Next image. Hjrdis Genberg, model student, 1941-42. . His first major roles were in . He received his Resident Alien Visa from the American Consulate when his birth certificate arrived from England. Niven later claimed he was born in Kirriemuir, in the . In fact, Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No. His first sizeable role for Goldwyn came in Dodsworth (1936), playing a man who flirts with Ruth Chatterton. Infantry, mainly on Malta, but resigned his commission after three In 1981 Niven published a second and much more successful novel, Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly, which was set during and after World War II, and which drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. Thu 18 Oct 2007 19.06 EDT. 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?".[34]. Less widely seen was The Extraordinary Seaman (1969). "the Phantom", in . Robert Douglas Niven. 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. She was rushed into a London nursing home for a secret termination. Niven divided his time in the 1960s and 1970s between his chalet in Chteau-d'x[42] and Cap Ferrat on the Cte d'Azur in the south of France.[38]. Hjrdis Genberg 1943-45. Peking"; and "The Pink Panther", in which his suave jewel thief was a Niven recalled this as the darkest period of his life, years afterwards thanking his friends for their patience and forbearance during this time. 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. William Niven, David's father, was of Scottish descent; his paternal grandfather, David Graham Niven, (18111884) was from St. Martins, a village in Perthshire. [7][8] Henriette's mother was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of Lieutenant General James Webber Smith CB. In 1948 Niven met Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden (ne Genberg, 19191997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. up the archetypal English gentleman, witty, debonair, immaculate in He said that older pupils would regularly assault younger boys, while the schoolmasters were not much better. Due to his role in Mutiny on the Bounty, he came to the attention of independent film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who signed him to a contract and established his career. Two weeks later, they were in Hollywood. Rosalind Russell later named the house "Cirrhosis-by-the-Sea". his life in the forces and in films and literally sprinkled with Niven's next few films were made in England: The Love Lottery (1954), a comedy; Carrington V.C. Quick access. it made more than 2,000 and helped to launch the careers of several In 1959 he became the host of his own TV drama series, The David Niven Show, which ran for 13 episodes that summer. . Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for TV. 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. To the fury of her father, Niven got Whigham pregnant. 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. He had a support role in MGM's Soldiers Three (1951) similar to those early in his career. According to his autobiography, he and Errol Flynn were firm friends and had decided to rent Rosalind Russell's house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad. By this time the Second World War had started and Niven decided to Niven joined what became known as the Hollywood Raj, a group of British actors in Hollywood which included Rex Harrison, Errol Flynn, Boris Karloff, Stan Laurel, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman, Leslie Howard and C. Aubrey Smith. 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?" David Niven Family Background & Career. Hollywood cricket club. surface. Having been in more than 90 . (1958) Starring: Dick Powell, David Niven Genre: TV Western, Television Studio: Timeless Media Release Date: 12/2/2014 Features: Boxed Set The third season of the anthology series brings more of Zane Grey's Old West stories to the small screen with no shortage of drama or top guest stars. Birth 28 October 1914 - St Andrews and St Leonards, Fife, , Scotland. It says much Niven's other roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Sir Charles Lytton ("the Phantom") in The Pink Panther (1963), James Bond in Casino Royale (1967), and Colonel Race in Death on the Nile (1978). Niven struggled for a while to recapture his former position. 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. Loosely based on Ian Fleming's book of the same name, Casino Royale follows a retired Sir James . 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. Back in Hollywood Niven was in Goldwyn's Enchantment (1948) with Teresa Wright. He recounted their meeting: I had never seen anything so beautiful in my lifetall, slim, auburn hair, up-tilted nose, lovely mouth and the most enormous grey eyes I had ever seen. Clouseau. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. for the army. 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. Unfortunately, Niven's second marriage was as tumultuous as his first marriage was content. Obituary. Then we find ourselves on Earth in 1945, where RAF pilot Peter Carter, played by David Niven, is flying back to Britain after a bombing raid, losing height, badly hit. After McGeachin affirmed that he was, Niven quipped, "Did you have the misfortune to have me as your officer?". Grace and Niven became close and lifelong friends, and he and his wife frequently visited the palace at Monaco once Grace became a princess. contract by Sam Goldwyn and though the relationship was not always This helped him gain a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. Niven explained in his autobiography that there was no military way that he, as a lieutenant-colonel, and Ustinov, who was only a private, could associate, except as an officer and his subordinate, hence their strange "act". "[50], What's My Line? He then headed for America. He first appeared as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). She is a proud mother to Jessica and grandmother to three grandchildren River and Shasha. (Another 1981 interview, posted on YouTube, shows Niven on The Merv Griffin Show while publicizing his novel Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly. "Then it leaked out." The leak proved to be more of a slow puncture. November 15, 1951 - September 26, 2022 David James Robert passed away Monday, September 26th with family by his side. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in Separate Tables (1958). This brought him to wider attention within the film industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn. Later he went to Stowe and on to Sandhurst to train [Laughs]. 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. In 1948, Niven met and married Hjrdis Paulina Tersmeden (ne Genberg, 19191997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. He followed it with Oh, Men! He made a porter feel like a king.'". ", 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. 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. Mason pegs her as a phony consumer and is fired for failing to turn her in to store management. Nationality: British. There I saw David lose his British phlegm, his politeness and class. He once said: I will, however, tell you just one thing about the war, my first story and my last. David Niven, better known by her family name James David Graham Niven, was a popular British actor and novelist. [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. 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. (In fact the book was mostly invented by co-author William Stevenson (no relation), Sir William then being very old.) Family & Companions. 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 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. A limited edition of British postage stamps was produced using one of Lucas's images taken during this portrait sitting. He was named David after his birth on St David's Day.Niven later claimed he was born in Kirriemuir, in the Scottish county of Angus in 1909, but his birth . 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". POWELL TOWNSHIP - David Michael Niven, age 64, of Powell Township, entered eternal life Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2016, at his home, in the loving, comforting care of his family. Later, in 1985, she married David Alexander. A Thanksgiving service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 27 October 1983. 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