The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Originally, I had intended to read this like any other book. Instead, I have been going to the Index and flipping through this well-documentd tome about one of the great comedic minds of all time. This book is a terrific reference book, giving background to many performances by Peter Sellers. Any fan would realize that this is one volume that is a "must" for their libraries!

This biography is one of the most exhaustively researched and well written books about an actor that I have ever read. I've been a fan of Sellers for 30 years and have read every book I could find about the man, including the "authorised" (by Sellers' last wife, not Sellers himself) biography and 'P.S. I Love You' by Sellers son Michael, which was the best book about Peter Sellers I had read..until this one. A lot of people have taken issue with the fact that Lewis writes of Sellers as an "evil" man, but Lewis has interviewed many people who were close enough to Sellers to back up many of the authors claims about the actors erratic and sometimes downright mean and vindictive behaviour towards others. Lewis recognises and celebrates the actors extraordinary talents, but his primary goal is to peel back the layers of his public persona and show us the man as he was seen by those who were close to him. The Peter Sellers revealed in this book is a man who was obviously mentally ill, a man who clearly suffered from manic depression and crippling anxiety. Lewis writes of a man who physically and emotionally lashed at those in his personal and professional lives rather than reaching out for help and support.If you want to read a feelgood biography of Sellers, this is not the book for you. This is more like a cross between a biography and 'Hearts Of Darkness' as we accompany the writer through a journey where he uses every method at his disposal to locate the "real" Peter Sellers. It's a sometimes harrowing journey that is subjective by its nature, and it's not a trip to take if you want a typical showbiz biography. It's also worth noting that the original UK edition is even more hard hitting as it contains some material that has been excised from this US version (an interview with one of the Boulting brothers has been removed from this edition, for example). This book is being adapted as a HBO movie starring Geoffrey Rush as Sellers. It is currently filming and should be released late 2003/early 2004.

A horrifing account of what Peter Sellers was like in his private life. A 'blank' who found it hard to communicate with other people, and was probably very mentally ill. This book has been criticised from various quarters, but look at who Roger Lewis interviewed and then read all the other biographies of Sellers and you will still find an intensly lonely and hurtful (to himself and others) man.

From nearly all accounts (and Lewis talked to a lot of people), Peter Sellers had serious mental problems and treated many people monstrously. We get many stories, much detail, all of which paints a pretty strong picture. OK, fine. But author Roger Lewis climbs so far up on his high horse to condemn Sellers that after awhile I felt like disbelieving him just to be contrary to the guy