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.
Revenge of the Pink Panther very little that Mr. Edwards and Mr. Sellers could do that would make you find the movie disappointing." "Romance of the Pink Panther" was a "Pink Panther" film that Sellers was working on—and willing to make without Edwards—before Sellers' fatal heart attack in July 1980. UA considered recasting the role before convincing Blake Edwards to return to the series. Edwards chose to replace Clouseau with a new character rather than replace Sellers as Clouseau and to utilize outtakes from "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" to set up a transitional film ("Trail of the Pink Panther") with new linking footage shot