The Pink Panther The Pink Panther The Pink Panther is a British-American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic "Pink Panther" film in 1963. The role of Clouseau was originated by and is most closely associated with Peter Sellers. Most of the films were written and directed by Blake Edwards, with theme music composed by Henry Mancini. Elements and characters inspired by the films were adapted into other media, including books, comic books and animated series. The first film in the series
Henry Mancini at Tiffany's". The Music from Peter Gunn won the first Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Mancini also enjoyed a long collaboration composing film scores for the film director Blake Edwards. Mancini is also noted for scoring a #1 hit single during the rock era on the "Billboard" charts. "The Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" spent two weeks at the top, beginning on June 29, 1969. Mancini was born in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, and was raised near Pittsburgh, in the steel town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. His parents immigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy.