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Biography

James David Graham Niven was an English actor 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).

Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a place at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he joined the British Army and was gazetted a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Light Infantry, 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 part in MGM’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.

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), 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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Filmography

Film Year Role Notes
There Goes the Bride 1932 Bit Role Uncredited
Eyes of Fate 1933 Man at Race Course Uncredited
Cleopatra 1934 Slave Uncredited
All the Winners 1934 Uncredited
Without Regret 1935 Bill Gage
Barbary Coast 1935 Cockney sailor Uncredited
A Feather in Her Hat 1935 Leo Cartwright
Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 Able-Bodied Seaman Uncredited
Splendor 1935 Clancey Lorrimore
Rose Marie 1936 Teddy
Palm Springs 1936 George Brittel
Dodsworth 1936 Captain Clyde Lockert
Thank You, Jeeves! 1936 Bertie Wooster
The Charge of the Light Brigade 1936 Captain James Randall
Beloved Enemy 1936 Gerald Preston
We Have Our Moments 1937 Joe Gilling
The Prisoner of Zenda 1937 Count Fritz von Tarlenheim
Dinner at the Ritz 1937 Paul de Brack
Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife 1938 Albert de Regnier
Four Men and a Prayer 1938 Chris
Three Blind Mice 1938 Steve Harrington
The Dawn Patrol 1938 Lt. Scott
Wuthering Heights 1939 Edgar Linton
Bachelor Mother 1939 David Merlin
The Real Glory 1939 Lt Terrence McCool
Eternally Yours 1939 Tony “The Great Arturo” Halstead
Raffles 1939 A.J. Raffles
The First of the Few 1942 Geoffrey Crisp
The Way Ahead 1944 Lt Jim Perry
Magnificent Doll 1946 Aaron Burr
A Matter of Life and Death 1946 Peter David Carter
The Perfect Marriage 1947 Dale Williams
The Other Love 1947 Dr Anthony Stanton
The Bishop’s Wife 1947 Henry Brougham
Bonnie Prince Charlie 1948 Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Enchantment 1948 General Sir Roland Dane
A Kiss in the Dark 1949 Eric Phillips
A Kiss for Corliss 1949 Kenneth Marquis
The Toast of New Orleans 1950 Jacques Riboudeaux
The Elusive Pimpernel 1950 Sir Percy Blakeney
Happy Go Lovely 1951 B.G. Bruno
Soldiers Three 1951 Captain Pindenny
Appointment with Venus 1951 Major Valentine Morland
The Lady Says No 1952 Bill Shelby
The Moon Is Blue 1953 David Slater Winner, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor at the 11th Golden Globe Awards
The Love Lottery 1954 Rex Allerton
Happy Ever After 1954 Jasper O’Leary
Carrington V.C. 1955 Major “Copper” Carrington, V.C. Nominated, BAFTA Award for Best British Actor at the 8th British Academy Film Awards
The King’s Thief 1955 Duke of Brampton
The Birds and the Bees 1956 Colonel Harris
The Silken Affair 1956 Roger Tweakham
Around the World in 80 Days 1956 Phileas Fogg
Oh, Men! Oh, Women! 1957 Dr. Alan Coles
The Little Hut 1957 Henry Brittingham-Brett
My Man Godfrey 1957 Godfrey Smith Nominated, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor at the 15th Golden Globe Awards
Bonjour Tristesse 1958 Raymond
Separate Tables 1958 Major David Angus Pollock Winner, Academy Award for Best Actor at the 31st Academy Awards
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor at the 16th Golden Globe Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor at the 1958 Awards
Ask Any Girl 1959 Miles Doughton
Happy Anniversary 1959 Chris Walters
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies 1960 Larry Mackay
The Guns of Navarone 1961 Corporal Miller
The Best of Enemies 1961 Major Richardson Originally titled I Due Nemici
The Road to Hong Kong 1962 Lady Chatterley’s Lover lama Uncredited
Guns of Darkness 1962 Tom Jordan
The Captive City 1962 Major Peter Whitfield Originally titled La Città Prigioniera
Il giorno più cortos 1963 Released internationally as The Shortest Day
55 Days at Peking 1963 Sir Arthur Robertson
The Pink Panther 1963 Sir Charles Litton
Bedtime Story 1964 Lawrence Jamison
Lady L 1965 Lord Lendale
Where the Spies Are 1965 Dr Love
Eye of the Devil 1966 Philippe de Montfaucon
Casino Royale 1967 Sir James Bond
Prudence and the Pill 1968 Gerald Hardcastle
The Impossible Years 1968 Jonathan Kingsley
The Extraordinary Seaman 1969 Lt. Commander Finchhaven
The Brain 1969 Col. Carol Matthews Originally titled Le Cerveau
Before Winter Comes 1969 Major Giles Burnside
The Statue 1971 Alex Bolt
King, Queen, Knave 1972 Charles Dreyer Originally titled Herzbube
The Canterville Ghost 1974 Ghost
Vampira 1974 Count Dracula
The Remarkable Rocket 1975 Narrator
Paper Tiger 1975 Walter Bradbury
No Deposit, No Return 1976 J. W. Osborne
Murder by Death 1976 Dick Charleston
Candleshoe 1977 Priory
Death on the Nile 1978 Colonel Race
Escape to Athena 1979 Professor Blake
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square 1979 Ivan/General Bernard Drew
Rough Cut 1980 Chief Inspector Cyril Willis
The Sea Wolves 1980 Colonel Bill Grice
Trail of the Pink Panther 1982 Sir Charles Litton Voice dubbed by Rich Little
Better Late Than Never 1982 Nicholas Cartland
Curse of the Pink Panther 1983 Sir Charles Litton

Licensing

As the exclusive licensing agent for David Niven, CMG Worldwide is dedicated to maintaining and developing a positive brand image for our client. CMG is a leader and pioneer in its field, with over 37 years of experience arranging licensing agreements for hundreds of personalities and brands in various industries, including sports, entertainment, music, and more. We actively seek out commercial opportunities that are consistent with our brand positioning goals, and we are committed to pursuing strategies that meet the goals of our clients, as well as our licensing partners.

Please contact us today if you are interested in licensing opportunities with David Niven. For a full list of CMG Clients, please visit our website here.

 

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