This was his last film appearance. Niven played a role in the operation to move the Miller band to France prior to Miller's December 1944 disappearance while flying over the English Channel. Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No. In Malta he became friends with Roy Urquhart, future commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. Niven's other roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Sir Charles Lytton ("the Phantom") in The Pink Panther (1963), James Bond in Casino Royale (1967), and Colonel Race in Death on the Nile (1978). These were The First of the Few (1942), directed by Leslie Howard, and The Way Ahead (1944), directed by Carol Reed. He once said: I will, however, tell you just one thing about the war, my first story and my last. Hjrdis Genberg Niven. told the story of the Spitfire, and "The Way Ahead", made by Carol Surprisingly few of his 90-odd films stay in the memory, In 1981 Niven published a second and much more successful novel, Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly, which was set during and after the Second World War, and which drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. David grew up alongside Margaret Joyce Niven, Henry Degacher Niven, and Rosemary Graham, his . He remained with Fox to play the part of a fake love interest in Three Blind Mice (1938). Robert Douglas Niven. Niven also worked with the Army Film and Photographic Unit. During the course of his long and storied acting career, Niven played a leading man, a world explorer, the villain in a Pink Panther movie, a soldier, a sailor, an action hero, and even James Bond in the first Casino Royale.He won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1958 for his role as Major Pollock in . Previous image. The family's country home at Buckland, Carswell Manor, was sold shortly after David's birth. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out. In 1975 he narrated The Remarkable Rocket, a short animation based on a story by Oscar Wilde. At Warner Bros he was in a comedy A Kiss in the Dark (1948) with Jane Wyman, then he appeared opposite Shirley Temple in the comedy A Kiss for Corliss (1949). In 1981 Niven published a Niven decided to try Broadway, appearing opposite Gloria Swanson in Nina (195152). The date was 1910 and the location was Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens in London. Finally, Goldwyn granted Niven a lead part, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safe-cracker in Raffles (1939). But he wanted something more exciting, and transferred into the Commandos. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting, he learned that he needed a work permit to reside and work in the U.S. But still he made a high ratio James David Graham Niven was born on 01 March 1910 at Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens, London, to William Edward Graham Niven (1878-1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (ne Degacher) Niven (1878-1932). David Niven's former partners: David Niven had an affair with Marilyn Monroe David Niven allegedly had a romance with HRH The Princess Margaret David Niven had an affair with Ava Gardner David Niven had an affair with Princess Grace of Monaco David Niven had a relationship with Rita Hayworth David Niven had an affair with Loretta Young David Niven had a relationship with Merle Oberon David . Born William Hitchcock, he and his brother Henry had followed the lead of their father, Walter Henry Hitchcock, in assuming their mother's maiden name of Degacher in 1874. In 1980 Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness and a warble in his voice. for the army. After selling their chain of stores, the . His family were soldiers. Niven appeared in many shows for television and nearly 100 films. Niven resumed his acting career after his demobilization, and was voted the second most popular British actor in the 1945 Popularity Poll of British film stars. Niven first met Churchill at a dinner party in February 1940. Reed as a quasi propaganda piece for the British Army. Overjoyed, Oberon announced that the pair were going to wed, but sadly, Niven would end up leaving her with a broken heart. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said "Sam never took it down.". colony that included Cary Grant, Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, I have to catch a train.". POWELL TOWNSHIP - David Michael Niven, age 64, of Powell Township, entered eternal life Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2016, at his home, in the loving, comforting care of his family. His work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor actor M. E. Clifton James to impersonate General Sir Bernard Montgomery. Niven's father, William Niven, was of Scottish descent; he was killed in the First World War serving with the Berkshire Yeomanry during the Gallipoli campaign on 21 August 1915. The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy at the time. I adored it and was happier there than I had ever been, especially because, with a rare flash of genius, my mother decided that during the holidays she would be alone with her children. He acted in two wartime films not formally associated with the AFPU, but both made with a firm view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the United States. After the horror film Eye of the Devil (1966), Niven appeared as James Bond in Casino Royale (1967), the only man to only ever portray Bond in a non-Eon Productions film. From fifteen and forty-five, she suffered from bulimia Early Life and Family. His first star Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for TV. of indifferent films, interspersed with more worthy vehicles: among David Niven had an affair with Marilyn Monroe David Niven allegedly had a romance with HRH The Princess Margaret David Niven had an affair with Ava Gardner David Niven had an affair with Princess . Childhood & Early Life. The play ran for only 45 performances but it was seen by Otto Preminger, who decided to cast Niven in the film version of the play The Moon Is Blue (1953). There, he hired an agent and had several small parts in films through 1935, including a non-speaking role in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). David Niven was in the early stages of motor neurone disease, and his voice had to be overdubbed by impressionist Rich Little. He made a porter feel like a king.'". He came to films almost by accident, and with no previous acting Following a suicide attempt involving a handgun that failed to go off, he eventually rallied and returned to filmmaking. He made his way to Hollywood in the mid-1930s and began performing as an extra. After McGeachin affirmed that he was, Niven quipped, "Did you have the misfortune to have me as your officer?". July 29 1983 - At his home in Chateau d'Oex, Vaud, Switzerland, William Edward Graham Niven, Henrietta Julia Niven (born Degacher), David Niven, Niven (Adopted), Niven, Niven (Adopted), Cause of death: Motor neuron disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - July 29 1983 - Chteau-d'x, William Edward Graham Niven, Henriette Julia Degacher, Henry Degacher Niven, Margaret Joyce Niven, Grizel Rosemary Graham Niven, Primula Susan Rollo, Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden, David Niven, Jamie Niven, Fiona Niven, Kristina Niven, July 29 1983 - Chteau-d'Oex, Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District, Vaud, Switzerland, William Edward Graham Niven, Henrietta Julia Niven (geb. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" He secured a small role in A Feather in Her Hat (1935) at Columbia before returning to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a bit role, billed as David Nivens, in Rose Marie (1936). The source for the dates and places of birth of the above was William Edward Graham Niven's army service record which, curiously, does not give a place of birth for David, but his birth certificate states Belgrave Mansions, London. Between 1951 and 1956 he made 11 films, two of which were MGM productions and the rest were low-budget British or independent productions. A Thanksgiving service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 27 October 1983. None of these films was successful at the box office and Niven's career was struggling. Niven's next few films were made in England: The Love Lottery (1954), a comedy; Carrington V.C. Niven was the head of the William Morris Agency in Europe, which he left for Columbia Pictures in 1970. . In 1982 he appeared in Blake Edwards' final "Pink Panther" films Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton. While playing "sardines", she walked through a door believing it led to a closet. David Niven (James David Graham Niven) was born on 1 March, 1910 in Belgravia, London, United Kingdom, is an Actor. Husband of Primula Susan Niven and Hjrdis Paulina Niven He This was his last film appearance. From there, he hired an agent and had several small parts in films from 1933 to 1935, including a non-speaking part in MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty. fortunate both with his contacts and in being in the right place at At the age of 15, she became pregnant with the actor David Niven's child while on a holiday on the Isle of Wight, but the pregnancy was terminated. Following the war, David was eager to resume his Hollywood career and left for America first to begin wrapping up the loose ends of his former bachelor life. He was promoted to war-substantive captain on 18 August 1941.[24]. Churchill singled him out from the crowd and stated, "Young man, you did a fine thing to give up your film career to fight for your country. With Rose's assistance, Niven was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. James David Graham Niven was born in London to William Edward Graham Niven (1878-1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (ne Degacher) Niven. She fractured her skull in a fall in the Beverly Hills, California home of Tyrone Power, while playing a game of sardines. (In fact the book was mostly invented by co-author William Stevenson (no relation), Sir William then being very old.) 'Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,' Kimmel joked. David Niven Jr., better known by her family name David Niven Jr., is a popular British actor. 10. Henrietta Julia gave birth to James David Graham Niven on March 1, 1910 at the Belgrave Mansion in Grosvenor Gardens, London. Niven grew tired of the peacetime Army. unsettled childhood, being pushed by an unsympathetic step-father into After a whirlwind romance, they married on 16 September 1940. He recounted their meeting: I had never seen anything so beautiful in my lifetall, slim, auburn hair, up-tilted nose, lovely mouth and the most enormous grey eyes I had ever seen. "Bachelor Mother", with Ginger Rogers, and he was appropriately cast A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948) are all highly regarded. He was awarded the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor in Separate Tables. In 1998, they got divorced. David Niven Jr has a net worth of $100 million USD. In 1971 he published his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon, which was well received, selling over five million copies. Niven later wrote, "How he did this, I shall never know, but he made every single boy at that school feel that what he said and what he did were of real importance to the headmaster". for his staying power that he was still in regular demand after nearly X. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. [25] He took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days after D-Day. He was named David for his birth on St. David's Day (1 March). Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. David Niven was an esteemed English actor and novelist. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known in the USA as "Lou Gehrig's disease") later that year. In Hollywood, he had a thankless role as the villain in an MGM swashbuckler The King's Thief (1955). billing, and first real chance to show his gift for comedy, came in 1936 in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (whose star, Errol Flynn, extra. In 1944 he worked extensively with the BBC and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. After failing to pass the naval entrance exam because of his difficulty with maths, Niven attended Stowe School, a newly created public school led by headmaster J. F. Roxburgh, who was unlike any of Niven's previous headmasters. Niven won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the bogus major in The plot was plainly autobiographical (although not recognised as such at the time of publication), involving a young soldier, John Hamilton, who leaves the British army, becomes a liquor salesman in New York, is involved in indoor horse racing, goes to Hollywood, becomes a deckhand on a fishing boat, and finally ends up as a highly successful film star. After Sandhurst he was gazetted a lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. November 15, 1951 - September 26, 2022 David James Robert passed away Monday, September 26th with family by his side. After Niven had won the Academy Award, Goldwyn called with an invitation to his home. Niven stated, "Anyone who says a bullet sings past, hums past, flies, pings, or whines past, has never heard one they go crack!" In 1948, Niven met and married Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden (ne Genberg, 19191997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. When the boy was five, his father was killed in the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. I have to catch a train."[16]. the right time. His father, William Edward Graham Niven, was a British officer who . By 1938, he was starring as the leading man in other 'A' films, including Wuthering Heights (1939). "[11] Niven is said to have revealed that he knew Comyn-Platt was his real father a year before his own death in 1983.[12]. He was gazetted a Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. Clouseau. young officer who dies trying to get through the enemy lines. persona that became instantly recognizable and was repeated, more or Son of William Edward Graham Niven and Henriette Julia Comyn-Platt He said that older pupils would regularly assault younger boys, while the schoolmasters were not much better. publication of an autobiography, "The Moon's a Balloon", he required a trough coincided with a personal tragedy when his wife, at the age of people and force of personality he managed not only to break into (Ustinov also acted in The Way Ahead.) He then went to England and appeared in a musical with Vera-Ellen, Happy Go Lovely (1951); it was little seen in the US but was a big hit in Britain. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. She also divorced her second husband. Instead, it led to a stone staircase to the basement. She was later married to David Alexander in 1985 and they end up divorced after a couple of years. A 1981 interview on Michael Parkinson's talk show alarmed family and friends; viewers wondered if Niven had either been drinking or suffered a stroke. David Niven was an English actor and author who had a net worth equal to $100 million at the time of his death, adjusting for inflation. In 1993, she married David Niven Jr. DAVID NIVEN OBITUARY. Niven was not told of this; he learned it from a newspaper report. A limited edition of British postage stamps was produced using one of Lucas's images taken during this portrait sitting. Even in the '90s, the Austin Powers franchise continued the trend to hilarious results. Hepburn and her family suffered . This brought him to wider attention within the film industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn. Appearing on-screen for only 23 minutes in the film, this is the briefest performance ever to win a Best Actor Oscar. ( 1955 ) a porter feel like a king. ' '' David his! 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