James David Graham Niven was born on 1 March 1910 atBelgrave Mansions,Grosvenor Gardens, London, to William Edward Graham Niven (1878–1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (née Degacher) Niven (1878–1932).[3] He was named David after his birth onSt David's Day. Niven later claimed he was born inKirriemuir, in the Scottish county ofAngus in 1909, but his birth certificate disproves this.[4] He had two older sisters and a brother: Margaret Joyce Niven (1900–1981), Henry Degacher Niven (1902–1953), and the sculptorGrizel Rosemary Graham Niven (1906–2007), who created thebronze sculptureBessie that is presented to the annual winners of theWomen's Prize for Fiction.
Niven's mother, Henrietta, was born inBrecon, Wales. Her father was Captain (brevet Major) William Degacher (1841–1879) of the 1st Battalion,24th Regiment of Foot, who was killed at theBattle of Isandlwana during theAnglo-Zulu War in 1879.[6] 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.[7][8] Henriette's mother was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter ofLieutenant GeneralJames Webber SmithCB.
After her husband's death in Turkey in 1915, Henrietta Niven remarried in London in 1917 to Conservative politician and diplomat Sir Thomas Walter Comyn-Platt (1869–1961).[9] David and his sister Grizel were close, and both loathed Comyn-Platt. The family moved to Rose Cottage inBembridge on theIsle of Wight after selling their London home.[10] In his 1971 memoir,The Moon's a Balloon, Niven wrote fondly of his childhood home:
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 [Comyn-Platt] was barred—I don't know where he went—to theCarlton Club I suppose.[10]
Literary editor and biographer,Graham Lord, wrote inNiv: 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 fromThe 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."[11] Niven is said to have revealed that he knew Comyn-Platt was his real father a year before his own death in 1983.[12]
After his mother remarried, Niven's stepfather had him sent away to boarding school. InThe 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:
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 inLatin 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.[13]
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.[13]
While attending school – as was customary for the time – Niven received many instances ofcorporal 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 of10+1⁄2. This ended his chances forEton College, a significant blow to his family. After failing to pass the naval entrance exam because of his difficulty with maths, Niven attendedStowe School, a newly created public school led by headmasterJ. 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."[13]
In 1928, while she was on holiday inBembridge, 15-year-oldMargaret Whigham (the future socialite andDuchess of Argyll) had a sexual encounter with 18-year-old Niven, resulting in her pregnancy. Furious, her father rushed her to a London nursing home for a secret abortion. "All hell broke loose," remembered Elizabeth Duckworth, the Whigham family cook. Margaret Whigham adored Niven until the day he died; she was among the VIP guests at his London memorial service in 1983.[14]
From 1928, Niven attended theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst. He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. He requested assignment to theArgyll and Sutherland Highlanders or theBlack Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), then jokingly wrote on the form, as his third choice, "anything but theHighland Light Infantry" (because that regiment woretartan trews rather than thekilt). Having completed his training, he was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in theBritish Army on 30 January 1930, and assigned to the Highland Light Infantry (HLI).[15] He served with them for two years inMalta and then for a few months inDover. In Malta, he became friends with the maverickMichael Trubshawe, and served underRoy Urquhart, future commander of theBritish 1st Airborne Division.[16] On 21 October 1956, in an episode of the game showWhat'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.[17]
Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. Though promoted tolieutenant on 1 January 1933,[18] he saw no opportunity for further advancement. 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. 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."[16]
Lieutenant Niven resigned his commission on 6 September 1933.[19]
When Niven presented himself atCentral Casting, he learned that he needed awork permit to reside and work in the United States. Since this required leaving the US, he went toMexico, where he worked as a "gun-man", cleaning and polishing the rifles of visiting American hunters. He received hisresident alien visa from the American consulate when his birth certificate arrived fromBritain. He returned to the US and was accepted by Central Casting as "Anglo-Saxon Type No. 2,008." Among the initial films in which he can be seen areBarbary Coast (1935) andMutiny on the Bounty (1935). He secured a small role inA Feather in Her Hat (1935) atColumbia before returning toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a bit role, billed as David Nivens, inRose Marie (1936).
Niven graduated to star parts in "A" films withThe Dawn Patrol (1938) remake at Warners; although he was billed below Flynn and Rathbone, it was a leading role and the film did excellent business. Niven was reluctant to take part inWuthering Heights (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success. RKO borrowed him to playGinger Rogers's leading man in the romantic comedyBachelor Mother (1939), which was another big hit. Goldwyn used him to supportGary Cooper in the adventure taleThe Real Glory (1939), andWalter Wanger cast him oppositeLoretta Young inEternally Yours (1939). Finally, Goldwyn granted Niven a lead part in a major film, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safecracker inRaffles (1939).
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; theBritish Embassy advised most actors to stay.[21]
Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant in theRifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 25 February 1940,[22] and was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred to theCommandos. He was assigned to a training base atInverailort House in the WesternHighlands. Niven later claimed credit for bringing futureMajor GeneralSir Robert Laycock to the Commandos. Niven commanded "A" SquadronGHQ Liaison Regiment, better known as "Phantom". He was promoted to war-substantivecaptain on 18 August 1941.[23]
Niven also worked with theArmy Film and Photographic Unit. His work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor actorM. E. Clifton James to impersonateGeneralSir Bernard Montgomery. During his work with the AFPU,Peter Ustinov, one of the scriptwriters, had to pose as Niven'sbatman. Niven explained in his autobiography that there was no military way that he, alieutenant-colonel, and Ustinov, who was only aprivate, 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 adaptation ofAgatha Christie'sDeath on the Nile.
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 wereThe First of the Few (1942), directed byLeslie Howard, andThe Way Ahead (1944), directed byCarol Reed, the latter of which included a large supporting role for Ustinov.
Niven was also given a significant if largely unheralded role in the creation ofSHAEF's military radio efforts conceived to provide entertainment to British, Canadian, and American forces in England and in Europe. In 1944 he worked extensively with theBBC and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. He also worked extensively with MajorGlenn Miller, whoseArmy 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.
On 14 March 1944, Niven was promoted war-substantive major (temporary lieutenant-colonel).[24] He took part in theAlliedinvasion of Normandy in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days afterD-Day. He served in "Phantom", a secret reconnaissance and signals unit which located and reported enemy positions,[25] and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Niven was posted at one time toChilham in Kent.
Niven in 1949
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 – they gocrack!" He gave a few details of his war experience in his autobiography,The Moon's a Balloon: his private conversations withWinston Churchill, thebombing 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 it would have been despicable."[16]
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 theBattle of the Bulge who had won theWorld Series in 1943, he answered, "Haven't the foggiest idea, but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers inBachelor Mother!"[26]
Niven initially resumed his acting career in England, taking the lead in the classic,A Matter of Life and Death (1946), from the team ofPowell and Pressburger. The film was critically acclaimed, popular in England, and selected as the firstRoyal Film Performance. Niven returned to Hollywood but soon encountered tragedy with the death of his wife after falling down a flight of stairs at a party, and it was around this time that his career began to suffer as well. Goldwyn lent him to Universal to playAaron Burr inMagnificent Doll (1946) oppositeGinger Rogers, then lent him to Paramount forThe Perfect Marriage (1947) with Loretta Young and loaned him out a third time for Enterprise Productions'The Other Love (1947) oppositeBarbara Stanwyck. Finally he was cast in a top picture for Goldwyn when he joinedCary Grant and Loretta Young forThe Bishop's Wife (1947).
Any prospects for career advancement were quickly dashed when Goldwyn lent him toAlexander Korda to return to the UK for the title role inBonnie Prince Charlie (1948), a notorious flop. Back in Hollywood, Niven was in Goldwyn's well-regardedEnchantment (1948) withTeresa Wright. At Warner Bros he was in the comedyA Kiss in the Dark (1948) withJane Wyman, then he appeared oppositeShirley Temple in the comedyA Kiss for Corliss (1949). None of these films was successful at the box office. Niven's career was markedly in decline.
He returned to Britain for the title role inThe 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 start, but Niven's demands for more money and better roles led to a long estrangement.[30]
In his post-Goldwyn years, it took Niven some time to return to the top of the Hollywood ladder. Foundering, he supportedMario Lanza in a musical at MGM,The Toast of New Orleans (1950). He then went to England to star in a musical withVera-Ellen,Happy Go Lovely (1951); it was little seen in the US but a big hit in Britain. He was reduced to a support role in MGM'sSoldiers Three (1951) not unlike some of the assignments early in his career. Niven had a far better part in the British war filmAppointment with Venus (1952), which was popular in England.The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy. Niven tried Broadway, appearing oppositeGloria Swanson inNina (1951–52). The play ran for only 45 performances but it was seen byOtto Preminger, who decided to cast Niven in the film version ofThe 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 major hit, and Niven won aGolden Globe Award for his role.[citation needed]
Drawing of Niven commemorating his 1958 Oscar win forSeparate TablesHost/Best Actor, 1959
Niven is the only person to win anAcademy Award at the ceremony he was hosting.[31] He won the 1959Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Major David Angus Pollock inSeparate 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.[citation needed] 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."[16]
Even more popular was the action filmThe Guns of Navarone (1961) withGregory Peck andAnthony Quinn. This role led to the ex-soldier being cast in further war and/or action films:The Captive City (1962);The Best of Enemies (1962);Guns of Darkness (1962); and55 Days at Peking (1963) withCharlton Heston andAva Gardner. Niven returned to comedy withThe Pink Panther (1963), also starringPeter Sellers, another huge success at the box office. Less so was the comedyBedtime Story (1964) withMarlon Brando, later remade withMichael Caine in a very Nivenish performance under the titleDirty Rotten Scoundrels. In 1964, Charles Boyer,Gig Young, and top-billed Niven appeared in the Four Star seriesThe Rogues for NBC. 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 in the event, Gig Young, being the least busy, carried most of the series, with an assist fromLarry Hagman.The Rogues ran for one season and won a Golden Globe.[citation needed]
In 1965, Niven made two films forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer: thePeter Ustinov-directedLady L with Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, andWhere the Spies Are, as a doctor-turned-secret agent. After the horror filmEye of the Devil (1966), Niven went the secret agent route again, appearing as James Bond in the hitCasino Royale in 1967. He remains, with the exception of Sean Connery inNever Say Never Again, the only other man to portray Bond in a non-Eon Productions film. Niven had been Bond creatorIan Fleming's choice to play Bond inDr. No.Casino Royale co-producerCharles K. Feldman said later that Fleming had written the book with Niven in mind, and therefore had sent a copy to Niven.[32] Niven is the only actor who played James Bond to be mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. In chapter 14 ofYou Only Live Twice, pearl diverKissy Suzuki refers to Niven as "the only man she liked in Hollywood", and the only person who "treated her honourably" there.
Buoyed by the massive success of his best-selling memoir,The Moon's a Balloon, Niven was in demand throughout the last decade of his life.King, Queen, Knave (1972) andVampira (1974) were followed by one of the most enduring images of Niven. While hosting the46th Annual Oscars ceremony, a naked man (Robert Opel) appeared behind Niven, "streaking" across the stage. In what instantly became a live-TV classic moment, a bemused 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?"[33] That same year, he hostedDavid Niven's World forLWT, which profiled contemporary adventurers such as hang gliders, motorcyclists, and mountain climbers: it ran for 21 episodes. In 1975, he narratedThe Remarkable Rocket, a short animation based on a story byOscar Wilde.
Continuing with his film career, he starred in the highly regarded dramaPaper Tiger (1975) and a Disney comedy,No Deposit, No Return (1976), while at the same time appearing in lucrative TV commercials for cologne and coffee in Asia, setting a trend that carries on with major North American film stars today. The all-star mystery spoofMurder By Death (1976) followed, after which came a better Disney outing,Candleshoe (1977), alongsideJodie Foster andHelen Hayes, and then the first of the all-star Ustinov-as-Poirot films,Death on the Nile (1978).A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979);Escape to Athena (1979), another all-star effort, this time with his son as producer; then the far-better-than-usualBurt Reynolds vehicleRough Cut (1980), and finallyThe Sea Wolves (1980), a wartime adventure film, rounded out his peak years. By the last two, and his TV mini-seriesA Man Called Intrepid (1979), Niven's declining health was becoming evident.
Niven's last leading role was inBetter Late Than Never (1983). In July 1982,Blake Edwards brought an ailing Niven back for cameos in two "Pink Panther" films shot at the same time (Trail of the Pink Panther andCurse of the Pink Panther), reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton. By the time of filming, Niven was fully in the throes ofamyotrophic lateral sclerosis and his voice was no longer usable. His lines were dubbed, however inadequately, on short notice, byRich Little. Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report.
Niven wrote four books. The first,Round the Rugged Rocks, was a novel that appeared in 1951, when his film career was at its nadir, and was forgotten immediately. The plot was plainly autobiographical (although not recognised as such at the time of publication), involving a young soldier, John Hamilton, who leaves theBritish 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.
In 1971, he published his autobiography,The Moon's a Balloon, selling over five million copies. He followed this withBring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from theGolden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. As araconteur rather than an accurate memoirist, Niven recounted some incidents from a first-person perspective that happened to other people, among themCary Grant.[4] This borrowing and embroidering of his personal history was also said to be the reason why he persistently refused to appear onThis Is Your Life.[34] Niven's penchant for exaggeration is particularly apparent when comparing his written descriptions of his early film appearances (especiallyBarbary Coast andA Feather in her Hat), and his Oscar acceptance speech, to the filmed evidence. In all three examples, the reality differs from Niven's accounts as presented inThe Moon's a Balloon and related in various chat show appearances.
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.
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 Jr., was born in December 1942 and a second son, James Graham Niven, on 6 November 1945. Primmie died at the age of 28, six weeks after the family moved to the US. She fractured her skull in a fall in theBeverly Hills home ofTyrone Power andAnnabella, while playing a game ofsardines. She had walked through a door believing it to be a closet, but instead, it led to a stone staircase to the basement.[35][36]
In 1948, Niven met and marriedHjördis Paulina Tersmeden (née Genberg, 1919–1997), a divorced Swedish fashion model. 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. 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.[16]
According to friends, the relationship between Niven and Hjördis was turbulent.[37][38]
In 1960, Niven bought a chalet inChâteau-d'Œx nearGstaad in Switzerland, living near expatriate friends includingDeborah Kerr,Peter Ustinov, andNoël Coward.[39][40] It is believed that Niven's choice to become atax exile may have been one reason why he never received a British honour.[41] However, Kerr, Ustinov, and Coward were honoured. A 2009 biography of Niven contained assertions that he had an affair withPrincess Margaret, who was 20 years his junior.[42] He also became close friends withWilliam F. Buckley Jr. and his wife Pat; Buckley wrote a memorial tribute to him inMiles Gone By (2004).
Eventually Niven divided his time between his chalet in Château-d'Œx[43] and his home atCap Ferrat on theCôte d'Azur in the south of France.[39]
In 1978, Niven began experiencing weight loss, and by 1980 generalfatigue,muscle weakness, andslurred speech. His interviews on the talk shows ofMichael Parkinson andMerv 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 withALS in 1980. His final appearance in Hollywood was hosting the 1981American Film Institute tribute to his old friendFred Astaire.
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 on 29 July 1983, aged 73.[44][45][46] Niven was buried on 2 August in the local cemetery of Château-d'Œx.[47]
"He was like a Lord, he was part of those great actors who were extraordinary likeDirk Bogarde, individuals with lots of class, elegance and humour. I only saw David get angry once.Preminger had discharged him for the day but eventually asked to get him. I said, sir, you had discharged him, he left forDeauville to gamble at the casino. So we rented a 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]."[52]
^ab"David Niven's idyllic childhood home comes up for sale: 'I adored it and was happier there than I had ever been'".Country Life. 23 January 2020.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.
^Brooks, Patricia; Brooks, Jonathan (2006).Laid to Rest in California: A Guide to the Cemeteries and Grave Sites of the Rich and Famous. Globe Pequot. p. 522.ISBN0-762-74101-5.
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