He refused to return to the hospital, and his family supported his decision. After failing to pass the naval entrance exam due to his difficulty with maths, Niven attended Stowe School, a newly created public school led by headmaster J.F. it made more than 2,000 and helped to launch the careers of several $75.58 + $33.58 shipping. Niven grew tired of the peacetime Army. Both sound pretty fancy to me, but Niven's origin story involved anothereven greater . Niven suffered many instances of corporal punishment owing to his inclination for pranks, which finally led to his expulsion from Heatherdown at the age of 10. Niven also appeared in the British romantic comedy The Silken Affair (1956) with Genevive Page the same year. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting, he learned that he needed a work permit to reside and work in the United States. Thus Niven did not enjoy his time in the Army. Niven died as a result of ALS on 29 July 1983, at age 73. Niven struggled for a while to recapture his former position. Barbara . After Niven had won the Academy Award, Goldwyn called with an invitation to his home. After Niven had won the Academy Award, Goldwyn called with an invitation to his home. As this required leaving the US, he went to Mexico, where he worked as a "gun-man", cleaning and polishing the rifles of visiting American hunters. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown and Stowe before gaining a place at Royal Military College at Sandhurst. 20/31. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said, "Sam never took it down."[16]. Niven responded "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?". Niven later claimed credit for bringing future Major General Sir Robert E. Laycock to the Commandos. His family were soldiers. In 1974, Barbara Niven wed Ronald Garrison, with whom she had a daughter named Jessica. second volume of reminiscences, concentrating on Hollywood perfect foil to Peter Sellers as the accident prone Inspector A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948) are all highly regarded. Now years later, the picture was still in exactly the same spot. In all three examples, the reality is significantly different from Niven's heavily fictionalised accounts as presented in The Moon's a Balloon and related in various chat show appearances. Niven also worked with the Army Film and Photographic Unit. 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. rater than stick out for good parts. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond visits an exclusive ski resort in Switzerland where he is told that David Niven is a frequent visitor and in You Only Live Twice, David Niven is referred to as the only real gentleman in Hollywood. In July 1982, Blake Edwards brought Niven back for cameo appearances in two final "Pink Panther" films (Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther), reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting, he learned that he needed a work permit to reside and work in the U.S. or was expelled. [10], Literary editor and biographer, Graham Lord, wrote in Niv: The Authorised Biography of David Niven, that Comyn-Platt and Niven's mother may have been in an affair well before her husband's death in 1915 and that Comyn-Platt was actually Niven's biological father, a supposition that had some support among Niven's siblings. Niven plays the bumbling amateur who makes good but was recruited because all the other spies have been unfortunately lost - that's MI5. I only saw David get angry once. She is a proud mother to Jessica and grandmother to three grandchildren River and Shasha. After selling their chain of stores, the . In February 1983, using a false name to avoid publicity, Niven was hospitalised for ten days, ostensibly for a digestive problem. David grew up alongside Margaret Joyce Niven, Henry Degacher Niven, and Rosemary Graham, his . 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 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. 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. recruiting British actors and Niven fitted happily into an expatriate [5] Niven's paternal great grandfather and namesake, David Graham Niven, (18111884) was from St Martin's, a village in Perthshire, he was a doctor who married in Worcestershire, living in Pershore. David Niven attended Stowe School and . he was one of famous actor and novelist with the age years old group. http://ww2gravestone.com/people/niven-james-david-graham/. Niven had a long and complex relationship with Goldwyn, who gave him his first start. Niven often claimed that he was born in Kirriemuir, in the Scottish county of Angus in 1909, but his birth certificate shows this was not the case. Until then few people outside her family were . 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. (1936), before finally landing a sizable role as a soldier in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) at Warners, an Imperial adventure film starring his housemate at the time, Errol Flynn. [16] On 21 October 1956, in an episode of the game show What's My Line?, Niven, as a member of the celebrity panel, was reacquainted with one of his former enlisted men. Whigham adored Niven until the day he died. He served in the "Phantom Signals Unit", which located and reported enemy positions, and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. The Moon Is Blue, a sex comedy, became notorious when it was released without a Production Code Seal of Approval; it was a big hit and Niven won a Golden Globe Award for his role. She kept a photo of David Niven's villa in the family bathroom and told her children that it was the house of her dreams. - Lerner & Loewe; Bishop Sheen; David Niven [panel] (Oct 21, 1956), (fee usually required to view full pdf of original recommendation), Last edited on 15 February 2023, at 09:47, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme, David Niven on screen, stage, radio, record and in print, "Niven, (James) David Graham (19101983), actor and author", "Casualty detailsNiven, William Edward Graham", "1917 David Niven's mother marries Thomas Comyn Platt", "David Niven's idyllic childhood home comes up for sale: 'I adored it and was happier there than I had ever been', "It's being so cheerful that keeps me going", "The flawed real life of the perfect movie gentleman", "David Niven was the only British star in Hollywood to enlist during WWII", "Recommendation for Award for Niven, John David Rank: Lieutenant Colonel", "The Politics of Oscar: Inside the Academy's Long, Hard Road to a Hostless Show", "David Niven Dead at 73; Witty Actor Won Oscar", "Archival material relating to David Niven", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Niven&oldid=1139476105, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 09:47. In this way his wife avoided disfigurement. Niven appeared in 19 films in the next four years. Dave enjoyed his camp at East Green Bay, hockey games . David Niven Family Background & Career. rising from second lieutenant to colonel and served in Normandy, Hjrdis recovered from her alcoholism after Niven's death in 1983, but returned to it before her own death of a stroke in 1997. [40] However, Kerr, Ustinov, and Coward were all honoured. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. David Niven Jr. Family Background & Career. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Niven returned to England and rejoined the army, being recommissioned as a lieutenant. Just after the In 1965, he made two films for MGM: the Peter Ustinov-directed Lady L, supporting Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, and Where the Spies Are, as a doctor-turned-secret agent MGM hoped it would lead to a series, but this did not happen. [13], While attending school as was customary for the time Niven received many instances of corporal punishment owing to his inclination for pranks. He was gazetted a Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. In fact, Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No. . After being placed under close-arrest for this act of insubordination, Niven finished a bottle of whisky with the officer who was guarding him: Rhoddy Rose (later Colonel R.L.C. Asked by suspicious American sentries during the Battle of the Bulge who had won the World Series in 1943, he answered "Haven't the foggiest idea . His health quickly declined and he died in 1983 at age 73, leaving four children and his second wife. Niven also worked in television. He had three older siblings. Impossible Years, The (1968) -- (Movie Clip) You Belong On The Couch Psych professor Kingsley (David Niven), his house overrun by his kids' party, entertains his editor Merrick (Chad Everett), joined then by Jeff Cooper as motorbiker artist Smuts (Jeff Cooper), broken up by his daughter . David Niven Jr. is 79 years old in 2022. five decades. extra. Niven also had special scorn for the newspaper columnists covering the war who typed out self-glorifying and excessively florid prose about their meagre wartime experiences. Then we find ourselves on Earth in 1945, where RAF pilot Peter Carter, played by David Niven, is flying back to Britain after a bombing raid, losing height, badly hit. The Rogues ran for only one season, but won a Golden Globe award. (In fact the book was mostly invented by co-author William Stevenson (no relation), Sir William then being very old.) Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1940s. Hjrdis in the city, 1942-43. Find out about David Niven's family tree, family history, ancestry, ancestors, genealogy, relationships and affairs! In 1948, Niven met and married Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden (ne Genberg, 19191997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. According to his autobiography, Errol Flynn and he were firm friends and rented Rosalind Russell's house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad. son . Showing the typical rebelliousness of his early years, Niven asked, "Could you tell me the time, sir? James David Graham Niven was born on 1 March 1910 in London to William Edward Graham Niven and his wife, Henrietta Julia. (1957); The Little Hut (1957), from the writer of The Moon is Blue and a success at the box office; My Man Godfrey (1957), a screwball comedy; and Bonjour Tristesse (1958), for Preminger. Mar 1 1910 - Belgrave Mansions, London, England, United Kingdom. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther. David Niven Jr. is a British film producer, film actor and script writer who was an executive at Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. However, another doctor advised Niven to allow the swelling of the face to go down. [19] With Rose's assistance, Niven was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. Introducing the family Hjrdis and David Niven with Kristina and Fiona. States, from selling liquor to promoting pony racing. But I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in Bachelor Mother!". He gained additional fame for his roles in Enchantment, The Toast of New Orleans, and Happy go Lovely. At the end of the lecture, the speaker (a major general) asked if there were any questions. Parts, initially small, in major motion pictures followed, including Dodsworth (1936), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days. Niven wrote four books. Henrietta was of French and British ancestry. David Niven Jr., better known by her family name David Niven Jr., is a popular British actor. OBITUARY: David W. Niven, 97, died Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at Brookdale at Plymouth Beach. Other than, this there is no information on her siblings or early childhood. Quick access. She was just 15 when movie star David Niven, 18 at the time, got her pregnant while holidaying on the Isle of Wight. Niven won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the bogus major in He said that older pupils would regularly assault younger boys, while the schoolmasters were not much better. Mason pegs her as a phony consumer and is fired for failing to turn her in to store management. Lord wrote that "the biggest wreath, worthy of a Mafia Godfather's funeral, was delivered from the porters at London's Heathrow Airport, along with a card that read: 'To the finest gentleman who ever walked through these halls. Less so was the comedy Bedtime Story (1964) with Marlon Brando. He gave a few details of his war experience in his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon: his private conversations with Winston Churchill, the bombing of London, and what it was like entering Germany with the occupation forces. trough coincided with a personal tragedy when his wife, at the age of Born May 19, 1920 in Rochester, NY, he moved to Attleboro, MA, at age 3 with his parents, Henry and Gladys Niven. James David Graham Niven was an English actor and novelist.His many roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days, and Sir Charles Lytton, ("the Phantom") in The Pink Panther. Niven first met Churchill at a dinner party in February 1940. His first major roles were in . I have to catch a train."[16]. Clouseau. English private schools at the time of Niven's boyhood were noted for their strict and sometimes brutal discipline. 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. David Niven was a true Renaissance Man. Niven later claimed credit for bringing future Major General Sir Robert Laycock to the Commandos. She was rushed into a London nursing home for a secret termination. "[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]. A son, David, Jr., was born in December 1942 and a second son, James Graham Niven, on 6 November 1945. After abortive screen tests for other producers, Niven was put under Herbert Marshall and the imperious C. Aubrey Smith, who ran the He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. [28] It honoured Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme, a radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces.[29][30]. with Laurence Olivier gave a creditable performance as Edgar Linton in long absence, to pick up the threads of his career and there followed He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or "Lou Gehrig's disease") later that year. Reed as a quasi propaganda piece for the British Army. A limited edition of British postage stamps was produced using one of Lucas's images taken during this portrait sitting. David Niven Jr.'s godfather was Nol Coward, who gave him a silver cocktail shaker with the . Back in Hollywood Niven was in Goldwyn's Enchantment (1948) with Teresa Wright. Goldwyn pulled out and the film did not appear in the US for three years. "All hell broke loose" after, the family cook Elizabeth Duckworth recalled. billing, and first real chance to show his gift for comedy, came in Flynn in a re-make of "The Dawn Patrol" and in formidable competition Ronald Garrison (d. 1974, separated), David Alexander (d. 1985, separated) and David Niven Jr. were his three spouses. Niven wrote four books. He was assigned to the HLI, with which he served for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover. "The Moon is Blue", a comedy that gained notoriety by running into (Ustinov also acted in The Way Ahead.) RKO borrowed him to play Ginger Rogers' leading man in the romantic comedy Bachelor Mother (1939), which was another big hit. Niven divided his time in the 1960s and 1970s between his chalet in Chteau-d'x[42] and Cap Ferrat on the Cte d'Azur in the south of France.[38]. 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 chapter 14 of You Only Live Twice, the pearl diver Kissy Suzuki refers to Niven as "the only man she liked in Hollywood", and the only person who "treated her honourably" there. In 1971, he published his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon, which was well received, selling over five million copies. In Malta, he became friends with the maverick Mike Trubshawe, and served under Roy Urquhart, future commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the Legion of Merit, an American military decoration. The congregation of 1,200 included Prince Michael of Kent, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, Sir John Mills, Sir Richard Attenborough, Trevor Howard, Sir David Frost, Joanna Lumley, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Lord Olivier. The couple parted. He then headed for America. I found it where they told me I would, but it was among 27,000 others, and I told myself that here, Niven, were 27,000 reasons why you should keep your mouth shut after the war. He then attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, and graduated in 1930 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the regular Army. He was lent to MGM for a minor part in Rose Marie (1936), then a larger one in Palm Springs (1936) at Paramount. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous actor He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. Hollywood but to survive in a tough and ruthless world. 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