James David Graham Niven (/ˈnɪvÉ™n/; 1 March 1910 â€" 29 July 1983)
was an English actor, memoirist and novelist. 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 also played James
Bond in Casino Royale (1967).Born in London, Niven attended
Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place
at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he joined
the British Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the
Highland Light Infantry. Having developed an interest in acting, he
left the army, 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 role in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer'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 recommissioned as a lieutenant.
In 1942 he co-starred in the morale-building film about the
development of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, The First of the Few
(American title Spitfire), which was enthusiastically endorsed by
Winston Churchill.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) with Cary
Grant, 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 (1956). 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.
was an English actor, memoirist and novelist. 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 also played James
Bond in Casino Royale (1967).Born in London, Niven attended
Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe School before gaining a place
at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he joined
the British Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the
Highland Light Infantry. Having developed an interest in acting, he
left the army, 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 role in
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer'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 recommissioned as a lieutenant.
In 1942 he co-starred in the morale-building film about the
development of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, The First of the Few
(American title Spitfire), which was enthusiastically endorsed by
Winston Churchill.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) with Cary
Grant, 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 (1956). 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.
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