Inspector Clouseau of the character. The film also introduces two of the series regular characters: his superior, Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), who is driven mad by Clouseau's blundering of the investigation; and his long-suffering Chinese man servant, Cato (Burt Kwouk), who is expected to improve Clouseau's martial arts skills by attacking him at random. Sellers stepped away from playing the character following this movie, but returned in "The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975) and its sequels. When the character returned for the film "Inspector Clouseau" (1968), he was portrayed by American actor Alan Arkin; Edwards was not involved in this production.
The Pink Panther have any other recurring characters from the rest of the series. Although it was produced by the Mirisch Corporation, Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards, and Henry Mancini were not involved in the making of this film. This not only marks the return of the famous "Pink Panther" diamond but also - after an 11-year hiatus - that of Peter Sellers as Clouseau, along with director Edwards, Mancini, Dreyfus and Cato. Sir Charles Lytton is portrayed by Christopher Plummer; the film also co-starred Catherine Schell, Peter Arne, and Graham Stark. Dreyfus' insanity reaches a pinnacle, as he tries to intimidate the rest