter Sellers plays the clumsy French Sûreté Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté. New in this film is Clouseau's exaggerated French accent, his boss Commissioner Dreyfus played by Herbert Lom and his loyal servant Cato played by Burt Kwouk.

Burt Kwouk as Kato and Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

Herbert Lom as Charles Dreyfus and Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

André Maranne as François, Herbert Lom as Charles Dreyfus and Reginald Beckwith

George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon and Tracy Reed as Dominique Ballon

Synopsis

When M. Ballon's (George Sanders) spanish driver, Miguel Ostos, is found shot dead, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is called to investigate the crime. All evidence points to Maria Gambrelli (Elke Sommer), the maid, to be the murderer. But Clouseau, being attracted to the beautiful girl, is convinced of her innocence...

George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon and Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau and Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy

Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli

Main cast

• Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau
• Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli
• George Sanders as Benjamin Ballon
• Herbert Lom as Charles Dreyfus
• Tracy Reed as Dominique Ballon
• Graham Stark as Hercule Lajoy
• Moira Redmond as Simone
• Vanda Godsell as Madame LaFarge
• Maurice Kaufmann as Pierre
• Ann Lynn as Dudu
• David Lodge as Georges
• André Maranne as François
• Martin Benson as Maurice
• Burt Kwouk as Kato

Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli, Burt Kwouk as Kato and Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli in the Radford Mini Cooper

Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli and Peter Sellers as Jacques Clouseau

Elke Sommer as Maria Gambrelli

Trivia

• The adaption by Harry Kurnitz did not include Clouseau, the whole screenplay was rewritten by Blake Edwards and William Peter Blatty.
• Maria Gambrelli was originally to be played by Sophia Loren, but she became ill. The second choice was Romy Schneider, but she had another commitment.
• The 1963 Morris Mini Cooper by Radford that Peter Sellers drives in the movie was his own car. The special Cooper Radford conversion costed more than a contemporary Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud.

Trailer "A Shot in the Dark" (1964)

1976, Film: “Murder by Death”

On 23 June 1976 the American mystery comedy film "Murder by Death" is released by Columbia Pictures. The film featured an impressive cast with amongst others Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Peter Sellers and Maggie Smith. It was written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore.

The film is a spoof of the traditional whodunit such as Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with the cast playing parodies of fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, and Sam Spade.

Alec Guinness

Peter Sellers

Truman Capote

Synopsis

The world's most famous detectives are invited to a "dinner and murder" by the wealthy Lionel Twain (Truman Capote). The invitees are: New York amateur detectives Dick (David Niven) and Dora Charleston (Maggie Smith), Belgian detective Milo Perrier (James Coco) accompanied by his chauffeur Marcel (James Cromwell), Chinese Inspector Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) accompanied by his Japanese adopted son Willie Wang (Richard Narita), British Miss Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) accompanied by her invalid nurse Miss Withers (Estelle Winwood) and San Francisco detective Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) accompanied by his sidekick Tess Skeffington (Eileen Brennan)...

Left to right: James Coco, James Cromwell, Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk, Richard Narita,
Estelle Winwood, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Sellers, David Niven and Maggie Smith

Eileen Brennan, David Niven and Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith, David Niven and Eileen Brennan

Main Cast

• Eileen Brennan as Tess Skeffington
• Truman Capote as Lionel Twain
• James Coco as Milo Perrier
• Peter Falk as Sam Diamond
• Alec Guinness as Bensonmum
• Elsa Lanchester as Jessica Marbles
• David Niven as Dick Charleston
• Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang
• Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston
• Nancy Walker as Yetta
• Estelle Winwood as Miss Withers
• James Cromwell as Marcel
• Richard Narita as Willie Wang

Left to right: Richard Narita, Eileen Brennan, James Cromwell, James Coco,
Elsa Lanchester, Estelle Winwood, Peter Falk, David Niven and Maggie Smith

Left to right: Maggie Smith, James Coco, David Niven,
Elsa Lanchester, Peter Falk and Estelle Winwood

"Murder by Death" Trailer