David NivenDavid Niven, born James David Graham Niven (March 1, 1910 - July 29, 1983), was an English actor who achieved the unusual distinction of success in both the British and the Hollywood film industry. He was born in London, England, the son of William Edward Graham Niven and Henrietta Julia de Gacher. His father died during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 and his mother remarried Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt. After attending Stowe as a boy Niven trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was to be his trademark. Niven often claimed that he was born in Kirriemuir in Scotland which he believed sounded more romantic than London. Arriving in Hollywood during the 1930s, he first worked as an extra in westerns, then had a walk-on part in the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty and progressed to leading man in MGM comedies such as Bachelor Mother (1939). During World War II he served in the British army, rising to the rank of colonel in the British Commandos and landing at Normandy. He resumed his career afterwards with roles such as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in Eighty Days and James Bond in the unofficial series spoof Casino Royale. He won an Academy Award for his performance in Separate Tables (1958). Late in life, he gained critical acclaim for his memoirs of his acting career, The Moon's A Balloon (1971) and Bring On the Empty Horses (1975). He died in Switzerland in 1983 of Motor Neurone Disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Quotations
Selected filmography
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He died in Switzerland in 1983 of Motor Neurone Disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Partial Filmography:. Late in life, he gained critical acclaim for his memoirs of his acting career, The Moon's A Balloon (1971) and Bring On the Empty Horses (1975). by his wife for interrment in the Southborough Rural Cemetery. He won an Academy Award for his performance in Separate Tables (1958). Following cremation in Sweden, his ashes were brought back to the U.S. He resumed his career afterwards with roles such as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in Eighty Days and James Bond in the unofficial series spoof Casino Royale. Warner Oland and his wife made a historic farmhouse near the village of Southborough, Massachusetts their primary residence. During World War II he served in the British army, rising to the rank of colonel in the British Commandos and landing at Normandy. While there, he contacted bronchial pneumonia and hampered by the apparent onset of emphysema from years of heavy cigarette smoking, he passed away at a hospital in Stockholm. Arriving in Hollywood during the 1930s, he first worked as an extra in westerns, then had a walk-on part in the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty and progressed to leading man in MGM comedies such as Bachelor Mother (1939). Signed to a new contract by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation to make three more Charlie Chan films, in early 1938 Oland's health problems worsened and he spent several weeks in hospital then took time off to travel to his native Sweden. Niven often claimed that he was born in Kirriemuir in Scotland which he believed sounded more romantic than London. Despite his wealth and success, Oland suffered from alcoholism that severely affected his heath and his thirty-year marriage. After attending Stowe as a boy Niven trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was to be his trademark. Although Oland did act in other films, the enormous worldwide box office success of his Charlie Chan film led to a Charlie Chan industry with Oland starring in sixteen films in total. His father died during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 and his mother remarried Sir Thomas Comyn-Platt. Firmly locked into oriental roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan in the 1931 international detective mystery film, Charlie Chan Carries On and then in director Josef von Sternberg's 1932 film, Shanghai Express. He was born in London, England, the son of William Edward Graham Niven and Henrietta Julia de Gacher. Fu Manchu in three more films. David Niven, born James David Graham Niven (March 1, 1910 - July 29, 1983), was an English actor who achieved the unusual distinction of success in both the British and the Hollywood film industry. A box office success, the film made Oland a star and during the next two years, he portrayed the evil Dr. Tres Amores - 1934. Fu Manchu. Without Regret - 1935. With a lack of skilled oriental actors available in Hollywood, he portrayed a variety of oriental characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Splendor - 1935. Oland's facial features, aided by makeup, allowed him to easily play the part of oriental characters. A Feather in Her Hat - 1935. Over the next fifteen years he appeared in more than thirty films, including a major role in 1927's The Jazz Singer, one of the first talkies produced. Barbary Coast - 1935. He made several more films with Pearl White including his first portrayal of an oriental character in her 1919 film, The Lightning Raider. Mutiny on the Bounty (uncredited bit part) - 1935. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adaptation to a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethic roles. Thank You, Jeeves - 1936. It would be another three years before he returned to film work with a role in The Romance of Elaine, an adventure film starring the extremely popular Pearl White. Dodsworth - 1936. After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan novel. Beloved Enemy - 1936. The brillant woman made an ideal partner for Oland and she mastered the Swedish language, helping him with the translation of Strindberg's works that they jointly had published in book form in 1912. Rose-Marie - 1936. The following year he met and married the playright and portrait painter, Edith Gardener Shearn. Palm Springs - 1936. Trained as a dramatic actor, in 1906, he was signed to tour the country with the troupe led by actress Alla Nazimova. The Charge of the Light Brigade - 1936. As a young man he pursued a career in theater, at first working on set design while developing his acting skills. We Have Our Moments - 1937. An intellect educated in Boston, Massachusetts, he spoke English and his native Swedish, and eventually translated some of the plays of August Strindberg. The Prisoner of Zenda - 1937. Born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality, Västerbotten County, Sweden, at age thirteen his family emigrated to the United States. Dinner at the Ritz - 1937. Warner Oland born October 3, 1879 - died August 6, 1938, was a Swedish actor most remembered for his role as "Charlie Chan.". Three Blind Mice - 1938. Pilgrim's Progress (1912). Four Men and a Prayer - 1938. The Romance of Elaine (1915). Bluebeard's Eighth Wife - 1938. The Fatal Ring (1917). The Dawn Patrol - 1938. Mandarin's Gold (1919). Wuthering Heights - 1939. The Phantom Foe (1920). The Real Glory - 1939. East Is West (1922). Eternally Yours - 1939. The Fighting American (1924). Bachelor Mother - 1939. Riders of the Purple Sage (1925). Raffles - 1940. Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925). The First of the Few) - 1942. The Jazz Singer (1927). Spitfire (a.k.a. The Drums of Jeopardy (1931). The Immortal Battalion - 1944. Dishonored (1931). The Way Ahead - 1944. Shanghai Express (1932). The Perfect Marriage - 1946. The Painted Veil (1934). A Matter of Life and Death (a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven) - 1946. Werewolf of London (1935). Magnificent Doll - 1946. Charlie Chan's Secret (1935). The Other Love - 1947. Charlie Chan in Paris (1935). The Bishop's Wife - 1947. Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936). Enchantment - 1948. Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Bonnie Prince Charlie - 1948. Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937). Kiss in the Dark - 1949. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937). A Kiss for Corliss - 1949. The Elusive Pimpernel - 1950. The Toast of New Orleans - 1950. Soldiers Three - 1951. The Lady Says No - 1951. Happy Go Lovely - 1951. Appointment with Venus - 1951. The Love Lottery - 1953. The Moon is Blue - 1953. Happy Ever After - 1954. The King's Thief - 1955. Carrington, V.C. - 1955. The Birds and the Bees - 1956. Around the World in Eighty Days - 1956. The Silken Affair - 1957. My Man Godfrey - 1957. The Little Hut - 1957. Oh, Men! Oh, Women! - 1957. Separate Tables - 1958. Bonjour Tristesse - 1958. Happy Anniversary - 1959. Ask Any Girl - 1959. Please Don't Eat the Daisies - 1960. The Best of Enemies - 1961. The Guns of Navarone - 1961. Il Giorno Più Corto - 1962. La Città Prigioniera - 1962. The Road to Hong Kong - 1962. Guns of Darkness - 1962. 55 Days at Peking - 1963. The Pink Panther - 1963. Bedtime Story - 1964. Where the Spies Are - 1965. Lady L - 1965. Eye of the Devil - 1967. Casino Royale - 1967. Prudence and the Pill - 1968. The Impossible Years - 1968. The Extraordinary Seaman - 1969. Le Cerveau - 1969. Before Winter Comes - 1969. The Statue - 1971. King, Queen, Knave - 1976. Old Dracula - 1974. Paper Tiger - 1975. No Deposit, No Return - 1976. Murder by Death - 1976. Candleshoe - 1977. Death on the Nile - 1978. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - 1979. Escape to Athena - 1979. The Sea Wolves: The Last Charge of the Calcutta Light Horse - 1980. Rough Cut - 1980. Better Late Than Never - 1982. Trail of the Pink Panther - 1982. Curse of the Pink Panther - 1983. and showing his shortcomings." David Niven, spontaneously commenting on the streaker who crossed the stage while he was hosting the Academy Awards in 1974. "The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping.. "I don't think his acting ever quite achieved the brilliance or the polish of his dinner-party conversations." -- John Mortimer. Can you imagine being wonderfully overpaid for dressing up and playing games? It's like being Peter Pan" -- David Niven. "It really is amazing. |