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| {{Short description|British actor and novelist (1910–1983)}}
| | #REDIRECT [[w:David Niven]] |
| {{Infobox person
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| | image = David Niven 4 Allan Warren.jpg
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| | caption = Niven in 1973.<br />Photograph by [[w:Allan Warren|Allan Warren]]
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| | birth_name = James David Graham Niven
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| | birth_date = {{birth date|1910|03|01|df=yes}}
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| | birth_place = [[w:London|London]], England
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| | death_date = {{death date and age|1983|07|29|1910|03|01|df=yes}}
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| | death_place = [[w:Château-d'Œx|Château-d'Œx]], Switzerland
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| | resting_place = Château-d'Œx Cemetery
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| | education = [[w:Heatherdown Preparatory School|Heatherdown Preparatory School]]<br />[[w:Stowe School|Stowe School]]
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| | alma_mater = [[w:Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Royal Military College]]
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| | occupation = Actor, author
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| | years_active = 1932–1983
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| | spouse = {{Plainlist|
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| *{{marriage|Primula Susan Rollo|1940|1946|reason=d.}}
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| *{{marriage|[[w:Hjördis Paulina Genberg|Hjördis Paulina Genberg]]|1948}}
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| }}
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| | children = 4, including [[w:David Niven Jr.]]
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| | module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
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| | allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
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| | branch = [[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|25px]] [[w:British Army|British Army]]
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| | serviceyears = 1930–1933<br />1940–1945
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| | servicenumber = 44959
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| | unit = [[w:Highland Light Infantry]]<br />[[w:Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)|Rifle Brigade]]
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| | rank = [[File:British Army OF-4.svg|15px]] [[w:Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant colonel]]
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| | battles = [[Second World War]]
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| | awards = [[File:Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|25px]] [[w:Legion of Merit|Legion of Merit]]
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| }}
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| }}
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| '''James David Graham Niven''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɪ|v|ən}}; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983)<ref>{{cite ODNB |title=Niven, (James) David Graham (1910–1983), actor and author |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101031503 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31503 |access-date=8 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Obituaries |work=[[The Times]] |date=30 July 1983}}</ref> was a British soldier, actor, memoirist, and novelist. He won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance as Major Pollock in ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'' (1958). Niven's other roles included [[Squadron Leader]] Peter Carter in ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), [[Phileas Fogg]] in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956), Sir Charles Lytton ("the Phantom") in ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'' (1963), and [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]] in ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967).
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| Born in London, Niven attended [[Heatherdown Preparatory School]] and [[Stowe School]] before gaining a place at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. After Sandhurst, he joined the [[British Army]] and was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[Highland Light Infantry]]. Upon developing an interest in [[acting]], he found a role as an extra in the British film [[There Goes the Bride (1932 film)|''There Goes the Bride'']] (1932). Bored with the peacetime army, he resigned his commission in 1933, relocated to New York, then travelled to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]. 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 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' (1935). This helped him gain a contract with [[Samuel Goldwyn]].
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| Parts in major motion pictures followed, including ''[[Dodsworth (film)|Dodsworth]]'' (1936), ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936), and ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1937). By 1938, he was starring as the leading man in other 'A' films. Upon the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Niven returned to Britain and rejoined the army, being recommissioned as a [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]]. In 1942, he co-starred in the morale-building film about the development of the [[Supermarine Spitfire]] fighter, ''[[The First of the Few]]'' (American title ''Spitfire''), which was enthusiastically endorsed by [[Winston Churchill]].
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| 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. He appeared in ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' (1947) with [[Cary Grant]], and ''[[Enchantment (1948 film)|Enchantment]]'' (1948), all of which received critical acclaim. Niven later appeared in ''[[The Elusive Pimpernel (1950 film)|The Elusive Pimpernel]]'' (1950), ''[[The Toast of New Orleans]]'' (1950), ''[[Happy Go Lovely]]'' (1951), ''[[Happy Ever After (1954 film)|Happy Ever After]]'' (1954), and ''[[Carrington V.C. (film)|Carrington V.C.]]'' (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in [[Mike Todd|Michael Todd]]'s production of ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956). Niven appeared in many shows for television and nearly 100 films. He also began writing books, with considerable commercial success. 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.
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| ==Early life and family==
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| James David Graham Niven was born on 1 March 1910 at [[Grosvenor Gardens House|Belgrave Mansions]], [[Grosvenor Gardens]], London, to William Edward Graham Niven (1878–1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (née Degacher) Niven (1878–1932).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morley |first1=Sheridan |title=David Niven, Brief Lives |date=1997 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |isbn=0198600879 |page=413}}</ref> He was named David after his birth on [[Saint David's Day|St David's Day]]. Niven later claimed he was born in [[Kirriemuir]], in the [[Scotland|Scottish]] county of [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]] in 1909, but his birth certificate disproves this.<ref name="OtherSide">{{Cite book|last=Morley|first=Sheridan|author-link=Sheridan Morley|title=The Other Side of the Moon|year=1985|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|location=London|isbn=0-340-39643-1}}</ref> He had two older sisters and a brother: Margaret Joyce Niven (1900{{snd}}1981), Henry Degacher Niven (1902{{snd}}1953), and the sculptor [[Grizel Niven|Grizel Rosemary Graham]] (1906–2007), who created the [[bronze sculpture]] ''Bessie'' that is presented to the annual winners of the [[Women's Prize for Fiction]].
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| Niven's father, William Niven, was of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] descent; he was killed in the [[First World War]] serving with the [[Berkshire Yeomanry]] during the [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli campaign]] on 21 August 1915. He is buried in [[Green Hill Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Green Hill Cemetery]], Turkey, in the Special Memorial Section in Plot F. 10.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/602423 |title=Casualty details—Niven, William Edward Graham |publisher=[[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]] |access-date=4 September 2009}}</ref> Niven's paternal grandfather and namesake, David Graham Niven, (1811–1884) was from St Martin's, a village in [[Perthshire]].
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| Niven's mother, Henriette, was born in [[Brecon]], [[Breconshire]], Wales. Her father was Captain (and acting-major) William Degacher (1841–1879) of the 1st Battalion, [[South Wales Borderers|24th Regiment of Foot]], who was killed at the [[Battle of Isandlwana]] during the [[Anglo-Zulu War]] in 1879.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Times|title=Marriages|date= 26 October 1888}}</ref> Although born William Hitchcock, in 1874, he and his older brother Lieutenant Colonel Henry Degacher (1835-1902), both followed their father, Walter Henry Hitchcock, in taking their mother's maiden name of Degacher.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Times|title=Notices|date= 18 February 1874|page= 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/britishinfantry/24thfootdegacher.htm|title=Henry James Degacher CB|website=www.britishempire.co.uk|access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> Henriette's mother was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of [[Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant General]] [[James Webber Smith]] [[Order of the Bath|CB]].
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| After her husband's death in Turkey in 1915, Henrietta Niven remarried in London in 1917 to Conservative politician Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt (1869 - 1961).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hjordisniven.com/hjordis-genberg-niven-1948/1917-thomas-comyn-platt-henriette-niven/|title=1917 – David Niven's mother marries Thomas Comyn Platt| website=hjordisniven.com|date=17 December 2017 |access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref> The family moved to Rose Cottage in [[Bembridge]] on the [[Isle of Wight]] after selling their London home.<ref name="country">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/property/south-east-england-property-for-sale/david-nivens-idyllic-childhood-home-comes-sale-adored-happier-ever-210749|title=David Niven's idyllic childhood home comes up for sale: 'I adored it and was happier there than I had ever been' |magazine =[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]|date= 23 January 2020|quote = Part of the reason that the young Niven enjoyed his school holidays in Bembridge so much is that his mother saw very clearly that her two teenage sons needed space and freedom to let their hair down — so much so, in fact, that she built an extension to the rear of the house which was quickly dubbed the ‘Sin Wing’. [When] David and his brother used to come in rather noisily at night [...] his mother got a bit cross so she built two bedrooms and a bathroom at the back. }}</ref> In his 1971 biography, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]'', Niven wrote fondly of his childhood home:
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| <blockquote>It became necessary for the house in London to be sold and our permanent address was now as advertised — a cottage which had a reputation for unreliability. 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. I adored it and was happier there than I had ever been, especially because, with a rare flash of genius, my mother decided that during the holidays she would be alone with her children. Uncle Tommy was barred – I don’t know where he went – to the [[Carlton Club]] I suppose.<ref name="country"/></blockquote>
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| 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. In a review of Lord's book, [[Hugh Massingberd]] from ''[[The Spectator]]'' stated photographic evidence did show a strong physical resemblance between Niven and Comyn-Platt that "would appear to confirm these theories, though photographs can often be misleading."<ref name="HM">{{cite magazine|last=Massingberd|first= Hugh|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/20678/its-being-so-cheerful-that-keeps-me-going.thtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421070632/http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/20678/its-being-so-cheerful-that-keeps-me-going.thtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-21|title=It's being so cheerful that keeps me going|date= 15 November 2003|magazine=The Spectator|access-date= 25 May 2009}}</ref> Niven is said to have revealed that he knew Comyn-Platt was his real father a year before his own death in 1983.<ref name="Irish">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/the-flawed-real-life-of-the-perfect-movie-gentleman-26552274.html|title=The flawed real life of the perfect movie gentleman|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date= 19 July 2009}}</ref>
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| After his mother remarried, Niven's stepfather had him sent away to boarding school. In ''The Moon's a Balloon'', Niven described the bullying, isolation, and abuse he endured as a six-year-old. He said that older pupils would regularly assault younger boys, while the schoolmasters were not much better. Niven wrote of one sadistic teacher:
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| <blockquote>Mr Croome, when he tired of pulling ears halfway out of our heads (I still have one that sticks out almost at right-angles thanks to this son of a bitch) and delivering, for the smallest mistake in [[Latin declension]], backhanded slaps that knocked one off one’s bench, delighted in saying, ‘Show me the hand that wrote this’ — then bringing down the sharp edge of a heavy ruler across the offending wrist.<ref name="moon">{{cite book| isbn = 9780140239249|year= 1971|type= Reprint (2005)|title=The Moon's a Balloon|publisher= Penguin Books Limited|first= David|last= Niven|pages=38–45}}</ref></blockquote>
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| 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.<ref name="moon"/>
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| While attending school{{snd}}as was customary for the time{{snd}}Niven received many instances of [[corporal punishment]] owing to his inclination for pranks. It was this behaviour that finally led to his expulsion from his next school, [[Heatherdown Preparatory School]], at the age of 10½. This ended his chances for [[Eton College]], a significant blow to his family. 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. Thoughtful and kind, he addressed the boys by their first names, allowed them bicycles, and encouraged and nurtured their personal interests. 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."<ref name="moon"/>
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| In 1928, an 18-year-old Niven had sex with 15-year-old [[Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll|Margaret Whigham]] (the future socialite and [[Duchess of Argyll]]) while she was on holiday in Bembridge. To the fury of her father, Niven got Whigham pregnant. She was rushed into a London nursing home for a secret termination. "All hell broke loose," remembered Elizabeth Duckworth, the family cook. Whigham adored Niven until the day he died. She was among the VIP guests at his London memorial service.<ref>{{cite book| title=Niv: The Authorised Biography of David Niven|first= Graham |last=Lord|publisher= Orion|year= 2004|page= 420}}</ref>
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| ==Military service==
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| In 1928, Niven attended the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. He graduated in 1930 with a commission as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[British Army]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33575 |supp=y |pages=651–652 |date=31 January 1930}}</ref>
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| He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. He requested assignment to the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]] or the [[Black Watch|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 [[Trews|tartan trews]] rather than the [[kilt]]). He was assigned to the HLI, with which he served for two years in [[Malta]] and then for a few months in [[Dover]]. In Malta, he became friends with [[Roy Urquhart]], future commander of the [[1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|British 1st Airborne Division]].<ref name="Moon">{{cite book |author=David Niven |title=The Moon's a Balloon |year=1971 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |location=London |isbn=0-340-15817-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/moonsballoon00davi}}</ref> On 21 October 1956, in an episode of the game show ''[[What's My Line?]]'', Niven, as a member of the celebrity panel, was reacquainted with one of his former enlisted men. 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?" After McGeachin affirmed that he was, Niven quipped, "Did you have the misfortune to have me as your officer?". At that point, Niven had a brief but pleasant reunion.<ref>{{YouTube|T74qnT7WFZw|What's My Line? - Lerner & Loewe; Bishop Sheen; David Niven [panel] (Oct 21, 1956)}}</ref>
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| Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. Though promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 1 January 1933,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33907 |page=674 |date=31 January 1933}}</ref> he saw no opportunity for further advancement. His ultimate decision to resign came after a lengthy lecture on [[machine gun]]s, which was interfering with his plans for dinner with a particularly attractive young lady. At the end of the lecture, the speaker (a major general) asked if there were any questions. Showing the typical rebelliousness of his early years, Niven asked, "Could you tell me the time, sir? I have to catch a train."<ref name="Moon"/>
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| 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. Rose, DSO, MC).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/8088407/Lieutenant-Colonel-David-Rose.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/army-obituaries/8088407/Lieutenant-Colonel-David-Rose.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Lieutenant-Colonel David Rose |newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=26 October 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> With Rose's assistance, Niven was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. He then headed for America. While crossing the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], Niven resigned his commission by [[telegram]] on 6 September 1933.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33975 |page=5801 |date=5 September 1933}}</ref> In New York City, Niven began a brief and unsuccessful career in whisky sales, followed by a stint in horse [[rodeo]] promotion in [[Atlantic City]], New Jersey. After detours to [[Bermuda]] and [[Cuba]], he arrived in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1934.
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| ==Early film career==
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| ===As an extra===
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| When Niven presented himself at [[Central Casting]], he learned that he needed a [[work permit]] to reside and work in the United States. As this required leaving the US, he went to [[Mexico]], where he worked as a "gun-man", cleaning and polishing the rifles of visiting American hunters. He received his [[Permanent residence (United States)|resident alien visa]] from the American consulate when his birth certificate arrived from [[UK|Britain]]. He returned to the US and was accepted by Central Casting as "Anglo-Saxon Type No. 2,008."<!--David Niven - Parkinson Interview Ji_K_jpCZSE -->
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| Among the initial films in which he can be seen are ''[[Barbary Coast (film)|Barbary Coast]]'' (1935) and ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' (1935). He secured a small role in ''[[A Feather in Her Hat]]'' (1935) at [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] before returning to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] for a bit role, billed as David Nivens, in ''[[Rose Marie (1936 film)|Rose Marie]]'' (1936).
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| ===Sam Goldwyn===
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| 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.
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| For Goldwyn, Niven again had a small role in ''[[Splendor (1935 film)|Splendor]]'' (1935). He was lent to MGM for a minor part in ''[[Rose Marie (1936 film)|Rose Marie]]'' (1936), then a larger one in ''[[Palm Springs (1936 film)|Palm Springs]]'' (1936) at Paramount.
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| His first sizeable role for Goldwyn came in ''[[Dodsworth (film)|Dodsworth]]'' (1936), playing a man who flirts with [[Ruth Chatterton]]. In that same year he was again loaned out, to 20th Century Fox to play [[Bertie Wooster]] in ''[[Thank You, Jeeves!]]'' (1936), before finally landing a sizable role as a soldier in ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936) at Warners, an Imperial adventure film starring his housemate at the time, [[Errol Flynn]].
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| Niven was fourth billed in ''[[Beloved Enemy]]'' (1936) for Goldwyn, supporting [[Merle Oberon]] with whom he became romantically involved. 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 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1937).
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| 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. Niven was one of the four heroes in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[Four Men and a Prayer]]'' (1938), also with Fox. He remained with Fox to play the part of a fake love interest in ''[[Three Blind Mice (1938 film)|Three Blind Mice]]'' (1938).
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| 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 (actor)|Leslie Howard]],<ref>Eforgan, E. (2010) ''Leslie Howard: The Lost Actor.'' London: [[Vallentine Mitchell]]; p. 94 {{ISBN|978-0-85303-971-6}}</ref> and [[C. Aubrey Smith]]. According to his autobiography, [[Errol Flynn]] and he were firm friends and rented [[Rosalind Russell]]'s house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad.
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| ===Leading man===
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| [[File:Errol Flynn and David Niven in The Dawn Patrol (1938 film) 02.png|right|thumb|upright|With [[Errol Flynn]] in ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' (1938)]]
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| Niven graduated to star parts in "A" films with ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' (1938) remake at Warners; although he was billed below Errol Flynn and [[Basil Rathbone]], it was a leading role and the film did excellent business. Niven was reluctant to take a supporting part in ''[[Wuthering Heights (1939 film)|Wuthering Heights]]'' (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success.
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| RKO borrowed him to play [[Ginger Rogers]]' leading man in the romantic comedy ''[[Bachelor Mother]]'' (1939), which was another big hit. 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 (film)|Eternally Yours]]'' (1939). Finally, Goldwyn granted Niven a lead part, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safe-cracker in ''[[Raffles (1939 film)|Raffles]]'' (1939).
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| ==Second World War==
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| The day after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven returned home and rejoined the British Army. He was alone among British stars in Hollywood in doing so; the [[British Embassy, Washington, D.C.|British Embassy]] advised most actors to stay.<ref name=friedrich1986>{{cite book|last=Friedrich|first=Otto|title=City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s|year=1986|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley and Los Angeles|isbn=0-520-20949-4|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x8AFchW4JsC&pg=PA6}}</ref>
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| Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant in the [[Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)]] on 25 February 1940,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34823 |supp=y|page=1978|date=5 September 1933}}</ref> and was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred to the [[British Commandos|Commandos]]. He was assigned to a training base at [[Inverailort House]] in the Western [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]]. Niven later claimed credit for bringing future [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Robert Laycock|Sir Robert E. Laycock]] to the Commandos. Niven commanded "A" Squadron [[GHQ Liaison Regiment]], better known as "Phantom". He was promoted to war-substantive [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 18 August 1941.<ref>{{cite book |date=1943 |title=The Quarterly Army List (October–December 1943: Part II) |location=London |publisher=[[HM Stationery Office]] |page=1368b |url=https://archive.org/details/armylistjanpart121944gre/page/1796/mode/2up}}</ref>
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| ===Film work===
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| [[File:Eternally Yours still.jpg|right|thumb|upright|With [[Loretta Young]] in ''[[Eternally Yours (film)|Eternally Yours]]'' (1939)]]
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| [[File:First-of-the-Few-1942-Howard-Niven.jpg|right|thumb|upright|With [[Leslie Howard]] in ''[[The First of the Few]]'' (1942)]]
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| Niven also worked with the [[Army Film and Photographic Unit]]. His work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor actor [[M. E. Clifton James]] to impersonate [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Bernard Montgomery|Sir Bernard Montgomery]]. During his work with the AFPU, [[Peter Ustinov]], one of the script-writers, had to pose as Niven's [[Batman (army)|batman]]. Niven explained in his autobiography that there was no military way that he, a [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]], and Ustinov, who was only a [[private (rank)|private]], could associate, other than as an officer and his subordinate, hence their strange "act". In 1978, Niven and Ustinov would star together in a film adaption of [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]''.
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| 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. These were ''[[The First of the Few]]'' (1942), directed by [[Leslie Howard (actor)|Leslie Howard]], and ''[[The Way Ahead]]'' (1944), directed by [[Carol Reed]]. [[Peter Ustinov]] also played a large supporting role as a Frenchman in ''The Way Ahead''.
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| 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. In 1944 he worked extensively with the [[BBC]] and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. He also worked extensively with Major [[Glenn Miller]], whose Army Air Force big band, formed in the US, was performing and broadcasting for troops in England. 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.
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| ===Europe===
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| On 14 March 1944, Niven was promoted war-substantive major (temporary lieutenant-colonel).<ref>{{cite book |date=1945 |title=The Quarterly Army List (April–June 1945: Part II) |location=London |publisher=[[HM Stationery Office]] |page=1368b |url=https://archive.org/details/armylistjulpart121945grea/page/2058/mode/2up}}</ref> He took part in the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[invasion of Normandy]] in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days after [[Normandy landings|D-Day]]. He served in "[[GHQ Liaison Regiment|Phantom]]", a secret reconnaissance and signals unit which located and reported enemy positions,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/five-film-stars-wartime-roles|title=Five Film Stars' Wartime Roles|website=Imperial War Museums}}</ref> and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Niven was posted at one time to [[Chilham]] in [[Kent]]. He spoke little about his experience in the war, despite public interest in celebrities in combat and a reputation for storytelling. He once said:
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| {{blockquote|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]].<br /> 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.}}
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| Niven had particular scorn for those newspaper columnists covering the war who typed out self-glorifying and excessively florid prose about their meagre wartime experiences. Niven stated, "Anyone who says a bullet sings past, hums past, flies, pings, or whines past, has never heard one{{snd}}they go ''crack''!" He gave a few details of his war experience in his autobiography, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]:'' his private conversations with [[Winston Churchill]], the [[The Blitz|bombing of London]], and what it was like entering Germany with the occupation forces. Niven first met Churchill at a dinner party in February 1940. 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. Mark you, had you not done so{{snd}}it would have been despicable."<ref name="Moon"/>
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| A few stories have surfaced. About to lead his men into action, Niven eased their nervousness by telling them, "Look, you chaps only have to do this once. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" Asked by suspicious American sentries during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] who had won the [[1943 World Series|World Series in 1943]], he answered, "Haven't the foggiest idea, but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in ''[[Bachelor Mother]]''!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/18/david-niven-british-star-hollywood-enlist-world-war-2/|title=David Niven was the only British star in Hollywood to enlist during WWII|date=18 August 2016}}</ref>
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| Niven ended the war as a [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]]. On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the [[Legion of Merit]], an American military decoration.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37340 |date=8 November 1945 |page=5461 |supp=y}}</ref> It honoured Niven's work in setting up the [[BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme]], a radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7698398|title=Recommendation for Award for Niven, John David Rank: Lieutenant Colonel|work=DocumentsOnline|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]|format=fee usually required to view full pdf of original recommendation|access-date=7 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37340 |supp=y|page=5461|date=6 November 1945}}</ref>
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| ==Postwar career==
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| [[File:David Niven in Enchantment (1948).jpg|thumb|Niven in ''[[Enchantment (1948 film)|Enchantment]]'' (1948)]]
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| Niven resumed his career while still in England, playing the lead in ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), from the team of [[Powell and Pressburger]]. The movie was critically acclaimed, popular in England and was selected as the first [[Royal Film Performance]].
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| ===Return to Hollywood===
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| Niven returned to Hollywood and encountered tragedy when his first wife died after falling down a flight of stairs at a party. 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).
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| For Goldwyn he supported [[Cary Grant]] and Young in ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' (1947). He returned to England when Goldwyn lent him to [[Alexander Korda]] to play the title role in ''[[Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948 film)|Bonnie Prince Charlie]]'' (1948), a notorious box office flop.
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| Back in Hollywood Niven was in Goldwyn's ''[[Enchantment (1948 film)|Enchantment]]'' (1948). At Warner Bros he was in a comedy ''[[A Kiss in the Dark (1949 film)|A Kiss in the Dark]]'' (1948), then he appeared opposite [[Shirley Temple]] in the comedy ''[[A Kiss for Corliss]]'' (1949). None of these films was successful at the box office and Niven's career was struggling.
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| He returned to Britain to play the title role in ''[[The Elusive Pimpernel (1950 film)|The Elusive Pimpernel]]'' (1950) from Powell and Pressberger, which was to have been financed by Korda and Goldwyn. Goldwyn pulled out and the film did not appear in the US for three years. 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51974399|title=David Niven's Own Story|newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]]|date=15 September 1971|access-date=7 July 2012|page=15|publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
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| ===Career decline===
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| [[File:David Niven in The Toast of New Orleans trailer.jpg|thumb|upright|In ''[[The Toast of New Orleans]]'' (1950) trailer]]
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| Niven struggled for a while to recapture his former position. He supported [[Mario Lanza]] in a musical at MGM, ''[[The Toast of New Orleans]]'' (1950). He then went to England and appeared in a musical with [[Vera-Ellen]], ''[[Happy Go Lovely]]'' (1951); it was little seen in the US but was a big hit in Britain. He had a support role in MGM's ''[[Soldiers Three (film)|Soldiers Three]]'' (1951) similar to those early in his career. Niven had a far better part in the British war film ''[[Appointment with Venus (film)|Appointment with Venus]]'' (1952), which was popular in England. ''[[The Lady Says No]]'' (1952) was a poorly received American comedy at the time.
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| ===Comeback===
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| Niven decided to try Broadway, appearing opposite [[Gloria Swanson]] in ''Nina'' (1951–52). 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 (film)|The Moon Is Blue]]'' (1953). As preparation Preminger, who had directed the play in New York, insisted that Niven appear on stage in the West Coast run. ''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.
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| Niven's next few films were made in England: ''[[The Love Lottery]]'' (1954), a comedy; ''[[Carrington V.C. (film)|Carrington V.C.]]'' (1954), a drama that earned Niven a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor; ''[[Happy Ever After (1954 film)|Happy Ever After]]'' (1954), a comedy with [[Yvonne de Carlo]], which was hugely popular in Britain.
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| In Hollywood, he had a thankless role as the villain in an MGM swashbuckler ''[[The King's Thief]]'' (1955). He had a better part in ''[[The Birds and the Bees (film)|The Birds and the Bees]]'' (1956), portraying a conman in a remake of ''[[The Lady Eve]]'' (1941), in which Niven played a third-billed supporting role under American television comedian [[George Gobel]] and [[leading lady]] [[Mitzi Gaynor]]. Niven also appeared in the British [[romantic comedy]] ''[[The Silken Affair]]'' (1956) with [[Geneviève Page]] the same year.
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| ===''Around the World in 80 Days''===
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| Niven's professional fortunes were completely restored when cast as [[Phileas Fogg]] in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956), a huge hit at the box office. It also won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. He followed it with ''[[Oh, Men! Oh, Women!]]'' (1957); ''[[The Little Hut]]'' (1957), from the writer of ''The Moon is Blue'' and a success at the box office; ''[[My Man Godfrey (1957 film)|My Man Godfrey]]'' (1957), a screwball comedy; and ''[[Bonjour Tristesse (film)|Bonjour Tristesse]]'' (1958), for Preminger. Niven worked in television. 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. The show was produced by [[Four Star Television]], which was co-owned and founded by Niven, [[Ida Lupino]], [[Dick Powell]] and [[Charles Boyer]]. The show ended in 1955, but Four Star TV became a highly successful TV production company. {{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}
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| ===''Separate Tables''===
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| [[File:David Niven 1958.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Drawing of Niven commemorating his 1958 Oscar win for ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'']]
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| [[File:David Niven in 1959.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Host/Best Actor, 1959]]
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| Niven is the only person to win an [[Academy Award]] at the ceremony he was hosting.<ref name="keegan20190220">{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/politics-oscar-inside-academys-long-hard-road-a-hostless-show-1187424 |title=The Politics of Oscar: Inside the Academy's Long, Hard Road to a Hostless Show |last=Keegan |first=Rebecca |date=20 February 2019 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=25 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225041612/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/politics-oscar-inside-academys-long-hard-road-a-hostless-show-1187424 |archive-date=25 February 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He won the 1958 [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role as Major Pollock in ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'', his only nomination for an Oscar. Appearing on-screen for only 23 minutes in the film, this is the briefest performance ever to win a Best Actor Oscar. He was also a co-host of the 30th, 31st, and 46th Academy Awards ceremonies. After Niven had won the Academy Award, Goldwyn called with an invitation to his home. 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. In happier times with Goldwyn, he had observed this same picture sitting on Goldwyn's piano. Now years later, the picture was still in exactly the same spot. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said, "Sam never took it down."<ref name="Moon"/>
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| With an Academy Award to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, ''[[The David Niven Show]]'', which ran for 13 episodes that summer.
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| He played the lead in some comedies: ''[[Ask Any Girl (film)|Ask Any Girl]]'' (1959), with Shirley MacLaine; ''[[Happy Anniversary (1959 film)|Happy Anniversary]]'' (1959) with Mitzi Gaynor; and ''[[Please Don't Eat the Daisies (film)|Please Don't Eat the Daisies]]'' (1960) with [[Doris Day]], a big hit.
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| ===International star===
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| [[File:The Rogues cast 1964.JPG|right|thumb|The cast of ''[[The Rogues (TV series)|The Rogues]]'' (1964) with [[Charles Boyer]], [[Gig Young]], Niven, [[Robert Coote]] and [[Gladys Cooper]]]]
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| Even more popular was the action film ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961) with [[Gregory Peck]] and [[Anthony Quinn]]. This role led to him being cast in further war and/or action movies: ''[[The Captive City (1962 film)|The Captive City]]'' (1962); ''[[The Best of Enemies (1961 film)|The Best of Enemies]]'' (1962); ''[[Guns of Darkness]]'' (1962); ''[[55 Days at Peking]]'' (1963) with [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Ava Gardner]].
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| Niven returned to comedy with ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'' (1963) also starring [[Peter Sellers]], another huge success at the box office. Less so was the comedy ''[[Bedtime Story (1964 film)|Bedtime Story]]'' (1964) with [[Marlon Brando]].
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| In 1964, Charles Boyer, [[Gig Young]] and top-billed Niven appeared in the Four Star series ''[[The Rogues (TV series)|The Rogues]]''. Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con-artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. This was his only recurring role on television, and the series was originally set up to more or less revolve between the three leads in various combinations (one-lead, two-lead and three-lead episodes), although the least otherwise busy Gig Young wound up carrying most of the series. ''The Rogues'' ran for only one season, but won a Golden Globe award and currently remains a cult favourite.
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| In 1965, he made two films for MGM: the [[Peter Ustinov]]-directed ''[[Lady L]]'', supporting Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, and ''[[Where the Spies Are]]'', as a doctor-turned-secret agent{{snd}}MGM hoped it would lead to a series, but this did not happen. After the horror film ''[[Eye of the Devil]]'' (1966), Niven appeared as James Bond 007 in ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967). Niven had been Bond creator [[Ian Fleming]]'s first choice to play Bond in ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]''. ''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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hmss.com/books/fleming|title=Ian Fleming, Author or Spy? |website=www.hmss.com|access-date=24 August 2007}}</ref> Niven was the only actor who played James Bond mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. In chapter 14 of ''[[You Only Live Twice (novel)|You Only Live Twice]]'', the pearl diver [[Kissy Suzuki]] refers to Niven as "the only man she liked in Hollywood", and the only person who "treated her honourably" there.
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| Niven made some popular comedies, ''[[Prudence and the Pill]]'' (1968) and ''[[The Impossible Years (film)|The Impossible Years]]'' (1968). Less widely seen was ''[[The Extraordinary Seaman]]'' (1969). ''[[The Brain (1969 film)|The Brain]]'' (1969), a French comedy with [[Bourvil]] and [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]], was the most popular film at the French box office in 1969 but was not widely seen in English-speaking countries.
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| He did a war drama ''[[Before Winter Comes]]'' (1969) then returned to comedy in ''[[The Statue (1971 film)|The Statue]]'' (1971).
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| ===Later career===
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| Niven was in demand throughout the last decade of his life: ''[[King, Queen, Knave (film)|King, Queen, Knave]]'' (1972); ''[[Vampira (1974 film)|Vampira]]'' (1974); ''[[Paper Tiger (1975 film)|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 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' (1978), one of many stars and another hit; ''[[A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)|A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square]]'' (1979); ''[[Escape to Athena]]'' (1979), produced by his son; ''[[Rough Cut (1980 film)|Rough Cut]]'' (1980), supporting [[Burt Reynolds]]; and ''[[The Sea Wolves]]'' (1980), a wartime adventure movie.
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| In 1974, while Niven was co-hosting the [[46th Academy Awards|46th Annual Oscars ceremony]], a naked man ([[Robert Opel]]) appeared behind him, "[[streaking]]" across the stage. In what instantly became a live-TV classic moment, Niven responded "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?".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IIl3zSYL8k| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2IIl3zSYL8k| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Oscar streaker |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=24 September 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
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| 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. In 1975, he narrated ''The Remarkable Rocket'', a short animation based on a story by [[Oscar Wilde]].
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| ===Last films===
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| Niven's last sizeable film part was in ''[[Better Late Than Never (1983 film)|Better Late Than Never]]'' (1983). In July 1982, [[Blake Edwards]] brought Niven back for cameo appearances in two final "Pink Panther" films (''[[Trail of the Pink Panther]]'' and ''[[Curse of the Pink Panther]]''), reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton. By this time, Niven was having [[w:amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|serious health problems]]. When the raw footage was reviewed, his voice was inaudible, and his lines had to be dubbed by [[w:Rich Little|Rich Little]]. Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report. This was his last film appearance.
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| ===Writing===
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| [[File:Gable Grant Hope Niven 1950s.jpg|thumb|right|[[Clark Gable]], [[Cary Grant]], [[Bob Hope]], and Niven laughing in the 1950s]]
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| Niven wrote four books. 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. The plot was plainly autobiographical (although not recognised as such at the time of publication), involving a young soldier, John Hamilton, who leaves the British army, becomes a liquor salesman in New York, is involved in indoor horse racing, goes to Hollywood, becomes a deckhand on a fishing boat, and finally ends up as a highly successful film star.
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| In 1971, he published his autobiography, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]'', which was well received, selling over five million copies. 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. As more of a [[raconteur]] rather than an accurate memoirist, it seems that Niven recounted many incidents from a first-person perspective that actually happened to other people, among them [[Cary Grant]].<ref name="OtherSide"/> This liberal borrowing and embroidering of his personal history was also said to be the reason why he persistently refused to appear on ''[[This is Your Life]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/11202745.why-david-niven-and-the-amateurs-behind-jamaica-inn-will-always-be-on-separate-tables/|title=Why David Niven and the amateurs behind ''Jamaica Inn'' will always be on ''Separate Tables''|work=[[Borehamwood & Elstree Times|Borehamwood Times]]|access-date=27 May 2021}}</ref> Niven's penchant for exaggeration and embroidery is particularly apparent when comparing his written descriptions of his early film appearances (especially ''Barbary Coast'' and ''A Feather in her Hat''), and his Oscar acceptance speech, with the actual filmed evidence. 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.
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| In 1981 Niven published a second and much more successful novel, ''Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly'', which was set during and after the Second World War, and which drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. He was working on a third novel at the time of his death.
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| ==Personal life==
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| [[File:David Niven at CPH.jpg|thumb|upright|Niven with his family at [[Copenhagen Airport]] (5 August 1958)]]
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| [[File:David Niven with his wife Hjördis Genberg, 1960.jpg|thumb|upright|Niven with his wife [[Hjördis Genberg]] (Hjördis Tersmeden), 1960]]
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| While on leave in 1940, Niven met Primula "Primmie" Susan Rollo (18 February 1918 – 21 May 1946), the daughter of London lawyer William H.C. Rollo. After a whirlwind romance, they married on 16 September 1940. A son, [[David Niven, Jr.|David, Jr.]], was born in December 1942 and a second son, James Graham Niven, on 6 November 1945. Primmie died at the age of 28, only six weeks after the family moved to the US. She fractured her skull in a fall in the [[Beverly Hills, California]] home of [[Tyrone Power]], while playing a game of [[Hide-and-seek#Variants|sardines]]. She had walked through a door believing it to be a closet, but instead, it led to a stone staircase to the basement.<ref>Karin J. Fowler (1995) ''David Niven: a Bio-Biography'', Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|978-0313280443}}</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59355516 ''Sunday Times'' (Perth, WA: 1902–1954) "David Niven's wife in death crash" 26 May 1946, P.3] Retrieved 12 January 2016</ref>
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| In 1948, Niven met and married [[Hjördis Genberg|Hjördis Paulina Tersmeden]] (née Genberg, 1919–1997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. He recounted their meeting:
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| {{blockquote|I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life{{snd}}tall, slim, auburn hair, up-tilted nose, lovely mouth and the most enormous grey eyes I had ever seen. It really happened the way it does when written by the worst lady novelists ... I goggled. I had difficulty swallowing and had champagne in my knees.<ref name="Moon"/>}}
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| In 1960, Niven bought a chalet in [[Château-d'Œx]] near [[Gstaad]] in Switzerland for financial reasons, living near expatriate friends that included [[Deborah Kerr]], Peter Ustinov, and [[Noël Coward]].<ref name="Munn2014">{{cite book |author=Michael Munn |title=David Niven: The Man Behind the Balloon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OrDFAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT197 |date=20 March 2014 |publisher=[[The Quarto Group|Aurum Press]] |isbn=978-1-78131-372-5 |pages=197– }}</ref><ref name="Fowler1995">{{cite book |last=Fowler |first=Karin J. |title=David Niven: A Bio-bibliography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-goH8EEbKD8C&pg=PA167 |date=1 January 1995 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0-313-28044-3 |pages=167– }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Greenfield1995">{{cite book |last=Greenfield |first=George |title=A Smattering of Monsters: A Kind of Memoir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-yRfaQDASdkC&pg=PA187|date=1 January 1995|publisher=[[Camden House Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-57113-071-6 |pages=187– }}</ref> However, Kerr, Ustinov, and Coward were all honoured. A 2009 biography of Niven contained assertions that he had an affair with [[Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon|Princess Margaret]], who was 20 years his junior.<ref>{{cite news|authorlink=Michael Munn|last=Munn|first= Michael |date=24 May 2009|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article6349165.ece |title=Oh God, I wanted her to die |newspaper=[[The Sunday Times]]|accessdate= 29 May 2009}}{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106154450/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article6349165.ece |date=6 January 2010}} </ref> 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).
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| Niven divided his time in the 1960s and 1970s between his chalet in Château-d'Œx<ref>{{cite web|url=https://map.search.ch/Ch%C3%A2teau-d%27Oex,ch.David-Niven-7?pos=576414,147250&zoom=18|title=Ch. David Niven 7: Château-d'Oex|website=map.search.ch|accessdate=22 September 2022}}</ref> and [[Cap Ferrat]] on the [[French Rivera|Côte d'Azur]] in the south of France.<ref name="Munn2014"/>
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| ==Death==
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| In 1980 Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness and a warble in his voice. His 1981 interviews on the talk shows of [[Michael Parkinson]] and [[The Merv Griffin Show|Merv Griffin]] alarmed family and friends; viewers wondered if Niven had either been drinking or suffered a stroke. He blamed his slightly slurred voice on the shooting schedule of the film he had been making, ''Better Late Than Never''. He was diagnosed with [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] (ALS, also known as "[[Lou Gehrig]]'s disease") later that year. His final appearance in Hollywood was hosting the 1981 [[American Film Institute]] tribute to [[Fred Astaire]].
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| 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 Château-d'Œx. Though his condition continued to worsen he refused to return to the hospital, a decision supported by his family. He died at his chalet from ALS on 29 July, aged 73.<ref>{{cite book |last=Donnelley |first=Paul |title=Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries |publisher=Music Sales Group |date=2003 |pages=522 |isbn=0-711-99512-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pace |first=Eric |title=David Niven Dead at 73; Witty Actor Won Oscar |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/30/obituaries/david-niven-dead-at-73-witty-actor-won-oscar.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 July 1983 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pace |first=Eric |title=David Niven Dead at 73; Witty Actor Won Oscar |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/30/obituaries/david-niven-dead-at-73-witty-actor-won-oscar.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=30 July 1983 |page=2}}</ref> David Niven was buried on 2 August 1983 in the local cemetery of Château-d'Œx.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Patricia |last2=Brooks |first2=Jonathan |title=Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous |publisher=Globe Pequot |date=2006 |pages=522 |isbn=0-762-74101-5}}</ref>
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| ==Legacy==
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| A Thanksgiving service for Niven was held at [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]], London, on 27 October 1983. 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]].<ref>''Niv'' by Graham Lord, Orion, 2004, p. 420</ref>
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| Biographer Graham Lord wrote, "the biggest wreath, worthy of a Mafia Godfather's funeral, was delivered from the porters at [[London Heathrow Airport|London's Heathrow Airport]], along with a card that read: 'To the finest gentleman who ever walked through these halls. He made a porter feel like a king.{{' "}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://paulburgin.blogspot.com/2006/01/in-thespian-praise-of-david-niven.html |title=In Thespian Praise of: David Niven |publisher=Paulburgin.blogspot.com |date=25 January 2006 |access-date=24 September 2010}}</ref>
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| In 1985, Niven was included in a series of British [[postage stamp]]s, along with Sir [[Alfred Hitchcock]], Sir [[Charles Chaplin]], [[Peter Sellers]] and [[Vivien Leigh]], to commemorate "British Film Year".<ref>[[Alexander Walker (critic)|Walker, Alexander]]. ''Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh'', pp. 303, 304. Grove Press, 1987.</ref>
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| Niven's countenance appears to have been used as inspiration for the character and puppet of Commander Norman in the [[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]] franchise, as well as for [[Sinestro]], the [[DC Comics]] [[supervillain]] in [[Green Lantern|Green Lantern comic books]] and [[Green Lantern (film)|film]].
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| Niven's ''[[Bonjour Tristesse (film)|Bonjour Tristesse]]'' co-star, [[Mylène Demongeot]], declared about him, in a 2015 filmed interview:<blockquote>"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. I only saw David get angry once. [[Otto Preminger|Preminger]] had discharged him for the day but eventually asked to get him. I said, sir, you had discharged him, he left for [[Deauville]] to gamble at the casino. So we rented an helicopter so they immediately went and grabbed him. Two hours later, he was back, full of rage. There I saw David lose his British phlegm, his politeness and class. It was royal. [Laughs]."<ref name=":0">{{Cite news
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| |date=5 July 2015
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| |title=Rencontre avec mylène demongeot
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| |author=Mac Mahon Filmed Conferences Paris
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| |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I-cqo6QES8
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| |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-I-cqo6QES8
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| |archive-date=2021-12-11
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| |publisher=[[YouTube]]
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| |url-status=live
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| |access-date=24 October 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref></blockquote>
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| ==Acting credits ==
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| {{main|David Niven on screen, stage, radio, record and in print}}
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| == Works ==
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| * Niven, David (1951). ''Round the Rugged Rocks''. London: [[The Cresset Press]].
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| * {{Cite book|last=Niven|first=David|title=The Moon's a Balloon|year=1971|publisher=[[Hamish Hamilton]]|location=London|isbn=0-340-15817-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/moonsballoon00davi}}
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| * {{Cite book|last=Niven|first=David|title=Bring on the Empty Horses|year=1975|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|isbn=0-241-89273-2}}
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| * {{Cite book|last=Niven|first=David|title=Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly|year=1981|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|isbn=0-241-10690-7}}
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| == Further reading ==
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| * {{cite book |last1=Lord |first1=Graham |title=NIV: The Authorized Biography of David Niven |date=14 December 2004 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-32863-4 |language=en}}
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| * {{cite book |last1=Morley |first1=Sheridan |title=The Other Side of the Moon: The Life of David Niven |date=5 September 2016 |publisher=Dean Street Press |isbn=978-1-911413-63-9 |language=en}}
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist|30em}}
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| ==External links==
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| * {{Screenonline name|id=458293}}
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| * {{BFI|id=4ce2b9ef420ad}}
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| * {{UK National Archives ID}}
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| * {{IBDB name}}
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| * {{IMDb name}}
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| * {{TCMDb name}}
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| * {{Find a Grave}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Niven, David}}
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| [[Category:1910 births]]
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