The day in 1966 that Peter Sellers punched a director in the face: “I hit him back”
Having a bust-up on set with your director is one of the biggest no-nos for any actor, but that didn’t stop Peter Sellers from lashing out at his boss over one of the biggest co-stars he’d lined up against.
While beloved in the UK for his ability as a comic actor, appearing alongside Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe in beloved radio comedy The Goon Show throughout the 1950s, Sellers eventually made a transition to the big screen where he ended up making an impression for his roles in Lolita, the Pink Panther film franchise, and for playing multiple parts in Dr. Strangelove, all of which earned him significant praise and award nominations.
However, despite portraying many humorous characters throughout his career, he was known off-screen for being a volatile individual who frequently found himself at loggerheads with the directors he worked alongside, frequently demanding more creative control around his roles and throwing tantrums when not given the sense of freedom that he desired.
It’s not unusual for actors to be so precious about these sorts of things, and even the biggest names are known for having put on a strop when it comes to not being given the license to approach a role in the way they want to.
Given his pedigree as an actor, his star was on the rise in the 1960s, but when it came to shooting for the infamous James Bond spoof, Casino Royale in 1966, he ended up clashing in a big way with co-director Joe McGrath, which threatened to derail the entire project, which had some other rather large names on board.
During a 2025 interview with Boisdale Life, McGrath reflected on an infamous incident where all hell broke loose behind the scenes, where Sellers had taken him to one side to discuss a very specific request regarding his co-star, the Hollywood heavyweight Orson Welles.
“He told me he would refuse to appear in the same shot as Orson,” McGrath laughed, noting the stupidity of the request. “‘You’re Peter Sellers; you’re a star,’ I said. He replied: ‘Yes but he is Orson Welles.’ I reminded him that he had asked for Orson and then told him, ‘this is ridiculous. You can’t get paid this enormous amount of money, ask for Orson Welles and then refuse to appear with him. Peter, you are behaving like a spoiled child.’ He then punched me in the face and I hit him back in the face.”
Of course, allowing the conversation to devolve into a fist fight was probably not the most mature or appropriate thing either of them could have done in the situation, but a friend and fellow comedian of Sellers’ happened to encounter McGrath later on, and had a delightfully humorous way of summing up the entire situation.
“Afterwards, I met Peter Cook who said to me. ‘I hear you and Sellers had a punch up,’” McGrath added. “‘I think this is the first instance ever of the fan hitting the shit.’ Isn’t that wonderful?”
It’s truly a hissy fit for the ages, and a rather ridiculous thing to lose one’s temper over on Sellers’ behalf. The film ended up being something of a dud anyway, probably to the delight of Sellers, but it still retains a cult following despite all of the tumultuous activity behind the scenes.
