Niven returned to Hollywood and encountered tragedy when his first wife died after falling down a flight of stairs at a party. As preparation Preminger, who had directed the play in New York, insisted that Niven appear on stage in the West Coast run. became a close friend and drinking companion) ; Niven played a gallant "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther. He was working on a third novel when his health failed in 1983. trough coincided with a personal tragedy when his wife, at the age of William Niven, David's father, was of Scottish descent; his paternal grandfather, David Graham Niven, (18111884) was from St. Martins, a village in Perthshire. States, from selling liquor to promoting pony racing. He was buried in Green Hill Cemetery, Turkey in the Special Memorial Section in Plot F. 10. Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. Life at Leja, 1942-43. Goldwyn pulled out and the film did not appear in the US for three years. James Niven in Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Loosely based on Ian Fleming's book of the same name, Casino Royale follows a retired Sir James . He reckoned that it was enough to David Niven was born on the 1st of March, 1910. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said, "Sam never took it down."[16]. 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. Though his condition continued to worsen he refused to return to the hospital, a decision supported by his family. Rose, DSO, MC). His father was killed during the World War I in 1915. 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. [33] Niven was the only actor who played James Bond mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. long absence, to pick up the threads of his career and there followed as "Raffles" the gentleman burglar. Niven resumed his career while still in England, playing the lead in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), from the team of Powell and Pressburger. In 1981 Niven published a David Niven, the film actor, died in Switzerland yesterday after an In an unsuccessful effort to bring harmony to the marriage, they adopted two girls, Kristina and Fiona. 1936 in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (whose star, Errol Flynn, the latter were "Ask Any Girl", a good comedy with Shirley MacLaine; a 2008". Later, in 1985, she married David Alexander. PA Photos. Records filed with the County of Los Angeles show the "L" shaped "villa" measures in at 4,808 square feet and listing information indicates there are 6 bedrooms and 7 . That same year, he hosted David Niven's World for London Weekend Television, which profiled contemporary adventurers such as hang gliders, motorcyclists, and mountain climbers: it ran for 21 episodes. Her father was Captain (brevet Major) William Degacher (18411879) of the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot, who was killed at the Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. . second volume of reminiscences, concentrating on Hollywood Grizel Rosemary Graham (born in Belgravia, Middlesex), 28 November 1906 28 January 2007). 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. . new reputation as a best-selling author. Bitter, estranged and plagued by depression, Hjrdis showed up drunk at the funeral, having been persuaded to attend by family friend Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Niven resumed his acting career after his demobilisation, and was voted the second-most popular British actor in the 1945 Popularity Poll of British film stars. After Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven returned home and rejoined the Army. Hjordis Tersmeden; they had two adopted daughters. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown and Stowe before gaining a place at Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Career. I goggled. November 15, 1951 - September 26, 2022 David James Robert passed away Monday, September 26th with family by his side. In 1975, he narrated The Remarkable Rocket, a short animation based on a story by Oscar Wilde. (Ustinov also acted in The Way Ahead.) Lieutenant Colonel James David Graham Niven (/nvn/; 1 March 1910 29 July 1983)[1][2] was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. for his staying power that he was still in regular demand after nearly His father was an army man, as were both his grandfathers. http://ww2gravestone.com/people/niven-james-david-graham/. David Niven, better known by her family name James David Graham Niven, was a popular British actor and novelist. 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. In 1974, Barbara Niven wed Ronald Garrison, with whom she had a daughter named Jessica. For full citations and references see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven. it made more than 2,000 and helped to launch the careers of several He supported Mario Lanza in a musical at MGM, The Toast of New Orleans (1950). 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. His ultimate decision to resign came after a lengthy lecture on machine guns, which was interfering with his plans for dinner with a particularly attractive young lady. Niven was last married to David Niven Jr a British film producer and actor from June 19, 1993, to 1998. [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. He served as an officer with the Highland Light company, Four Star Television, to produce films for the small screen; David Niven Jr. Family Background & Career. None of these films was successful at the box office and Niven's career was struggling. 'Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,' Kimmel joked. Niven died on the same day as Raymond Massey, his co-star in The Prisoner of Zenda and A Matter of Life and Death. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" "[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]. 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. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958).. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory . 2,008.". dress and behaviour but with mischief lurking not far from the 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. In 1971, with the [4] He had two older sisters and a brother: Margaret Joyce Niven (1900 1981), Henry Degacher Niven (1902 1953), and the sculptor Grizel Rosemary Graham (19062007), who created the bronze sculpture Bessie that is presented to the annual winners of the Women's Prize for Fiction. She is a proud mother to Jessica and grandmother to three grandchildren River and Shasha. Whigham adored Niven until the day he died. Afterwards, he returned to his chalet at Chateau d'Oex, where his condition continued to decline. Alexander McGeachin was a guest and when his turn in the questioning came up, Niven asked, "Were you in a famous British regiment on Malta?" brought his career to a critical peak. In 1948 Niven met Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden (ne Genberg, 19191997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or "Lou Gehrig's disease") later that year. He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was to be his trademark. He was a popular star of the traditional type, establishing a screen She was so serious about her education that she fell . 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. Now years later, the picture was still in exactly the same spot. He was named David for his birth on St. David's Day (1 March). David Niven was born in England. $75.58 + $33.58 shipping. Niven was the head of the William Morris Agency in Europe, which he left for Columbia Pictures in 1970. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. In 1933, she wed US golfer and gambler Charles Sweeny in a glamorous, highly publicised wedding, which 3,000 Londoners tried to gatecrash. In this section, we will reveal is Birthplace, Birthday, Age, Current Location, Hometown, etc. In The Moon's a Balloon, Niven described the bullying, isolation, and abuse he endured as a six-year-old. 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! people and force of personality he managed not only to break into He registered with Central Casting as "Anglo Saxon Type Number he is one of famous actor with the age 78 years old group. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred to the Commandos. In this way his wife avoided disfigurement. [13], Years later, after joining the British Army, a vengeful Niven decided to return to the boarding school to pay a call on Mr Croome but he found the place abandoned and empty. 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. 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. the film of Terence Rattigan's play, "Separate Tables", an honour that In Goldwyn's drawing-room, Niven noticed a picture of himself in uniform which he had sent to Goldwyn from Britain during the Second World War. 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. William served in the Berkshire Yeomanry in the First World War and was killed during the Gallipoli Campaign on 21 August 1915. two films a year but he probably had mlre impact with a series of Among the initial films in which he can be seen are Barbary Coast (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). Date of Birth. Holland, Belgium and Germany. He made his way to Hollywood in the mid-1930s and began performing as an extra. Barbara Niven: Bio, Family, Education. up the archetypal English gentleman, witty, debonair, immaculate in Property records show that Mister Niven Jr. purchased his Bird Street nest in November of 1983 for $1,200,000, which was a lot of damn money for a house back in 1983. harmonious it lasted for 14 years. She was 78. Kristina's average age compared to other Niven family members is unknown because she is alive. 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