Niven, David
| Name |
| ||||
| Birthname | James David Graham Niven | ||||
| born on | 1 March 1910 | ||||
| Place | London, England, 51n30, 0w10 | ||||
| Timezone | GMT h0e (is standard time) | ||||
| Data source |
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| Astrology data |   10°02'  
|
Biography
English actor and novelist who was popular in Europe and in the United States. He may be best known for his roles as Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death, as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and as Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther. He was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958).
Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst he was gazetted a lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, travelled to Hollywood and had several minor roles in film. He first appeared as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). From there, he hired an agent and had several small parts in films from 1933 to 1935, including a non-speaking part in MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty. This brought him to wider attention within the film industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, Niven returned to Britain and rejoined the army, being re-commissioned as a lieutenant.
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 (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947) and Enchantment (1948), all of which received critical acclaim. Niven later appeared in The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Happy Go Lovely (1951), Happy Ever After (1954) and Carrington V.C. (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days. Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for television. 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.
He died on 29 July 1983, aged 73.
Relationships
- associate relationship with Addams, Dawn (born 21 September 1930). Notes: Co-Stars in "The Moon is blue"
- associate relationship with Tate, Sharon (born 24 January 1943). Notes: Co-stars in "Eye of the Devil"
- friend relationship with Coward, Noël (born 16 December 1899)
- friend relationship with Kerr, Deborah (born 30 September 1921)
- friend relationship with Moore, Roger (born 14 October 1927)
- friend relationship with Sanders, George (born 3 July 1906)
- friend relationship with Ustinov, Peter (born 16 April 1921)
- lover relationship with Margaret, Princess of England (born 21 August 1930)
- neighbor relationship with Hepburn, Audrey (born 4 May 1929). Notes: In New York City
- parent->child relationship with Niven, David Jr. (born 15 December 1942)
Events
- Health : Medical diagnosis 1981 (ALS/ Lou Gehrig's disease/ motor neurone disease/ MND)
Source Notes
Starkman quotes Bio-Bibliography by Karin Fowler: "James Graham Niven was born on St. David's Day, in a Belgrave Mansions hospital in London on March 1, 1910". Birth certificate was found after his death.
Sy Scholfield checked England and Wales Birth Registration Index: "James David G. Niven, 1910, St. George Hanover Square, London."
Birth time unknown. Starkman rectified to 02.23.16 GMT. P. de Jabrun rectified to 1 March 1910 at 5:00 AM in London.
Himself said 1 March 1909.
Categories
- Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Lou Gehrig's disease
- Family : Childhood : Order of birth (Fourth of four)
- Vocation : Entertainment : Actor/ Actress
- Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer
- Vocation : Writers : Autobiographer
- Vocation : Writers : Fiction (Novelist)
- Notable : Awards : Oscar
