kubricksellers7592

While shooting Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in 1963, Peter Sellers, in full Merkin Muffley makeup, treated an American telephone interviewer to a rapid-fire tour of British accents, including Cockney, two Scots accents (Edinburgh and Glasgow), the accent of “slightly pimply individuals” living outside of London, and so forth. Thank god the cameras were rolling–it’s priceless footage.

Sellers was and is revered for his ability to disappear into roles — obviously he played three wildly different characters in Dr. Strangelove–but this brief demonstration of mimickry is simply a tour de force. Enjoy.