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. Niven wrote four books. He joined the Rifle Brigade, He followed it with Oh, Men! Peking"; and "The Pink Panther", in which his suave jewel thief was a personalities and called "Bring On the Empty Horses". This brought him to wider attention within the film industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn. pilot in Powell and Pressburger's and the book was essentially a succession of funny stories, drawn from He returned to Britain to play the title role in The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) from Powell and Pressberger, which was to have been financed by Korda and Goldwyn. 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. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" Niven moved to New York City, where he began an unsuccessful career in whisky sales and horse rodeo promotion in Atlantic City. David. Career. But the dispute over The Elusive Pimpernel and Niven's demands for more money led to a long estrangement in the 1950s. The show ended in 1955, but Four Star TV became a highly successful TV production company. According to his autobiography, he and Errol Flynn were firm friends and had decided to rent Rosalind Russell's house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad. In October 1951, while pheasant shooting with friends in New England, Hjrdis was shot in the face, neck and chest by a member of the hunting party. [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. He refused to return to the hospital, and his family supported his decision. new reputation as a best-selling author. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said "Sam never took it down.". He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1940s. [7][8] Henriette's mother was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of Lieutenant General James Webber Smith CB. brought his career to a critical peak. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Bored with the peacetime army, he resigned his commission in 1933, relocated to New York, then travelled to Hollywood. Genealogy profile for David Niven Genealogy for David Niven (1804 - 1872) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Kristina Niven was born in 1960 in Switzerland to David Niven and Hjrdis Genberg, and has a sister Fiona Niven. The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy at the time. 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. James was baptized on month day 1825, at baptism place. [40] However, Kerr, Ustinov, and Coward were all honoured. He received his resident alien visa from the American consulate when his birth certificate arrived from Britain. [15], He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. Born on 15 December 1942 in Unknown, David Niven Jr. started his career as actor . David Niven Jr. is a British film producer, film actor and script writer who was an executive at Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. James David Graham Niven was born March 1, 1910, at Kirriemuir, Scotland. Fox Studios gave him the lead in a B picture, Dinner at the Ritz (1938) and he again had a supporting role in Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) directed by Ernst Lubitsch at Paramount. But six years later, she died at the age of 28, only six weeks after the family moved to the US. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. 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 . While playing "sardines", she walked through a door believing it led to a closet. On one occasion Prince Rainier asked Niven who among . 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 . James David Graham Niven was born on the feast day of St David. Long winter evenings in the north, 1919-29. I goggled. English private schools at the time of Niven's boyhood were noted for their strict and sometimes brutal discipline. 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. [19] With Rose's assistance, Niven was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. David Niven claims that he was born in March 1909, in Kirriemuir, in the county of Angus in Scotland. James David Graham Niven was born on 1 March 1910 at Belgrave Mansions, Grosvenor Gardens, London, to William Edward Graham Niven (18781915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (ne Degacher) Niven (18781932). In fact, Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No. Two hours later, he was back, full of rage. She was born in Wales, the daughter of army officer William Degacher (18411879) by his marriage to Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of Lieutenant General James Webber Smith. David Niven in FamilySearch Family Tree David Niven in Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910 view all 24 Immediate Family. In 1980 Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness and a warble in his voice. The more memorable ones included The Guns of Navarone (1961), and The Pink Panther (1963), Murder by Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), and The Sea Wolves (1980). As preparation Preminger, who had directed the play in New York, insisted that Niven appear on stage in the West Coast run. At the end of the lecture, the speaker (a major general) asked if there were any questions. extra. James Niven in Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. David Niven Jr.'s godfather was Nol Coward, who gave him a silver cocktail shaker with the . When the East wind blew, the front door got stuck and when the West wind blew, the back door could not be opened only the combined weight of the family seemed to keep it anchored to the ground. From there, he hired an agent and had several small parts in films from 1933, 1934 and 1935, including a non-speaking part in MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty. He reckoned that it was enough to He claimed to have been so grief-stricken that he thought for a while that he had gone mad. publication of an autobiography, "The Moon's a Balloon", he required a In the same year, Niven starred in the television miniseries A Man Called INTREPID, based on the supposed memoir of Sir William Stephenson, a Canadian master spy for British intelligence. He said that older pupils would regularly assault younger boys, while the schoolmasters were not much better. Both sound pretty fancy to me, but Niven's origin story involved anothereven greater . In this way his wife avoided disfigurement. Born August 26, 1951, in Saginaw, a son of Robert and Norma (Sian) Niven, David was raised in Saginaw and graduated from the Arthur Hill High School. Following Niven senior's death at Turkey's infamous Suvla Bay, Niven's mother went on to marry his biological father, the Conservative politician Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt, but it was years before the true father/son relationship was acknowledged. DAVID NIVEN OBITUARY. 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). Birth 28 October 1914 - St Andrews and St Leonards, Fife, , Scotland. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. 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. young officer who dies trying to get through the enemy lines. In 1964, he and Boyer appeared in the Four Star series The Rogues. second volume of reminiscences, concentrating on Hollywood By this time, Niven was having serious health problems. appear in films: "The First of the Few", with Leslie Howard, which New. $75.58 + $33.58 shipping. When the raw footage was reviewed, his voice was inaudible, and his lines had to be dubbed by Rich Little. The Rogues ran for only one season, but won a Golden Globe award. The Distinguished Alumni will be recognized at the Distinguished Alumni Awards . He attended Attleboro schools through high school, Class of 1938. [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. 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. 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. At a dinner in 1961. He was awarded the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor in Separate Tables. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. billing, and first real chance to show his gift for comedy, came in Niven joined what became known as the Hollywood Raj, a group of British actors in Hollywood which included Rex Harrison, Errol Flynn, Boris Karloff, Stan Laurel, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman, Leslie Howard and C. Aubrey Smith. . Between 1951 and 1956 he made 11 films, two of which were MGM productions and the rest were low-budget British or independent productions. After detours to Bermuda and Cuba, he arrived in Hollywood in 1934. Niven's role in Mutiny on the Bounty brought him to the attention of independent film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who signed him to a contract and established his career. In 1960, while filming Please Don't Eat the Daisies with Doris Day, Niven and Hjrdis separated for a few weeks, though they later reconciled. 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. Jessica Niven's age and the niceties of Wikipedia are currently absent on the internet . Henrietta Julia gave birth to James David Graham Niven on March 1, 1910 at the Belgrave Mansion in Grosvenor Gardens, London. He was lent to MGM for a minor part in Rose Marie (1936), then a larger one in Palm Springs (1936) at Paramount. He recounted their meeting: I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life tall, slim, auburn hair, up-tilted nose, lovely mouth and the most enormous grey eyes I had ever seen. Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report. Niven explained in his autobiography that there was no military way that he, a lieutenant-colonel, and Ustinov, who was only a private, could associate, other than as an officer and his subordinate, hence their strange "act". 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. Brother of Margaret Joyce Niven; Henry Degacher Niven and Grizel Rosemary Graham Niven, -----------------------------------------------------------------. Obituary. He was promoted to war-substantive captain on 18 August 1941.[24]. "Then it leaked out." The leak proved to be more of a slow puncture. Barbara Niven has only one child in her family, which is her little girl, Jessica Niven, who is also an artist by profession. He was famous for being a Movie Actor. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting, he learned that he needed a work permit to reside and work in the U.S. 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. Flynn in a re-make of "The Dawn Patrol" and in formidable competition (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). He is the son of actor David Niven and Primula Rollo. Niven was one of the four heroes in John Ford's Four Men and a Prayer (1938), also with Fox. Dave enjoyed his camp at East Green Bay, hockey games . unsettled childhood, being pushed by an unsympathetic step-father into Niven's grandfather William Degacher was killed in the Battle of Isandlwana (1879), during the Zulu War. Niven had a long, complex relationship with Goldwyn, who gave him his first start, but the dispute over The Elusive Pimpernel and Niven's demands for more money led to a long estrangement between the two in the 1950s.[31]. Niven plays the bumbling amateur who makes good but was recruited because all the other spies have been unfortunately lost - that's MI5. the latter were "Ask Any Girl", a good comedy with Shirley MacLaine; a David Niven Jr. Family Background & Career. She also divorced her second husband. Niven was not told of this; he learned it from a newspaper report. 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. Surprisingly few of his 90-odd films stay in the memory, famous names. [33] Niven was the only actor who played James Bond mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. X. I said, sir, you had discharged him, he left for Deauville to gamble at the casino. 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. At that point, Niven had a brief but pleasant reunion. Niven was also given a significant if largely unheralded role in the creation of SHAEF's military radio efforts conceived to provide entertainment to American, British and Canadian forces in England and Europe. It now appears that Niven recounted many incidents from a first-person perspective that actually happened to other people, especially Cary Grant, and which he borrowed and embroidered. 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