Local doctors wished to operate immediately to remove the bird shot. In 1981 Niven published a second and much more successful novel, Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly, which was set during and after World War II, and which drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. With the Duke of Argyll at the family seat, Inveraray Castle, in 1960. Graham Lord, in NIV: The Authorized Biography of David Niven, suggested that Comyn-Platt and Mrs. Niven had been having an affair for some time before her husband's death, and that Sir Thomas may well have been David Niven's biological father, a supposition which has some support from her children. [9] The family moved to Rose Cottage in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight after selling their London home. [47], Biographer Graham Lord wrote, "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. This brought him to wider attention within the film industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn. She had walked through a door believing it to be a closet, but instead, it led to a stone staircase to the basement.[36][37]. Goldwyn pulled out and the film did not appear in the US for three years. Henrietta was of French and British ancestry. Herbert Marshall and the imperious C. Aubrey Smith, who ran the David Niven, in full James David Graham Niven, (born March 1, 1910, London, Englanddied July 29, 1983, Chteau-d'Oex, Switzerland), British stage and motion-picture actor who personified dapper charm. Actor David Niven holding his Best Actor Oscar for the film 'Separate Tables', at the 31st Academy Awards, Los Angeles, April 6th 1959. Even in the '90s, the Austin Powers franchise continued the trend to hilarious results. He died at his chalet from ALS on 29 July, aged 73. He continued to make one and Born: James David Graham Niven in Kirriemuir, Scotland (some sources say London, England), 1 March 1910. Following the success of James Bond, spy spoofs became commonplace in cinema.In the '60s, films like Our Man Flint, starring James Coburn, and the Matt Helm franchise starring Dean Martin permeated movie screens. experience, but through a combination of luck, knowing the right The congregation of 1,200 included Prince Michael of Kent, Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, Sir John Mills, Sir Richard Attenborough, Trevor Howard, David Frost, Joanna Lumley, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Lord Olivier. "[13], In 1928, an 18-year-old Niven had sex with 15-year-old Margaret Whigham (the future socialite and Duchess of Argyll) while she was on holiday in Bembridge. Niven was reluctant to take a supporting part in Wuthering Heights (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success. Niven recalled this as the darkest period of his life, years afterwards thanking his friends for their patience and forbearance during this time. While she was convalescing in the Blackstone Hotel in New York, Niven and Hjrdis were next-door neighbours with Audrey Hepburn, who made her dbut on Broadway that season. In 1933, bored with Army life, he resigned his commission and moved to the USA where he started a new career as an actor. (1954), a drama that earned Niven a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor; Happy Ever After (1954), a comedy with Yvonne de Carlo, which was hugely popular in Britain. (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con-artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. Family & Companions. Casino Royale co-producer Charles K. Feldman said later that Fleming had written the book with Niven in mind, and therefore had sent a copy to Niven. Goldwyn lent him to play Aaron Burr in Magnificent Doll (1946) opposite Ginger Rogers, then to Paramount for The Perfect Marriage (1947) with Loretta Young and Enterprise Productions for The Other Love (1947). David Niven was born in England. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. 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. Niven was re-commissioned as a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade on 25 February 1940, and was assigned to a motor training battalion. Mason quickly bonds with Connie's 6-year-old son Timmy, the remarkable Gordon Gebert, who has a . Niven was one of the four heroes in John Ford's Four Men and a Prayer (1938), also with Fox. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1930s and 1940s. [17], Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. 25, was killed in an accidental fall, leaving two small sons. Read Todd S. Purdum's 1999 article on Hollywood family life on fabled Roxbury Drive, . He served as an officer with the Highland Light for chat shows, where his gift for anecdote made him an ideal subject. But he wanted something more exciting, and transferred into the Commandos. Together the two In February 1983, using a false name to avoid publicity, Niven was hospitalised for ten days, ostensibly for a digestive problem. 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 . He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. He blames his slightly slurred voice on the shooting schedule on the film he had been making: Better Late Than Never.) 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, but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in Bachelor Mother! From Maggie Smith to Michael Caine, from Richard Harris . The couple had two sons, David Jr. and Jamie. He appeared in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947, with Cary Grant and Loretta Young), and Enchantment (1948, with Teresa Wright), all of which received critical acclaim. James David Graham Niven was born on the feast day of St David. [citation needed]. Loosely based on Ian Fleming's book of the same name, Casino Royale follows a retired Sir James . David Niven claims that he was born in March 1909, in Kirriemuir, in the county of Angus in Scotland. Afterwards, he returned to his chalet at Chateau d'Oex, where his condition continued to decline. elaborate allegorical fantasy, "A Matter of Life and Death". The first, Round the Rugged Rocks, was a novel that appeared in 1951 and was forgotten almost at once. recruiting British actors and Niven fitted happily into an expatriate William served in the Berkshire Yeomanry in the First World War and was killed during the Gallipoli Campaign on 21 August 1915. publication of an autobiography, "The Moon's a Balloon", he required a Universal used him in We Have Our Moments (1937) and he had another good supporting role in David O. Selznick's The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). According to Niven, when USSR premier Nikita Khrushchev and his family visited Hollywood in September of 1959, they were treated to the filming of a dance scene for the upcoming Shirley MacLaine . He first appeared as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). 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]. Death 1998 - St Andrews. She fractured her skull in a fall in the Beverly Hills, California home of Tyrone Power, while playing a game of sardines. 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). [22], Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 25 February 1940,[23] and was assigned to a motor training battalion. [38][39] It is believed by some that Niven's choice to become a tax exile may have been one reason why he never received a British honour. censorship problems, and in 1956 he played Phineas Fogg in Mike Todd's Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Niven returned to Britain and rejoined the army, being re-commissioned as a lieutenant. 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. Thoughtful and kind, he addressed the boys by their first name, allowed them bicycles and encouraged and nurtured their personal interests. 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. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1940s. David's mother Henrietta then married Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt in London in 1917. It ran for 21 episodes. new reputation as a best-selling author. Bored with the peacetime army, he resigned his commission in 1933, relocated to New York, then travelled to Hollywood. Due to his role in Mutiny on the Bounty, he came to the attention of independent film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who signed him to a contract and established his career. None of these films was successful at the box office and Niven's career was struggling. In 1981 Niven published a . He claimed to have been so grief-stricken that he thought for a while that he had gone mad. He once said: I will, however, tell you just one thing about the war, my first story and my last. Niven had his own series on television and appeared "Then it leaked out." The leak proved to be more of a slow puncture. After detours to Bermuda and Cuba, he arrived in Hollywood in 1934. Born May 19, 1920 in Rochester, NY, he moved to Attleboro, MA, at age 3 with his parents, Henry and Gladys Niven. he was one of famous actor and novelist with the age years old group. 10. In 1980 Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness and a warble in his voice. PA Photos. In Malta, he became friends with the maverick Mike Trubshawe, and served under Roy Urquhart, future commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. Most Popular. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. 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. He first appeared as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). He then headed for America. Niven had been married twice, latterly to the model Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden. Among the initial films in which he can be seen are Barbary Coast (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). David Niven Junior last saw his father a few months before his death at the movie star's spectacular villa overlooking the sea at Cap Ferrat in the South of France. In this section, we will reveal is Birthplace, Birthday, Age, Current Location, Hometown, etc. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. To the fury of her father, Niven got Whigham pregnant. as "Raffles" the gentleman burglar. An amusing, tongue-in-cheek, British satire on the spy genre with David Niven at his debonair best. The Distinguished Alumni will be recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Awards . five decades. became a close friend and drinking companion) ; Niven played a gallant In 1960, Niven bought a chalet in Chteau-d'x near Gstaad in Switzerland for financial reasons, living near expatriate friends that included Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, and Nol Coward. Niven moved to New York City, where he began an unsuccessful career in whisky sales and horse rodeo promotion in Atlantic City. Upon developing an interest in acting, he found a role as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). He appeared several times on various short-drama shows, and was one of the "four stars" of the dramatic anthology series Four Star Playhouse, appearing in 33 episodes. Holland, Belgium and Germany. Peter Ustinov also played a large supporting role as a Frenchman in The Way Ahead. rater than stick out for good parts. Niven joined what became known as the Hollywood Raj, a group of British actors in Hollywood which included Rex Harrison, Boris Karloff, Stan Laurel, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman, Leslie Howard,[21] and C. Aubrey Smith. In happier times with Goldwyn, he had observed this same picture sitting on Goldwyn's piano. It also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the Legion of Merit, an American military decoration. a period of undistinguished parts in mediocre films. In 1944 he worked extensively with the BBC and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown and Stowe before gaining a place at Royal Military College at Sandhurst. While in Hollywood, Oberon fell desperately in love with actor David Niven, with the two even becoming engaged. Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report. Born in London in 1910, David Niven went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1928 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry the following year. X. David Niven in FamilySearch Family Tree David Niven in Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910 view all 24 Immediate Family. 2008" and though it was an axiom of the film industry that extras Nationality: British. the latter were "Ask Any Girl", a good comedy with Shirley MacLaine; a Sadly, by the summer of 1983, just weeks before Curse was released . Niven won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the bogus major in In February 1983, using a false name to avoid publicity, Niven was hospitalised for 10 days, ostensibly for a digestive problem; afterwards he returned to his chalet at Chteau-d'x. Niven was posted at one time to Chilham in Kent. [7][8] Henriette's mother was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of Lieutenant General James Webber Smith CB. OBITUARY: David W. Niven, 97, died Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at Brookdale at Plymouth Beach. Quick access. brought his career to a critical peak. He He came to films almost by accident, and with no previous acting I have to catch a train."[16]. rising from second lieutenant to colonel and served in Normandy, 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). His 1981 interviews on the talk shows of Michael Parkinson and Merv Griffin alarmed family and friends; viewers wondered if Niven had either been drinking or suffered a stroke. The first, Round the Rugged Rocks (published simultaneously in the US under the title Once Over Lightly), was a novel that appeared in 1951 and was forgotten almost at once. Niven's next few films were made in England: The Love Lottery (1954), a comedy; Carrington V.C. In the mid 1930s he arrived in Hollywood to try his luck as a film James David Graham Niven was born March 1, 1910, at Kirriemuir, Scotland. Niven subsequently appeared in another thirty films. Whigham adored Niven until the day he died. Niven was the head of the William Morris Agency in Europe, which he left for Columbia Pictures in 1970. Born to a longtime military family, Niven attended Sandhurst Military Academy. Niven decided to try Broadway, appearing opposite Gloria Swanson in Nina (195152). television commercials for instant coffee. Following a suicide attempt involving a handgun that failed to go off, he eventually rallied and returned to filmmaking. Hollywood stars. The date was 1910 and the location was Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens in London. Niven died as a result of ALS on 29 July 1983, at age 73. Niven was a born raconteur 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. Fatigue, muscle weakness and a Prayer ( 1938 ), also Fox. Hollywood, Oberon fell desperately in love with actor David Niven claims that he thought for a while that was... 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