David Niven was named after the Saint's Day on which he was born, St. David, patron Saint of Wales. He 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 .
After Great Britain declared war in 1939, he was one of the first actors to go back and join the army. Although Niven had a reputation for telling good old 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."
He once asked Greta Garbo while under a picnic table why she quit making movies. She answered, "I had made enough faces.".
During his war service, his batman was Pvt. Peter Ustinov.
Contrary to a popular myth, he was not a cousin of actor Patrick Macnee. According to Macnee, in Sheridan Morley s 1985 biography "The Other Side of the Moon,", his elder brother Max and Patricks mother were friends and Max was described as an "uncle," as opposed to a cousin. However, there was no blood link.
Ian Fleming recommended him for the role of James Bond for Dr. No , but producer Albert R. Broccoli thought that Niven was too old.
In the James Bond novel "You Only Live Twice," by Ian Fleming , he is referred to, and a pet bird in the story was named after him. Three years after the book was released, he played Bond in Casino Royale .
Father, with Primula Rollo , of David Niven Jr. and Jamie Niven ; and the father, with Hjordis, of two adopted daughters, Kristina (adopted 1960) and Fiona (adopted 1962).
Interred at Chateau DOex, Switzerland.
He often used to say he was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland (he thought it sounded more romantic). However, during his appearance on the radio show "Desert Island Discs" he admitted he was born in London, England. His mother was there for the day visiting a specialist regarding the pregnancy when he was born.
His Scottish father was Lt. William Niven, who died during World War I at the battle of Gallipoli on 21 August 1915, aged 38, while serving with the Berkshire Yeomanry. He was reported missing until 1917. He was a landowner and left a widow Henrietta (a three-quarter Frenchwoman) two sons (Max and David) and two daughters (Joyce and Grizel).
Once wrote that as a child, he felt superior to others. He attributed this to the fact that when reciting the Lords Prayer in church, he thought for several years that the correct phrasing was, "Our Father, who art a Niven... "
Was originally meant to play the lead role of Charlie Allnut in The African Queen .
Has a grandson Ryan (born in 1998), from daughter Fiona. Grandson Michael from daughter Kristina. Grandaughters Fernanda and Eugenie from son Jamie.
He knew his wife, Primula Rollo , 17 days before he married her. He knew his second wife 10 days before marrying her.
Is portrayed by Nigel Havers in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers .
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 Nivens wife and children. A few years later Nivens 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.
Died the same day as his The Prisoner of Zenda and A Matter of Life and Death co-star Raymond Massey.
After he left the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst he was asked to write down his three preferred regiments; he wrote, "Anything but the HLI [Highland Light Infantry]". He was, of course, commissioned into the HLI, later being transferred to the Rifle Brigade.
Ex-father-in-law of Barbara Niven.
Was born on St. Davids Day, hence his Christian name. St. David is the patron saint of Wales.
Joined the British Armys Rifle Brigade regiment and served through Dunkirk, joining the commandos and later the secret Phantom Reconnaissance Regiment. He spent most of the time behind German lines with the latter outfit, a rough, tough, hit-and-run group harassing the enemy.
Met director Blake Edwards , when Edwards was writing and directing films for Four Star Television, a production company partly owned by Niven.
Close friend of Michael Trubshawe. They served together in a Highland Regiment in Malta in the 1930s and Trubshawe figures prominently in Nivens biography, "The Moons A Balloon". Niven states: "He swiftly made a name for himself in television and one of his earliest screen appearances was in The Guns of Navarone --a lovely bonus for me." Niven does not mention Trubshawes earlier appearance in Around the World in 80 Days . Trubshawe was Nivens best man on the occasion of his two marriages, and also godfather to Nivens son, David Jr.
As a joke he agreed to celebrate the wedding of two gorillas and to be the godfather of their first son.
Was too ill to attend Grace Kelly s funeral in September 1982.
During his final illness his weight dropped from 230 lbs to just 110 lbs.
He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of super-villain and archenemy of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro (created in 1961). Niven was 51 years at the point.
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".
He died on 29 July 1983 at age 73 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a variant of motor neurone disease) in 1981.
When he had motor neurone disease, his speech would slur in interviews. People used to think he was drunk. In the last two films he did, his voice had to be dubbed.
Audrey Hepburn attended his funeral.
Niven wound up with the deepest pool in Europe due to a miscommunication with the builders. They thought he meant 15 meters when all he wanted was 15 feet.
He was originally wanted for the role of Will Scarlet in The Adventures of Robin Hood but was on holiday in England, so the part went to Patric Knowles.
News that Niven--who was merely an extra at the time--had been signed by Irving Thalberg of MGM prompted independent producer Samuel Goldwyn to sign him to a long-term contract.
The title of his autobiography, "Bring on the Empty Horses", is taken from a command given by director Michael Curtiz during the filming of The Charge of the Light Brigade in which Niven had a featured part. Curtiz, a Hungarian notorious for his poor command of English, wanted a lot of riderless horses in the background of the climactic charge, but couldnt make himself understood to his assistant directors. Finally he exploded, "Bring on the empty horses!".
He was Michael Anderson s choice to play Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery in a Columbia Pictures epic, "16th of December: The Battle of the Bulge," which had the blessing of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Defense Department, but the project was abandoned after Warner Brothers used the title Battle of the Bulge for a film starring Henry Fonda.
He appeared in one film produced by his son David Niven Jr. : Escape to Athena .
He and his A Matter of Life and Death , "The Rogues" and Prudence and the Pill co-star Robert Coote both played Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim in different adaptations of the 1894 novel "The Prisoner of Zenda" by Anthony Hope : Niven in The Prisoner of Zenda and Coote in The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) .
Tried to leave the army in September 1944 in order to return to Hollywood.
He has been teaching first year film production at Niagara College in Welland, Ontario since 2004. He is very popular among his students.
At the end of the 2004 school year, upon hearing his part-time contract may not be renewed, students began a "Save Dave" campaign. He returned the next year.
Happy people are those who use a lower threshold in order to label an event positive.
Max, for some people there are no victories, just alternate forms of losing.
Watching too much TV can triple our hunger for more possessions, while reducing our personal contentment by about 5 percent for every hour a day we watch.
