79-391: Star Bestsellers is an Indian anthology television series which aired on StarPlus from 17 July 1999 to 23 July 2000. Each episode of the series has a different story, director, and cast. Devarshi Ghosh of Scroll found the episodes of varying quality and called it "a portal into the stories, sensibilities and aesthetics that our best filmmakers were occupied with at the turn of
158-575: A work permit to reside and work in the United States. Since this required leaving the US, he went to Mexico , where he worked as a "gun-man", cleaning and polishing the rifles of visiting American hunters. He received his resident alien visa from the American consulate when his birth certificate arrived from Britain . He returned to the US and was accepted by Central Casting as "Anglo-Saxon Type No. 2,008." Among
237-666: A BAFTA nomination for Best Actor; Happy Ever After (1954), a comedy with Yvonne de Carlo , which was hugely popular in Britain. In Hollywood, he had a thankless role as the villain in an MGM swashbuckler, The King's Thief (1955). He had a better part in The Birds and the Bees (1956), portraying a conman in a remake of The Lady Eve (1941), in which Niven played a third-billed supporting role under American television comedian George Gobel and leading lady Mitzi Gaynor . Niven also appeared in
316-564: 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
395-606: A Balloon , which was well received, selling over five million copies. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. As more of a raconteur rather than an accurate memoirist, it seems that Niven recounted many incidents from a first-person perspective that actually happened to other people, among them Cary Grant . This liberal borrowing and embroidering of his personal history
474-545: 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. He was working on a third novel at the time of his death. While on leave in 1940, Niven met Primula "Primmie" Susan Rollo (18 February 1918 – 21 May 1946),
553-507: A bitch) and delivering, for the smallest mistake in Latin 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. 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
632-460: 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,
711-501: A collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology . Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express. Many popular old-time radio programs were anthology series. On some series, such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries , the only constant was the host, who introduced and concluded each dramatic presentation. One of
790-740: A contract and established his career. For Goldwyn, Niven again had a small role in Splendor (1935). He was lent to MGM for a minor part in Rose Marie (1936), then a larger one in Palm Springs (1936) at Paramount. His first sizeable role for Goldwyn came in Dodsworth (1936), playing a man who flirts with Ruth Chatterton . In that same year he was again loaned out, to 20th Century Fox to play Bertie Wooster in Thank You, Jeeves! (1936), before finally landing
869-495: A different drama each week. Some anthology series, such as Studio One , began on radio and then expanded to television. The word comes from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία ( anthología , "flower-gathering"), from ἀνθολογέω ( anthologéō , "I gather flowers"), from ἄνθος ( ánthos , "flower") + λέγω ( légō , "I gather, pick up, collect"), coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος ( στέφανος ( stéphanos , "garland")) to describe
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#1732890861497948-739: A doctor-turned-secret agent – MGM hoped it would lead to a series, but this did not happen. After the horror film Eye of the Devil (1966), Niven appeared as James Bond in Casino Royale (1967), and is, with the exception of Sean Connery in Never Say Never Again , the only other man to ever portray Bond in a non- Eon Productions film. Niven had been Bond creator Ian Fleming 's first choice to play Bond in Dr. No . Casino Royale co-producer Charles K. Feldman said later that Fleming had written
1027-624: A far better part in the British war film Appointment with Venus (1952), which was popular in England. The Lady Says No (1952) was a poorly received American comedy at the time. Niven decided to try Broadway, appearing opposite Gloria Swanson in Nina (1951–52). The play ran for only 45 performances but it was seen by Otto Preminger , who decided to cast Niven in the film version of the play The Moon Is Blue (1953). As preparation Preminger, who had directed
1106-524: A flight of stairs at a party. Goldwyn lent 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). For Goldwyn he supported Cary Grant and Young in The Bishop's Wife (1947). Niven returned to England when Goldwyn lent him to Alexander Korda to play
1185-439: A group of British actors in Hollywood which included Rex Harrison , Boris Karloff , Stan Laurel , Basil Rathbone , Ronald Colman , Leslie Howard , and C. Aubrey Smith . According to his autobiography, Errol Flynn and he were firm friends and rented Rosalind Russell 's house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad. Niven graduated to star parts in "A" films with The Dawn Patrol (1938) remake at Warners; although he
1264-463: A highly successful TV production company. Niven is the only person to win an Academy Award at the ceremony he was hosting. He won the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Major David Angus Pollock in Separate 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. He was also
1343-506: A long estrangement between the two in the 1950s. Niven struggled for a while to recapture his former position. He supported Mario Lanza in a musical at MGM, The Toast of New Orleans (1950). 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. He had a support role in MGM's Soldiers Three (1951) similar to those early in his career. Niven had
1422-554: A new type of anthology format in the U.S. Each season, rather than each episode, is a standalone story. Several actors have appeared in the various seasons, but playing different roles—in an echo of the Four Star Playhouse format. The success of American Horror Story has spawned other season-long anthologies such as American Crime Story and True Detective . Anthology film series are rare compared to their TV and radio counterparts. There have been several attempts within
1501-569: A non-speaking role in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). This helped him gain a contract with Samuel Goldwyn . Parts, initially small, in major motion pictures followed, including Dodsworth (1936), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). By 1938, he was starring as a leading man in films such as Wuthering Heights (1939). Upon
1580-471: A radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces. 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 . The film was critically acclaimed, popular in England and was selected as the first Royal Film Performance . Niven returned to Hollywood and encountered tragedy when his first wife died after falling down
1659-521: A short animation based on a story by Oscar Wilde . Niven's last sizeable film part was in Better Late Than Never (1983). 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. By this time, Niven was having serious health problems . When
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#17328908614971738-685: A sizeable role as a soldier in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) at Warners, an Imperial adventure film starring his housemate at the time, Errol Flynn . Niven was fourth billed in Beloved Enemy (1936) for Goldwyn, supporting Merle Oberon with whom he became romantically involved. Universal used him in We Have Our Moments (1937) and he had another good supporting role in David O. Selznick 's The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). Fox Studios gave him
1817-644: A wartime adventure film. In 1974, while Niven was co-hosting the 46th Annual Oscars ceremony , a naked man ( Robert Opel ) appeared behind him, " streaking " across the stage. 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?" 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. In 1975, he narrated The Remarkable Rocket ,
1896-512: A weekly program from the second season until the end of its run in 1956. Ida Lupino was brought on board as the de facto fourth star, though unlike Powell, Boyer, and Niven, she owned no stock in the company. American television networks would sometimes run summer anthology series which consisted of unsold television pilots . Beginning in 1971, the long-run Masterpiece Theatre drama anthology series brought British productions to American television. In 2011, American Horror Story debuted
1975-533: Is Blue and a success at the box office; My Man Godfrey (1957), a screwball comedy; and Bonjour Tristesse (1958), for Preminger. Niven worked in television. 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. The show was produced by Four Star Television , which was co-owned and founded by Niven, Ida Lupino , Dick Powell and Charles Boyer . The show ended in 1955, but Four Star Television became
2054-824: Is presented to the annual winners of the Women's Prize for Fiction . Niven's father, William Niven, was of Scottish descent; he was killed in the First World War serving with the Berkshire Yeomanry during the Gallipoli campaign on 21 August 1915. He is buried in Green Hill Cemetery , Turkey, in the Special Memorial Section in Plot F. 10. Niven's paternal great-grandfather and namesake, David Graham Niven, (1811–1884)
2133-542: The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days after D-Day . He served in " Phantom ", a secret reconnaissance and signals unit which located and reported enemy positions, and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Niven was posted at one time to Chilham in Kent. Niven had particular scorn for those newspaper columnists covering
2212-632: The BBC and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. He also worked extensively with Major Glenn Miller , whose Army 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). He took part in
2291-753: 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 !" Niven ended the war as a lieutenant-colonel . On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the Legion of Merit , an American military decoration. It honoured Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme ,
2370-701: 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 ). He was assigned to the HLI, with which he served for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover . In Malta, he became friends with the maverick Michael Trubshawe , and served under Roy Urquhart , future commander of
2449-463: The British 1st Airborne Division . On 21 October 1956, in an episode of the game show What'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
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2528-686: The British Embassy advised most actors to stay. Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own) on 25 February 1940, and was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred to the Commandos . He was assigned to a training base at Inverailort House in the Western Highlands . Niven later claimed credit for bringing future Major General Sir Robert Laycock to
2607-445: The Golden Age of Television of the 1950s with series such as The United States Steel Hour and The Philco Television Playhouse . Dick Powell came up with an idea for an anthology series, Four Star Playhouse , with a rotation of established stars every week, four stars in all. The stars would own the studio and the program, as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had done successfully with Desilu studio. Powell had intended for
2686-726: The AFPU, but both made with a firm view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the United States. These were The First of the Few (1942), directed by Leslie Howard , and The Way Ahead (1944), directed by Carol Reed . Ustinov also played a large supporting role as a Frenchman in The Way Ahead . Niven was also given a significant if largely unheralded role in the creation of SHAEF 's military radio efforts conceived to provide entertainment to American, British and Canadian forces in England and Europe. In 1944 he worked extensively with
2765-550: The British romantic comedy The Silken Affair (1956) with Geneviève Page the same year. Niven's professional fortunes were restored when cast as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), a huge hit at the box office. It also won the Academy Award for Best Picture . He followed it with Oh, Men! Oh, Women! (1957); The Little Hut (1957), from the writer of The Moon
2844-534: The Commandos. Niven commanded "A" Squadron GHQ Liaison Regiment , better known as "Phantom". He was promoted to war-substantive captain on 18 August 1941. Niven also worked with the Army Film and Photographic Unit . His work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor actor M. E. Clifton James to impersonate General Sir Bernard Montgomery . During his work with the AFPU, Peter Ustinov , one of
2923-554: The Daisies (1960) with Doris Day , a big hit. Even more popular was the action film The Guns of Navarone (1961) with Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn . This role led to him being cast in further war and/or action films: The Captive City (1962); The Best of Enemies (1962); Guns of Darkness (1962); 55 Days at Peking (1963) with Charlton Heston and Ava Gardner . Niven returned to comedy with The Pink Panther (1963) also starring Peter Sellers , another huge success at
3002-617: The Pill (1968) and The Impossible Years (1968). Less widely seen was The Extraordinary Seaman (1969). The Brain (1969), a French comedy with Bourvil and Jean-Paul Belmondo , was the most popular film at the French box office in 1969 but was not widely seen in English-speaking countries. He did a war drama Before Winter Comes (1969) then returned to comedy in The Statue (1971). Niven
3081-613: The World in 80 Days (1956), My Man Godfrey (1957), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Murder by Death (1976), and Death on the Nile (1978). He also earned acclaim and notoriety playing Sir Charles Lytton in The Pink Panther (1963) and James Bond in Casino Royale (1967). James David Graham Niven was born on 1 March 1910 at Belgrave Mansions , Grosvenor Gardens , London, to William Edward Graham Niven (1878–1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (née Degacher) Niven (1878–1932). He
3160-523: The adventure tale The Real Glory (1939), and Walter Wanger cast him opposite Loretta Young in Eternally Yours (1939). Finally, Goldwyn granted Niven a lead part, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safe-cracker in Raffles (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;
3239-400: The book with Niven in mind, and therefore had sent a copy to Niven. Niven was the only actor who played James Bond mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. In chapter 14 of You Only Live Twice , pearl diver Kissy Suzuki refers to Niven as "the only man she liked in Hollywood", and the only person who "treated her honourably" there. Niven made some popular comedies, Prudence and
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3318-491: The box office. Less so was the comedy Bedtime Story (1964) with Marlon Brando . In 1964, Charles Boyer, Gig Young and top-billed Niven appeared in the Four Star series The Rogues . 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
3397-508: 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, only six weeks after the family moved to the US. She fractured her skull in a fall in the Beverly Hills, California home of Tyrone Power , while playing
3476-626: The day he died; she was among the VIP guests at his London memorial service in 1983. In 1928, Niven attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst . He graduated in 1930 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the British Army . He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. He requested assignment to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders or
3555-610: The earliest such programs was The Collier Hour , broadcast on the NBC Blue Network from 1927 to 1932. As radio's first major dramatic anthology, it adapted stories and serials from Collier's Weekly in a calculated move to increase subscriptions and compete with The Saturday Evening Post . Airing on the Wednesday prior to each week's distribution of the magazine, the program soon moved to Sundays in order to avoid spoilers with dramatizations of stories simultaneously appearing in
3634-448: 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." 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). With Rose's assistance, Niven
3713-519: The headmaster." In 1928, while she was on holiday in Bembridge , 15-year-old Margaret Whigham (the future socialite and Duchess 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
3792-456: The horror genre to have a franchise with an anthology format, such as with the Halloween franchise where the third film, Halloween III: Season of the Witch , was meant to be the beginning of a series of anthology horror films, but due to negative reception that plan was shelved. Anthology video games have been very rare since the 1980s. David Niven James David Graham Niven ( / ˈ n ɪ v ən / ; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983 )
3871-423: The initial films in which he can be seen are Barbary Coast (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). He secured a small role in A Feather in Her Hat (1935) at Columbia before returning to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for a bit role, billed as David Nivens, in Rose Marie (1936). Niven's role in Mutiny on the Bounty brought him to the attention of independent film producer Samuel Goldwyn , who signed him to
3950-416: The lead in a B picture, Dinner at the Ritz (1938) and he again had a supporting role in Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938) directed by Ernst Lubitsch at Paramount. Niven was one of the four heroes in John Ford 's Four Men and a Prayer (1938), also with Fox. He remained with Fox to play the part of a fake love interest in Three Blind Mice (1938). Niven joined what became known as the Hollywood Raj,
4029-450: The magazine. Radio anthology series provided for science fiction , horror , suspense, and mystery genres (all produced in the US, unless noted): The final episode of Suspense was broadcast on September 30, 1962, a date that has traditionally been seen as marking the end of the old-time radio era. However, genre series produced since 1962 include: In the history of television, live anthology dramas were especially popular during
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#17328908614974108-457: The millennium." Anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio , television , film , or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode , season , segment, or short . These usually have a different cast in each episode, but several series in the past, such as Four Star Playhouse , employed a permanent troupe of character actors who would appear in
4187-412: The misfortune to have me as your officer?" At that point, Niven had a brief but pleasant reunion. Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. Though promoted to lieutenant on 1 January 1933, 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
4266-519: The naval entrance exam because of his difficulty with maths, Niven attended Stowe School , a newly created public school led by headmaster J. 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
4345-608: The outbreak of the Second World War , Niven returned to Britain and rejoined the army, being recommissioned as a lieutenant . In 1942, he co-starred in the morale-building film about the development of the renowned Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane, The First of the Few (1942). He went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Separate Tables (1958). Other notable films during this time period include A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), Enchantment (1948), The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), The Moon Is Blue (1953), Around
4424-490: 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." With an Academy Award to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, The David Niven Show , which ran for 13 episodes that summer. He played the lead in some comedies: Ask Any Girl (1959), with Shirley MacLaine; Happy Anniversary (1959) with Mitzi Gaynor; and Please Don't Eat
4503-442: The place abandoned and empty. While attending school – as was customary for the time – Niven received many instances of corporal 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 of 10½. This ended his chances for Eton College , a significant blow to his family. After failing to pass
4582-405: 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 big hit and Niven won a Golden Globe Award for his role. Niven's next few films were made in England: The Love Lottery (1954), a comedy; Carrington V.C. (1954), a drama that earned Niven
4661-437: The program to feature himself, Charles Boyer , Joel McCrea , and Rosalind Russell . When Russell and McCrea backed out, David Niven came on board as the third star. The fourth star was initially a guest star. CBS liked the idea, and Four Star Playhouse made its debut in fall of 1952. It ran on alternate weeks only during the first season, alternating with Amos 'n' Andy . It was successful enough to be renewed and became
4740-402: The raw footage was reviewed, his voice was inaudible, and his lines had to be dubbed by Rich Little . Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report. This was his last film appearance. Niven wrote four books. 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. The plot
4819-457: The script-writers, had to pose as Niven's batman . 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". In 1978, Niven and Ustinov would star together in a film adaptation of Agatha Christie 's Death on the Nile . He acted in two wartime films not formally associated with
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#17328908614974898-409: The three leads in various combinations (one-lead, two-lead and three-lead episodes), although the least otherwise busy Gig Young wound up carrying most of the series. The Rogues ran for only one season, but won a Golden Globe award. In 1965, Niven made two films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer : the Peter Ustinov -directed Lady L , supporting Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, and Where the Spies Are , as
4977-409: The title role in Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948), a notorious box office flop. Back in Hollywood Niven was in Goldwyn's Enchantment (1948) with Teresa Wright . At Warner Bros he was in a comedy A Kiss in the Dark (1948) with Jane Wyman , then he appeared opposite Shirley Temple in the comedy A Kiss for Corliss (1949). None of these films was successful at the box office and Niven's career
5056-435: 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 go crack !" 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
5135-475: Was Julia Caroline Smith, the daughter of Lieutenant General James Webber Smith CB . 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). David and his sister Grizel were close, and both loathed Comyn-Platt. The family moved to Rose Cottage in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight after selling their London home. In his 1971 biography, The Moon's
5214-412: Was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films . He received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award . Born in central London to an upper-middle-class family, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst . After Sandhurst, he
5293-415: 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 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." Niven is said to have revealed that he knew Comyn-Platt
5372-494: Was allowed to escape from a first-floor window. He then headed for the United States. While crossing the Atlantic , Niven resigned his commission by telegram on 6 September 1933. In New York City, Niven began a brief and unsuccessful career in whisky sales, followed by a stint in horse rodeo promotion in Atlantic City , New Jersey. After detours to Bermuda and Cuba , he arrived in Hollywood in 1934. When Niven presented himself at Central Casting , he learned that he needed
5451-496: Was also said to be the reason why he persistently refused to appear on This Is Your Life . Niven's penchant for exaggeration and embroidery is particularly apparent 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. In all three examples, the reality is significantly different from Niven's heavily fictionalised accounts as presented in The Moon's
5530-433: Was billed below Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone , it was a leading role and the film did excellent business. Niven was reluctant to take a supporting part in Wuthering Heights (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success. RKO borrowed him to play Ginger Rogers ' leading man in the romantic comedy Bachelor Mother (1939), which was another big hit. Goldwyn used him to support Gary Cooper in
5609-402: Was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry . Upon developing an interest in acting, he found a role as an extra in the British film There Goes the Bride (1932). Bored with the peacetime army, he resigned his commission in 1933, relocated to New York, then travelled to Hollywood . There, he hired an agent and had several small parts in films through 1935, including
5688-874: Was from St Martins , a village in Perthshire . A physician, he married in Worcestershire , and lived in Pershore . Niven's mother, Henriette, was born in Brecon , Wales. Her father was Captain (brevet Major) William Degacher (1841–1879) of the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot , who was killed at the Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. 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. Henriette's mother
5767-621: 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 the Carlton Club I suppose. 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
5846-546: Was his real father a year before his own death in 1983. After his mother remarried, Niven's stepfather had him sent away to boarding school. In The 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
5925-576: Was in demand throughout the last decade of his life: King, Queen, Knave (1972); Vampira (1974); Paper Tiger (1975); No Deposit, No Return (1976), a Disney comedy; Murder By Death (1976), Candleshoe (1977), one of several stars in a popular comedy; Death on the Nile (1978), one of many stars and another hit; A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979); Escape to Athena (1979), produced by his son; Rough Cut (1980), supporting Burt Reynolds ; and The Sea Wolves (1980),
6004-659: 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." 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
6083-508: 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 certificate disproves this. He had two older sisters and a brother: Margaret Joyce Niven (1900–1981), Henry Degacher Niven (1902–1953), and the sculptor Grizel Rosemary Graham Niven (1906–2007), who created the bronze sculpture Bessie that
6162-456: 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. In 1971, he published his autobiography, The Moon's
6241-488: Was struggling. He returned to Britain to play the title role in The 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 first start, but the dispute over The Elusive Pimpernel and Niven's demands for more money led to
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