Sellers pursued a film career and took a number of small roles such as a police officer in "John and Julie" (1955). He accepted a larger part in the 1955 Alexander Mackendrick-directed Ealing comedy "The Ladykillers" in which he starred opposite his idol Alec Guinness, in addition to Herbert Lom and Cecil Parker. Sellers portrayed Harry Robinson, the Teddy Boy; biographer Peter Evans considers this Sellers's first good role. "The Ladykillers" was a success in both the UK and the US, and the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The following year Sellers appeared in a further three television series based on "The Goons": "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d"; "A Show Called Fred"; and "Son of Fred". The shows aired on Britain's new ITV channel. In 1957 film producer Michael Relph, impressed with Sellers's portrayal of an elderly character in "Idiot Weekly", cast the 32-year-old actor as a 68-year-old projectionist in Basil Dearden's "The Smallest Show on Earth", supporting Bill Travers, Virginia McKenna and Margaret Rutherford. The film was a commercial success and is now thought of as a minor classic of post-war British screen comedy. Following this, Sellers provided the growling voice of Winston Churchill to the BAFTA award winning film "The Man Who Never Was". Later in 1957 Sellers portrayed a television star with a talent for disguises in Mario Zampi's offbeat black comedy "The Naked Truth", opposite Terry-Thomas, Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Dennis Price.