- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJames David Graham Niven
- Nickname
- Niv
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- James David Graham Niven was born on the feast day of St David. 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 attended Stowe School and Sandhurst Military Academy and served for two years in Malta with the Highland Light Infantry. At the outbreak of World War II, although a top-line star, he re-joined the army (Rifle Brigade). He did agreed to appear in two films during the war, both of strong propaganda value (Spitfire (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944)).
Despite six years' virtual absence from the screen, he came in second in the 1945 Popularity Poll of British film stars. Upon his return to Hollywood after the war he was made a Legionnaire of the Order of Merit (the highest U.S. order that can be awarded to a non-citizen), which was presented to Lt. Col. Niven by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook/Robert Sieger
- SpousesHjördis Genberg(January 14, 1948 - July 29, 1983) (his death, 2 children)Primula Rollo(September 16, 1940 - May 21, 1946) (her death, 2 children)
- Children
- ParentsWilliam Edward Graham NivenHenriette Julia Degacher
- [names]: his characters are often named after his real-life friends, or refer to his real-life friends as sources of information.
- Charming public persona and characters
- Dry but sardonic English wit
- A natty dresser often with a thin moustache and slick hair
- At his funeral, the largest wreath was from the porters at Heathrow Airport. There was a card which read, "To the finest Gentlemen who ever walked these halls. He made a porter feel like a King".
- Became friends with Clark Gable during the 1930s. While Gable was serving in England during World War II, he used to stay over at the Nivens' cottage and spend time with Niven's wife and children. A few years later Niven's wife died in a tragic accident, and Gable did his best to comfort him. Niven said, "Clark was drawing on his own awful experience [his wife Carole Lombard 's tragic death] to steer me through mine".
- His first wife, Primula Rollo, died tragically while attending a dinner at fellow actor Tyrone Power 's house. After dinner, while playing hide and seek, she opened what she thought was a closet door but instead tumbled down the basement stairs and onto the concrete floor. She died shortly after.
- After the UK declared war in 1939, he was one of the first expatriate British actors to go back and join the army. Although Niven had a reputation for telling good stories over and over again, he was totally silent about his war experience. He said once: "I will, however, tell you just one thing about the war, my first story and my last. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. 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".
- During his war service, his batman was Pvt. Peter Ustinov.
- I've been lucky enough to win an Oscar, write a best-seller-my other dream would be to have a painting in the Louvre. The only way that's going to happen is if I paint a dirty one on the wall of the gentlemen's lavatory.
- [on Separate Tables (1958)] They gave me very good lines and then cut to Deborah Kerr while I was saying them.
- [during an Academy Award presentation. responding to the unexpected entrance of a streaker] 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?
- I have a face that is a cross between two pounds of halibut and an explosion in an old clothes closet.
- Can you imagine being wonderfully overpaid for dressing up and playing games?
- Casino Royale (1967) - $500,000
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