In The Pink Panther (1963), Peter Sellers first played Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the earnest French detective whose investigations go gloriously wrong. Directed by Blake Edwards, the film was intended as a vehicle for David Niven, but Sellers stole it, turning a supporting policeman into the centre of the comedy.
Clouseau is dignified, certain and almost always mistaken, and Sellers plays him without winking at the audience. The famous accent, the careful manners and the physical mishaps became a character that audiences would follow for decades. It is the clearest example of Sellers finding a role that could hold all of his talents at once: mimicry, timing, and a gentle sympathy for a man who never quite understands the chaos around him.