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IMDbPro

David Niven(1910-1983)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
David Niven in The Pink Panther (1963)
Ensuing after the events of Clouseau's disappearance, his bosses at the Surete put a computer into service to elect a new shrewd detective, Sleigh, who turns up just as inept as Clouseau.
Play trailer1:24
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
36 Videos
99+ Photos
James David Graham Niven was born on the feast day of St David. Following Niven senior's death at Turkey's infamous Suvla Bay, Niven's mother went on to marry his biological father, the Conservative politician Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt, but it was years before the true father/son relationship was acknowledged.

David Niven 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 (Rifle Brigade). He did agreed to appear in two films during the war, both of strong propaganda value (Spitfire (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944)).

Despite six years' virtual absence from the screen, he came in second in the 1945 Popularity Poll of British film stars. Upon his return to Hollywood after the war he was made a Legionnaire of the Order of Merit (the highest U.S. order that can be awarded to a non-citizen), which was presented to Lt. Col. Niven by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
BornMarch 1, 1910
DiedJuly 29, 1983(73)
BornMarch 1, 1910
DiedJuly 29, 1983(73)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Won 1 Oscar

Photos451

David Niven, David Prowse, and Terence Cooper in Casino Royale (1967)
David Niven and David Prowse in Casino Royale (1967)
Marlon Brando and David Niven in Bedtime Story (1964)
David Niven and Ruth Chatterton in Dodsworth (1936)
David Niven, Ruth Chatterton, and Walter Huston in Dodsworth (1936)
David Niven in Dodsworth (1936)
David Niven and Joanna Pettet in Casino Royale (1967)
David Niven and Joanna Pettet in Casino Royale (1967)
David Niven
David Niven and Wendy Hiller in Separate Tables (1958)
David Niven and Ginger Rogers in Magnificent Doll (1946)
David Niven in Magnificent Doll (1946)

Known for

Murder by Death (1976)
Murder by Death
7.3
  • Dick Charleston
  • 1976
David Niven, Peter Sellers, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale, and Robert Wagner in The Pink Panther (1963)
The Pink Panther
7.0
  • Sir Charles Litton
  • 1963
David Niven and Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Around the World in 80 Days
6.7
  • Phileas Fogg
  • 1956
Separate Tables (1958)
Separate Tables
7.4
  • Major Angus Pollock
  • 1958

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
    Curse of the Pink Panther
  • David Niven, Art Carney, and Catherine Hicks in Better Late Than Never (1983)
    Better Late Than Never
  • Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
    Trail of the Pink Panther
  • The Sea Wolves (1980)
    The Sea Wolves
  • David Niven, Burt Reynolds, and Lesley-Anne Down in Rough Cut (1980)
    Rough Cut
  • Elke Sommer in A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1980)
    A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
  • A Man Called Intrepid (1979)
    A Man Called Intrepid
  • Escape to Athena (1979)
    Escape to Athena
  • Death on the Nile (1978)
    Death on the Nile
  • Candleshoe (1977)
    Candleshoe
  • Murder by Death (1976)
    Murder by Death
  • David Niven, Kim Richards, Herschel Bernardi, Barbara Feldon, Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Brad Savage in No Deposit, No Return (1976)
    No Deposit, No Return
  • The Remarkable Rocket (1975)
    The Remarkable Rocket
    • (voice)
  • David Niven, Toshirô Mifune, Irene Tsu, and Kazuhito Andô in Paper Tiger (1975)
    Paper Tiger
  • The Canterville Ghost (1974)
    The Canterville Ghost

Producer

  • Dick Powell in Zane Grey Theatre (1956)
    Zane Grey Theatre
    • (uncredited)
  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse

Director

  • Dick Powell in Zane Grey Theatre (1956)
    Zane Grey Theatre

Videos36

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Personal details

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    • Facebook
    • Official Site
    • March 1, 1910
    • Belgravia, London, England, UK
    • July 29, 1983
    • Château-d'Oex, Switzerland(complications from ALS)
    • Hjördis GenbergJanuary 14, 1948 - July 29, 1983 (his death, 2 children)
    • David Niven Jr.
  • Other works
    Novel: "Round the Rugged Rocks".
  • Publicity listings
    • 12 Print Biographies
    • 4 Portrayals
    • 7 Interviews
    • 10 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 19 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    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".
  • Quotes
    I've been lucky enough to win an Oscar, write a best-seller-my other dream would be to have a painting in the Louvre. The only way that's going to happen is if I paint a dirty one on the wall of the gentlemen's lavatory.
    • [names]: his characters are often named after his real-life friends, or refer to his real-life friends as sources of information.
    • Casino Royale
      (1967)
      $500,000

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