By . Oliver Wadeson . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 16 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:24 EST, 17 February 2013 . Peter Sellers’ role as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films brought the actor vast wealth. And he spent lavishly: he had a penchant for fast cars and bought properties all over the world. But unlike his fellow Goon Michael Bentine, who was educated at Eton, Sellers, the son of variety entertainers, did not enjoy a privileged childhood. One of his first homes was in Highgate, North London, a modest early 19th Century two-up, two-down terrace that is currently on the market. Inspector's pad: The Miller family outside their terrace house in Highgate, London where Peter Sellers grew up . The house is priced at £645,000. That . might seem steep outside the capital, but it is rare for a house in this . desirable area to sell for less than £1 million. Sellers, who suffered from depression and alcohol problems later in life, never seemed to find happiness in his grander homes, but he appeared to retain great affection for the house where he lived between the ages of ten and 14. His actor friend Graham Stark recalls Sellers stopping his brand-new Bentley outside the Highgate house shortly before his death in 1980. Stark remembered: ‘He just put his head on the steering wheel and cried, “Whatever happened to Peter Sellers?” ’ The vendors of the house, Tim and . Ilaria Miller, will certainly leave behind happy memories. Their . daughters – Anna Lily, seven, and Francesca, four – were both born after . they bought the house in 2003. Selling Sellers': The living room in the two-up two-down property which is on the market for £645,000 . The family are moving for the simple . reason that they need more space, though there is more now than when . Sellers lived in the property. Civil servant Tim and Ilaria, who . works in the Cabinet Office, paid £275,000 for the house and spent . £20,000 renovating it. They later added a kitchen extension. Growing up: Peter Sellers, who lived in the house as a boy, as Inspector Clouseau in 1963 film Pink Panther . While . the rooms are still fairly small, the downstairs space – which . comprises a reception room, dining room, kitchen-diner and bathroom – is . well organised and has plenty of light. Upstairs, however, you get an impression of how cramped the house would have been in Sellers’ day. At the top of the stairs is a tiny landing and two modest bedrooms. ‘The house had been used as an office before we moved in,’ says Tim. ‘There was no central heating and the floors on the second storey were badly warped.’ The couple knocked down the old galley kitchen and built the stylish new extension but lost space from the already small garden at the back. However, they have no regrets about this, as the vast spaces of Highgate Wood and Queen’s Wood are just over the road. The Millers concede there is no scope for further expansion – there is no loft or basement – and they believe they would not get planning permission to put another room above the kitchen. The couple say many people, on seeing the Dead Comics’ Society plaque on the front of the house commemorating Sellers, stop and take pictures. With its fine restaurants, green spaces and lofty views over London, Highgate continues to attract celebrities – Kate Moss and Geri Halliwell both have houses there – and the Millers believe theirs would suit a young professional couple looking for these qualities, as well as efficient transport into Central London. But when children arrive, as the Millers have discovered, the house may prove a tad too small. Benham & Reeves, 020 8348 2341; benhamandreeves.co.uk.
Peter Sellers' childhood home in Highgate, London on sale for £645,000 .
Pink Panther actor lived in the house from to age of 10 to 14 .
By . Oliver Wadeson . PUBLISHED: . 17:00 EST, 16 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:24 EST, 17 February 2013 . Peter Sellers’ role as Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films brought the actor vast wealth. And he spent lavishly: he had a penchant for fast cars and bought properties all over the world. But unlike his fellow Goon Michael Bentine, who was educated at Eton, Sellers, the son of variety entertainers, did not enjoy a privileged childhood. One of his first homes was in Highgate, North London, a modest early 19th Century two-up, two-down terrace that is currently on the market. Inspector's pad: The Miller family outside their terrace house in Highgate, London where Peter Sellers grew up . The house is priced at £645,000. That . might seem steep outside the capital, but it is rare for a house in this . desirable area to sell for less than £1 million. Sellers, who suffered from depression and alcohol problems later in life, never seemed to find happiness in his grander homes, but he appeared to retain great affection for the house where he lived between the ages of ten and 14. His actor friend Graham Stark recalls Sellers stopping his brand-new Bentley outside the Highgate house shortly before his death in 1980. Stark remembered: ‘He just put his head on the steering wheel and cried, “Whatever happened to Peter Sellers?” ’ The vendors of the house, Tim and . Ilaria Miller, will certainly leave behind happy memories. Their . daughters – Anna Lily, seven, and Francesca, four – were both born after . they bought the house in 2003. Selling Sellers': The living room in the two-up two-down property which is on the market for £645,000 . The family are moving for the simple . reason that they need more space, though there is more now than when . Sellers lived in the property. Civil servant Tim and Ilaria, who . works in the Cabinet Office, paid £275,000 for the house and spent . £20,000 renovating it. They later added a kitchen extension. Growing up: Peter Sellers, who lived in the house as a boy, as Inspector Clouseau in 1963 film Pink Panther . While . the rooms are still fairly small, the downstairs space – which . comprises a reception room, dining room, kitchen-diner and bathroom – is . well organised and has plenty of light. Upstairs, however, you get an impression of how cramped the house would have been in Sellers’ day. At the top of the stairs is a tiny landing and two modest bedrooms. ‘The house had been used as an office before we moved in,’ says Tim. ‘There was no central heating and the floors on the second storey were badly warped.’ The couple knocked down the old galley kitchen and built the stylish new extension but lost space from the already small garden at the back. However, they have no regrets about this, as the vast spaces of Highgate Wood and Queen’s Wood are just over the road. The Millers concede there is no scope for further expansion – there is no loft or basement – and they believe they would not get planning permission to put another room above the kitchen. The couple say many people, on seeing the Dead Comics’ Society plaque on the front of the house commemorating Sellers, stop and take pictures. With its fine restaurants, green spaces and lofty views over London, Highgate continues to attract celebrities – Kate Moss and Geri Halliwell both have houses there – and the Millers believe theirs would suit a young professional couple looking for these qualities, as well as efficient transport into Central London. But when children arrive, as the Millers have discovered, the house may prove a tad too small. Benham & Reeves, 020 8348 2341; benhamandreeves.co.uk.
Clouseau in the Pink Panther films brought the Highgate, London where Peter Sellers grew up . to Peter Sellers?” ’ The vendors of the house, property which is on the market for £645,000 .