Niven stated, "Anyone who says a bullet sings past, hums past, flies, pings, or whines past, has never heard one—they go crack!" 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. [21] It honoured Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme, a radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces.[22][23]. [9], Following the death of her husband, Henrietta Niven remarried Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt in London in 1917. As preparation, Preminger, who had directed the play in New York, insisted that Niven appear on stage in the West Coast run. 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. Celebrated cricketer A. J. Raffles is also a master burglar and safecracker. He served in "Phantom," a secret reconnaissance and signals unit which located and reported enemy positions,[19] and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Problem arises when Henry starts taking those advances seriously and suggests that like food and water they share Susan too. [30][31] Niven's status as a tax exile in Switzerland is believed to have been one of the reasons why he never received a British honour. His condition continued to worsen, but he refused to return to the hospital, and his family supported his decision. 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). In New York, Niven and Hjördis were next-door neighbours with Audrey Hepburn, who made her debut on Broadway that season. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's disease") later that year. 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. His 1981 interviews on the talk shows of Michael Parkinson and Merv Griffin alarmed family and friends; viewers wondered if Niven had either been drinking or suffered a stroke. Niven was fourth billed in Beloved Enemy (1936) for Goldwyn, supporting Merle Oberon with whom he became romantically involved. He was assigned to the HLI, with whom he served for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover. The main task of the contingent is to train the native Philippine Constabulary so that they can defend themselves. He was also a co-host of the 30th, 31st, and 46th Academy Awards ceremonies. The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy. [11], Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. Back in Hollywood, Niven was in Goldwyn's Enchantment (1948). Niven also became heavily involved in American TV as a partner in Four Star Television, a company he established with Dick Powell and Charles Boyer. Among the films in which he can be glimpsed are Barbary Coast (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). This ended his chances for Eton College, a significant blow to his family. [14] With Rose's assistance, Niven was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the army, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. With an Academy Award to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. He died at his chalet from ALS on 29 July 1983, aged 73. Mark you, had you not done so − it would have been despicable. David Niven - David Niven, angielski aktor filmowy, uczęszczał do Królewskiej Akademii Wojskowej w Sandhurst, służył w piechocie szkockiej na Malcie. (fee usually required to view full pdf of original recommendation), BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme, David Niven on screen, stage, radio, record and in print, "Casualty details—Niven, William Edward Graham", It's being so cheerful that keeps me going, "David Niven was the only British star in Hollywood to enlist during WWII", "Recommendation for Award for Niven, John David Rank: Lieutenant Colonel", "The Politics of Oscar: Inside the Academy's Long, Hard Road to a Hostless Show", "David Niven Dead at 73; Witty Actor Won Oscar", "Archival material relating to David Niven", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Niven&oldid=984438842, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 October 2020, at 02:56. The plot then turns backwards into Rollo’s childhood, when his father brings home a girl called Lark, who begins to live with them. His many roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days, and Sir Charles Lytton ("the Phantom") in The Pink Panther.He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958). 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. Goldwyn finally gave Niven a lead part, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safe-cracker in Raffles (1939). [7] Although born William Hitchcock, both he and his brother Lieutenant Colonel Henry Degacher,[8] had followed their father, Walter Henry Hitchcock, in taking their mother's maiden name of Degacher in 1874. In 1980, Niven began experiencing fatigue, muscle weakness, and a warble in his voice. The day after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven returned home and rejoined the British Army. Over the time, they fall in love; but cannot marry due to his sister’s scheme. Niven commanded "A" Squadron GHQ Liaison Regiment, better known as "Phantom". "[11], A few stories have surfaced. He supported Mario Lanza in a musical at MGM, The Toast of New Orleans (1950). The movie was critically acclaimed, popular in England and was selected as the first Royal Film Performance. Niven had a far better part in the British war film, Appointment with Venus (1952) which was popular in England. She had walked through a door believing it to be a closet, but instead it led to a stone staircase to the basement.[28][29]. Fox gave him the lead in a B picture, Dinner at the Ritz (1938) and he had a support part in Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) directed by Ernst Lubitsch at Paramount. He returned to England when Goldwyn loaned him to Alexander Korda to play the title role in Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948), a notorious box office flop. Goldwyn loaned 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). 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. Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant into the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 25 February 1940,[18] and was assigned to a motor training battalion. David Niven - David Niven, angielski aktor filmowy, uczęszczał do Królewskiej Akademii Wojskowej w Sandhurst, służył w piechocie szkockiej na Malcie. 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. Niven's next few films were made in England: The Love Lottery (1954), a comedy; Carrington V.C. He blamed his slightly slurred voice on the shooting schedule on the film he had been making, Better Late Than Never. While crossing the Atlantic, Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. Though his elder brother falls for her, he decides to help her win his brother’s attention. Asked by suspicious American sentries during the Battle of the Bulge who had won the World Series in 1943, he answered, "Haven't the foggiest idea, but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in Bachelor Mother! But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" [12], He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. He was killed in the First World War serving with the Berkshire Yeomanry during the Gallipoli campaign on 21 August 1915. Hugh Massingberd, reviewing Lord's book in The Spectator, stated that its photographic evidence showing a strong physical resemblance between Niven and Comyn-Platt "would appear to confirm these theories, though photographs can often be misleading. 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. In 1964, Boyer and he appeared in the Four Star series The Rogues. [citation needed], Niven is the only person to win an Academy Award at the ceremony he was hosting. Her father is unhappy, as he can envisage Irene falling for him. 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". I goggled. [25] He won the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Major Pollock in Separate Tables, his only nomination for an Oscar. Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. [3] He was named David after his birth on St David's Day. She eventually falls for one of her clients, Evan Doughton. Niven's last sizeable film part was in Better Late Than Never (1983). 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. 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. (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. Niven worked in television. He once said: I will, however, tell you just one thing about the war, my first story and my last. Now years later, the picture was still in exactly the same spot. Goldwyn pulled out, and the film did not appear in the US for three years. Now that Lark’s nephew and his niece have fallen in love, can the old man sit idle? Niven's penchant for exaggeration and embroidery is particularly clearly demonstrated 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. 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). Ustinov later appeared with Niven in Death on the Nile (1978). Jack has planned a theft of $30 million in uncut diamonds but is unaware that Gillian has been blackmailed and planted by a Scotland Yard's chief inspector Cyril Willis who wants to apprehend him before retiring. On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the Legion of Merit, an American military decoration. The plot of the movie, based on Derek Lambert’s 1975 novel Touch the Lion's Paw, revolves around two jewel thieves – Jack and Gillian – who meet each other at a party and fall in love. Niven's professional fortunes were completely restored when cast as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), a huge hit at the box office. Perceiving his good manners, she brings him home as family’s butler. He had a support role in MGM's Soldiers Three (1951) similar to those early in his career. 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. He was assigned to a training base at Inverailort House in the Western Highlands. He recounted their meeting: I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life—tall, slim, auburn hair, up-tilted nose, lovely mouth and the most enormous grey eyes I had ever seen. Niven took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days after D-Day. About to lead his men into action, Niven eased their nervousness by telling them, "Look, you chaps only have to do this once. Niven was reluctant to take a support part in Wuthering Heights (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success. (1957); The Little Hut (1957), from the writer of The Moon is Blue and a success at the box office; My Man Godfrey (1957), a screwball comedy; and Bonjour Tristesse (1958), for Preminger. In 1960, Niven moved to Château-d'Œx near Gstaad in Switzerland for financial reasons, living near close friends in that country including Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, and Noël Coward. [15] Niven then moved to New York City, where he began an unsuccessful career in whisky sales, after which he had a stint in horse rodeo promotion in Atlantic City. Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con-artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. Niven was posted at one time to Chilham in Kent. David Niven - David Niven, angielski aktor filmowy, uczęszczał do Królewskiej Akademii … These were The First of the Few (1942), directed by Leslie Howard, and The Way Ahead (1944), directed by Carol Reed. [30], A 2009 biography of Niven contained assertions, based on information from his widow and a good friend of Niven, that he had an affair with Princess Margaret, who was 20 years his junior.[33]. He had a better part in The Birds and the Bees (1956), playing a conman, and in the British The Silken Affair (1956). Peter Ustinov also played a large supporting role as a Frenchman in The Way Ahead. After detours to Bermuda and Cuba, he arrived in Hollywood in 1934. In 1960, while filming Please Don't Eat the Daisies with Doris Day, Niven and Hjördis separated for a few weeks, but later reconciled, although their alcoholism, his frequent adultery and her violent temper made the marriage rather miserable. The movie was one of the three adaptations of a Broadway musical of the same name. During his work with the AFPU, Peter Ustinov, one of the script-writers, had to pose as Niven's batman. [37], A Thanksgiving service for Niven was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 27 October 1983. In Hollywood he had a thankless role as the villain in an MGM swashbuckler The King's Thief (1955). 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,[16] and C. Aubrey Smith. 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. Accompanying them is his close friend Henry Brittingham-Brett. 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. By this time, Niven was having serious health problems. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958). [34][35][36] Niven's body was buried in Château-d'Œx cemetery, Switzerland. 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. "[11], In 1928 Niven attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1965, he made two films for MGM: Lady L, supporting Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, and Where the Spies Are, as a doctor-turned-secret agent - MGM hoped it would lead to a series, but this did not happen. In 1975, he narrated The Remarkable Rocket, a short animation based on a story by Oscar Wilde. 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