Being There

film by Ashby [1979]

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July 19, 2026

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Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. The film stars Peter Sellers as Chance, a simple-minded gardener who has lived his entire life in isolation, with only television for company. When his wealthy employer dies, Chance is forced out into the world. Through a series of misunderstandings, his literal interpretations of life and his love for television are mistaken for profound wisdom, leading him to become a confidant to a powerful businessman and eventually a presidential candidate. The film explores themes of media, perception, and the nature of intelligence. Sellers received an Academy Award nomination for his performance.12

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Hal Ashby
The 1970s
…did nearly as well with Being There (1979), a sometimes brilliant adaptation by Jerzy Kosinski of his novel, with an inspired performance by Peter Sellers as the idiot gardener who becomes a savant to all who behold him.
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…did nearly as well with Being There (1979), a sometimes brilliant adaptation by Jerzy Kosinski of his novel, with an inspired performance by Peter Sellers as the idiot gardener who becomes a savant to all who behold him.
Read More

Jerzy Kosinski
…Award, and Being There (1971; film 1979), a satiric fable about Chance, a simple-minded gardener whose innocence, shallow platitudes, and total dependence on television for his vision of the world are interpreted as evidence of profound genius by socialites, business leaders, and politicians. Kosinski had less success with his later…
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…Award, and Being There (1971; film 1979), a satiric fable about Chance, a simple-minded gardener whose innocence, shallow platitudes, and total dependence on television for his vision of the world are interpreted as evidence of profound genius by socialites, business leaders, and politicians. Kosinski had less success with his later…
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Peter Sellers
…the simpleminded gardener Chance in Being There. This Oscar-nominated triumph was followed by one of his worst films, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980). Suffering a series of heart attacks, he died at age 54. His final “performance” in Trail of the Pink Panther (released posthumously in 1982)…
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…the simpleminded gardener Chance in Being There. This Oscar-nominated triumph was followed by one of his worst films, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980). Suffering a series of heart attacks, he died at age 54. His final “performance” in Trail of the Pink Panther (released posthumously in 1982)…
Read More