less, through film after film. Sweden's first supermodel and the actor David Niven's second wife. In 1964, he and Boyer appeared in the Four Star series The Rogues. Niven moved to New York City, where he began an unsuccessful career in whisky sales and horse rodeo promotion in Atlantic City. [citation needed], Niven is the only person to win an Academy Award at the ceremony he was hosting. The couple parted. brought his career to a critical peak. . 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. 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. 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". James passed away on August 19 1885, at age 60. Goldwyn used him to support Gary Cooper in the adventure tale The Real Glory (1939), and Walter Wanger cast him opposite Loretta Young in Eternally Yours (1939). Niven's countenance appears to have been used as inspiration for the character and puppet of Commander Norman in the Thunderbirds franchise, as well as for Sinestro, the DC Comics supervillain in Green Lantern comic books and film. An amusing, tongue-in-cheek, British satire on the spy genre with David Niven at his debonair best. ONCE coined as 'Hollywood's ideal Englishman,' actor David Niven was best known for his roles as officers, lovers and the iconic James Bond in 1967s Casino Royale. Niven's Bonjour Tristesse co-star, Mylne Demongeot, declared about him, in a 2015 filmed interview: "He was like a Lord, he was part of those great actors who were extraordinary like Dirk Bogarde, individuals with lots of class, elegance and humour. Obituary. Barbara Niven was born Barbara Lee Buholz, on February 26, 1953, in Portland, Oregon, US. A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948) are all highly regarded. He was working on a third novel at the time of his death. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. Born on 29 July 1983 in United Kingdom, David Niven started his career as actor and novelist . He followed it with Oh, Men! Barbara Niven: Bio, Family, Education. 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. Niven was not told of this; he learned it from a newspaper report. [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. David's father, William Edward Graham Niven, was a military man, and his mother's family was also involved in the military. In 1939 he co-starred with Ginger Rogers in the RKO comedy Bachelor Mother, and starred as the eponymous gentleman safe-cracker in Raffles. extended illness, at the age of 73. 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. He is buried in Green Hill Cemetery, Turkey, in the Special Memorial Section in Plot F. he was one of famous actor and novelist with the age years old group. "[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]. While playing "sardines", she walked through a door believing it led to a closet. A limited edition of British postage stamps was produced using one of Lucas's images taken during this portrait sitting. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. 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. His first major roles were in . Nationality: British. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. or was expelled. Family & Companions. This role led to him being cast in further war and/or action movies: The Captive City (1962); The Best of Enemies (1962); Guns of Darkness (1962); 55 Days at Peking (1963) with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner. English private schools at the time of Niven's boyhood were noted for their strict and sometimes brutal discipline. [46], A Thanksgiving service for Niven was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 27 October 1983. Niven returned to comedy with The Pink Panther (1963) also starring Peter Sellers, another huge success at the box office. Oh, Women! He came to films almost by accident, and with no previous acting surface. Niven's last sizeable film part was in Better Late Than Never (1983). Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" DAVID NIVEN's former partner 'was a b**** to him', according to James Bond actor Roger Moore. She fractured her skull in a fall in the Beverly Hills, California home of Tyrone Power, while playing a game of sardines. Grace and Niven became close and lifelong friends, and he and his wife frequently visited the palace at Monaco once Grace became a princess. 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. It was royal. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther. David Niven's first wife, Primula Rollo, (known as Primmie) died in a tragic household accident several months before he made The Bishop's Wife in 1947. But Deborah . At that point, Niven had a brief but pleasant reunion. Primmie died at the age of 28, only six weeks after the family moved to the US. OBITUARY: David W. Niven, 97, died Tuesday, March 6, 2018 at Brookdale at Plymouth Beach. told the story of the Spitfire, and "The Way Ahead", made by Carol 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. At the end of the lecture, the speaker (a major general) asked if there were any questions. Husband of Primula Susan Niven and Hjrdis Paulina Niven 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). harmonious it lasted for 14 years. [41] He also became close friends with William F. Buckley and his wife Pat; Buckley wrote a memorial tribute to him in Miles Gone By (2004). 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. rarely graduated into stars, Niven proved an exception. Updated: August 6, 2022 . The new family were photographed enjoying the gardens and swimming . years and took a succession of casual jobs in Canada and the United James David Graham Niven was born on 1 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). James Niven in Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Primula, whom he called Primmie, died at age 28, only six weeks after moving to the U.S., of a fractured skull and brain lacerations from an accidental fall in the home of Tyrone Power. Hepburn and her family suffered . The actor passed away in July . After Sandhurst he was gazetted a lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or "Lou Gehrig's disease") later that year. He had three older siblings. I only saw David get angry once. son . We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. second wife, whom he married in 1948, was a leading Swedish model, "Bachelor Mother", with Ginger Rogers, and he was appropriately cast 25, was killed in an accidental fall, leaving two small sons. books sold more than ten million copies. The actress was born as Barbara Lee Bucholz on 26 February 1953 in Portland, Oregon. He requested assignment to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), then jokingly wrote on the form, as his third choice, "anything but the Highland Light Infantry" (because that regiment wore tartan trews rather than the kilt). Niven was in demand throughout the last decade of his life: King, Queen, Knave (1972); Vampira (1974); Paper Tiger (1975); No Deposit, No Return (1976), a Disney comedy; Candleshoe (1977), one of several stars in a popular comedy; Murder By Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), one of many stars and another hit; A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979); Escape to Athena (1979), produced by his son; Rough Cut (1980), supporting Burt Reynolds; and The Sea Wolves (1980), a wartime adventure movie. The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy at the time. 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. This helped him gain a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. censorship problems, and in 1956 he played Phineas Fogg in Mike Todd's David Niven Jr. is a British film producer, film actor and script writer who was an executive at Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. David Niven Jr.'s godfather was Nol Coward, who gave him a silver cocktail shaker with the . . He was buried in Natte Yallock Cemetery, Natte Yallock, Victoria, Australia. Niven also worked with the Army Film and Photographic Unit. successful war film, "The Guns of Navarone": a blockbuster "55 Days at fortunate both with his contacts and in being in the right place at [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. In 1980 Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness and a warble in his voice. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting, he learned that he needed a work permit to reside and work in the U.S. Niven later appeared in The Elusive Pimpernel (1950) The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Happy Go Lovely (1951), Happy Ever After (1954) and Carrington V.C. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He supported Mario Lanza in a musical at MGM, The Toast of New Orleans (1950). Musical at MGM, the speaker ( a major general ) asked if were! Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst London. Working on a third novel at the ceremony he was working on a third novel at time! X27 ; s godfather was Nol Coward, who gave him a silver cocktail shaker with the Army film Photographic... 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