# David Niven on screen, stage, radio, record and in print

The British actor David Niven (1910–1983) performed in many genres of light entertainment, including film, television, radio, and theatre. He was the author of four books: two works of fiction and two autobiographies. Described by Brian McFarlane, writing for the British Film Institute (BFI), as being "of famously debonair manner", Niven's film career spanned from 1932 through 1983.
After brief spells as an army officer, whisky salesman and with a horse racing syndicate, he was an uncredited extra in his screen debut in There Goes the Bride; he went on to appear in nearly a hundred films. During his long career, he was presented with a Golden Globe Award for his part in The Moon Is Blue (1953) and was nominated for a BAFTA for the titular lead in Carrington V.C. (1955). He toplined the 1957 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film), and two years later, for his role as Major Pollock in Separate Tables, Niven was awarded both the Best Actor Oscar and the Golden Globe for a performance where "the pain behind the fake polish was moving to observe". Niven's other notable works include The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Dawn Patrol (1938), The Way Ahead (1944), The Bishop's Wife (1947), The Guns of Navarone (1961), the role of Sir Charles Lytton in The Pink Panther (and two of its sequels), Murder By Death, and most significantly, A Matter of Life and Death (1946), judged by the BFI as one of the top twenty British films of all time.
Niven lived more than 20 years of his life in the United States, although upon the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to Britain to fight, and was re-commissioned a Lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. At the end of the war he returned to the US and continued his film work, but increasingly appeared on American radio and television, and later did the same in Britain. He appeared frequently in his Four Star Playhouse series, as well as producing some editions. For his years in both television and film, Niven was honoured with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died in 1983 from motor neurone disease at the age of 73.

## Filmography

Filmography and awards of David Niven :
| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
| There Goes the Bride | 1932 | | 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 | |
| Splendor | 1935 | Clancey Lorrimore | |
| Mutiny on the Bounty | 1935 | Crewman | Uncredited |
| 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 | Christopher Leigh | |
| 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 | |
| A Matter of Life and Death | 1946 | Peter David Carter | |
| Magnificent Doll | 1946 | Aaron Burr | |
| 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 Elusive Pimpernel | 1950 | Sir Percy Blakeney | |
| The Toast of New Orleans | 1950 | Jacques Riboudeaux | |
| 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 – Musical or Comedy at the 11th Golden Globe Awards |
| The Love Lottery | 1954 | Rex Allerton | |
| Happy Ever After | 1954 | Jasper O'Leary | |
| Carrington V.C. | 1955 | Major Charles "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 Patrick Henry Harris | |
| The Silken Affair | 1956 | Roger Tweakham | |
| Around the World in 80 Days | 1956 | Phileas Fogg | Winner, Academy Award for Best Picture at the 29th Academy Awards. |
| 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 – Musical or Comedy 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 – Drama 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 John Anthony Miller | |
| Il giorno più corto | 1962 | | Released internationally as The Shortest Day |
| The Captive City | 1962 | Major Peter Whitfield | Originally titled La Città Prigioniera |
| The Best of Enemies | 1962 | Major Richardson | Originally titled I Due Nemici |
| The Road to Hong Kong | 1962 | Lady Chatterley's Lover Lama | |
| Guns of Darkness | 1962 | Tom Jordan | |
| 55 Days at Peking | 1963 | Sir Arthur Robertson | |
| The Pink Panther | 1963 | Sir Charles Lytton | |
| Bedtime Story | 1964 | Lawrence Jamison | |
| Where the Spies Are | 1965 | Dr Jason Love | |
| Lady L | 1965 | Lord Dicky Lendale | |
| 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 | Colonel Carol "The Brain" 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 | |
| Paper Tiger | 1975 | Walter Bradbury | |
| The Remarkable Rocket | 1975 | Narrator | |
| No Deposit, No Return | 1976 | J. W. Osborne | |
| Murder by Death | 1976 | Dick Charleston | |
| Candleshoe | 1977 | Priory | |
| Death on the Nile | 1978 | Colonel Johnny Race | |
| A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | 1979 | Ivan/General Bernard Drew | |
| Escape to Athena | 1979 | Professor Blake | |
| Rough Cut | 1980 | Chief Inspector Cyril Willis | |
| The Sea Wolves | 1980 | Colonel Bill Grice | |
| Better Late Than Never | 1982 | Nicholas Cartland | |
| Trail of the Pink Panther | 1982 | Sir Charles Lytton | Voice dubbed by Rich Little |
| Curse of the Pink Panther | 1983 | Sir Charles Lytton | Voice dubbed by Rich Little |
* ^1 This list also includes film specific awards and nominations won by Niven, but not the career awards, which consisted of:
      * the 1959 Louella O. Parsons' Golden Apple Award for Most Cooperative Male Star;
      * the Alexander Walker Special Award, won at the 1980 Evening Standard British Film Awards.

## Stage credits

Stage credits of David Niven :
| Production | Date | Theatre | Role | Notes |
| The Wedding | 1935 | Pasadena Playhouse, Pasadena, CA | | One performance only |
| Nina | 5 December 1951 – 12 January 1952 | Royale Theatre, New York | Gerard | 45 performances |
| The Moon is Blue | 8 July – October 1952 | United Nations Theatre | David Slater | |

## Radio broadcasts

Radio broadcasts of David Niven :
| Broadcast | Date | Channel | Notes |
| Shell Chateau | 16 July 1936 | NBC | |
| Lux Radio Theatre: "The Gilded Lily" | 11 January 1937 | NBC | |
| In the British Army | 10 March 1938 | NBC | |
| The Rudy Vallée Show | 17 November 1938 | NBC | |
| The Chase and Sanborn Hour | 21 May 1939 | NBC | |
| Radio Tribute to the King and Queen of England | 11 June 1939 | | |
| The Chase and Sanborn Hour | 24 September 1939 | NBC | |
| Silver Theater: "Ex Spy" | 22 October 1939 | NBC | |
| The Walter O'Keefe Show | 7 November 1939 | ABC Radio | |
| Bob Hope Entertains the Troops | 17 July 1943 | | |
| Sealtest Variety Theater | 24 March 1943 | NBC | |
| Information Please | 17 December 1945 | NBC | |
| The Hour of Mystery | 1 September 1946 | ABC Radio | |
| Lux Radio Theatre: "Frenchman's Creek" | 10 February 1947 | CBS | |
| This is Hollywood | 17 May 1947 | CBS | |
| Hi Jinx! | 26 June 1947 | NBC | |
| Hollywood Hotel | 9 November 1947 | ABC Radio | |
| Kraft Music Hall | 26 February 1948 | NBC | |
| Hollywood Star Preview | 9 May 1948 | | |
| Mary Margaret McBride Program | 17 February 1949 | NBC | |
| Hallmark Playhouse: "Berkeley Square" | 3 March 1949 | CBS | |
| Screen Guild Players: "Enchantment" | 24 March 1949 | CBS | As General Sir Roland Dane in adaptation of Enchantment |
| Screen Guild Players: "Stairway to Heaven" | 23 June 1949 | CBS | As Peter Carter in adaptation of A Matter of Life and Death |
| NBC University Theatre: "Nineteen Eighty-Four" | 27 August 1949 | NBC | As Winston Smith in adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four |
| Anacin Hollywood Start Theater: "Next Door to Yesterday | 8 October 1949 | | |
| Hollywood Watch | 16 October 1949 | | |
| Camel Screen Guild Theater: "A Kiss in the Dark" | 27 October 1949 | CBS | As Eric Phillips in adaptation of A Kiss in the Dark |
| Theater Guild on the Air: "Brief Encounter" | 13 November 1949 | CBS | |
| Lux Radio Theatre: "The Bishop's Wife" | 19 December 1949 | CBS | As Henry Brougham in adaptation of The Bishop's Wife |
| Theater Guild on the Air: "I Know Where I'm Going" | 15 October 1950 | CBS | |
| The Hedda Hopper Show | 25 February 1951 | ABC Radio | |
| Theater Guild on the Air: "This Woman Business" | 23 September 1951 | CBS | |
| Philip Morris Playhouse on Broadway: "Brief Encounter" | 25 September 1951 | | |
| Theater Guild on the Air: "The Thief" | 27 January 1952 | CBS | |
| Screen Guild Theater: "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" | 27 April 1952 | CBS | |
| Hallmark Playhouse: "Lorna Doone" | 1 May 1952 | | |
| Theater Guild on the Air: "Dear Brutus" | 4 May 1952 | CBS | |
| The Bing Crosby Show | 14 May 1952 | CBS | |
| Hollywood Star Theater | 1 June 1952 | | |
| Hollywood Star Theater: "The Long Shot" | 8 June 1952 | | |
| The Bob Hope Show | 5 March 1954 | NBC | |
| The Bob Hope Show | 15 March 1954 | NBC | |
| The Bob Hope Show | 4 November 1954 | NBC | |
| The Bob Hope Show | 3 March 1955 | NBC | |
| Lux Radio Theatre: "Stairway to Heaven" | 3 April 1955 | CBS | As Peter Carter in adaptation of A Matter of Life and Death |
| Please Don't Eat the Daisies | 22 February 1960 | | |
| Weekend Woman's Hour | 22 July 1971 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Kaleidoscope | 8 August 1973 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| David Niven | 9 March 1974 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| The Fred Astaire Story | 23 February 1975 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Noël: The Life and Times of Noël Coward | 5 March 1975 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| The Fred Astaire Story | 26 March 1973 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| The Fred Astaire Story | 23 April 1975 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| David Niven | 23 September 1975 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Kaleidoscope | 15 February 1977 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Desert Island Discs | 26 April 1977 | BBC Radio 4 | |
| John Dunn Show | 29 July 1981 | BBC Radio 2 | |

## Television

Television appearances of David Niven :
| Programme | Date | Channel | Role | Notes |
| Nash Airflyte Theater: "Portrait of Lydia" | 5 October 1950 | CBS | | Adapted from a work by A.A. Milne |
| Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: "Not a Chance" | 5 October 1951 | CBS | | |
| What's My Line | 10 February 1952 | CBS | Himself (mystery celebrity guest) | |
| Celanese Theater: "The Petrified Forest" | 20 February 1952 | ABC | | Adapted from a play by Robert E. Sherwood |
| The Jack Benny Program: "The David Niven Story" | 2 May 1952 | CBS | | |
| Robert Montgomery Presents: "The Sheffield Story" | 27 October 1952 | NBC | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "South Sea Doctor" | 4 December 1952 | CBS | | |
| Hollywood Opening Night: "Sword Play" | 15 December 1952 | NBC | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Man on a train" | 15 January 1953 | CBS | William Langford | Niven also produced this episode. |
| Four Star Playhouse: "No Identity" | 12 March 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Night Ride" | 7 May 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Mr. Bingham" | 4 June 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Finale" | 24 September 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "A Matter of Advice" | 29 October 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "For Art's Sake" | 26 November 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "A Man of the World" | 17 December 1953 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "The Bomb" | 18 February 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Operation in Money" | 11 March 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "The Book" | 1 April 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Village in the City" | 22 April 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Never Explain" | 7 October 1954 | CBS | | |
| Light's Diamond Jubilee: "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" | 24 October 1954 | ABC, CBS, NBC, and DuMont | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Vote of Confidence" | 11 November 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Meet a Lonely Man" | 2 December 1954 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "The Answer" | 23 December 1954 | CBS | Deacon | Niven also produced this episode; Nominated, Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Single Performance at the 7th Primetime Emmy Awards |
| The Star and the Story: "The Thin Line" | 6 January 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Breakfast in Bed" | 20 January 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Tusitala" | 24 February 1955 | CBS | Robert Louis Stevenson | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Henry and the Psychopathic Horse" | 17 March 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "The Collar" | 7 April 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Uncle Fred Flits By" | 5 May 1955 | CBS | Uncle Fred | Niven also produced this episode; adapted from a P.G. Wodehouse story |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Broken Journey" | 2 June 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Firing Squad" | 6 October 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Full Circle" | 27 October 1955 | CBS | Maxwell | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Here Comes the Suit" | 17 November 1955 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Tunnel of Fear" | 19 January 1956 | CBS | Jerry Larkin | Niven also produced this episode. |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Safe Keeping" | 9 February 1956 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Red Wine" | 8 March 1956 | CBS | Wilson | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "The Rites of Spring" | 4 April 1956 | CBS | | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Touch and Go" | 26 April 1956 | CBS | | |
| What's My Line | 14 October 1956 | CBS | Himself | |
| What's My Line | 21 October 1956 | CBS | Himself | |
| Four Star Playhouse: "Second Chance" | 14 June 1956 | CBS | | |
| Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater: "Village of Fear" | 15 March 1957 | CBS | Allen Raikes | |
| This is Scotland | 31 August 1957 | Scottish Television | | Opening night of Scottish Television |
| Mr. Adams and Eve: "Taming of the Shrew" | 27 September 1957 | CBS | Himself | Niven also portrayed Phineas Fogg during the episode. |
| Alcoa Theatre: "Circumstantial" | 7 October 1957 | NBC | | |
| What's My Line | 21 September 1958 | CBS | Himself | |
| What's My Line | 28 September 1958 | CBS | Himself | |
| Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre: "Danger By Night" | 28 October 1957 | | | |
| Alcoa Theatre: "In the Dark" | 13 January 1958 | NBC | | |
| Alcoa Theatre: "Night Caller" | 10 February 1958 | NBC | | |
| Alcoa Theatre: "My Wife's Next Husband" | 21 April 1958 | NBC | | |
| Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater: "The Accused" | 30 October 1958 | CBS | | |
| What's My Line | 25 January 1959 | CBS | Himself | |
| What's My Line | 13 December 1959 | CBS | Himself | |
| What's My Line | 3 January 1960 | CBS | Himself | |
| The June Allyson Show: "The Trench Coat" | 11 January 1960 | CBS | | |
| Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater: "Wayfarers" | 21 January 1960 | CBS | | As director |
| Close-Up: "Location Story of The Guns of Navarone" | 24 November 1960 | ITV | | Interviewee |
| The Dick Powell Show: "Everybody Loves Sweeney" | 22 January 1963 | NBC | | |
| The Dick Powell Show: "Luxury Liner" | 12 February 1963 | NBC | | |
| The Dick Powell Show: "Apples Don't Fall Far" | 19 February 1963 | NBC | | |
| The Dick Powell Show: "Epilogue" | 2 April 1963 | NBC | | |
| Academy Awards Presentation | 2 April 1964 | ABC | | Host |
| The Rogues: "The Personal Touch" | 13 September 1964 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "The Stefanini Dowry" | 27 September 1964 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "Viva Diaz!" | 4 October 1964 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "Fringe Benefits" | 22 November 1964 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "Bless You, Mr Carter Huntington" | 17 January 1965 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "Mr White's Christmas" | 4 April 1965 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| The Rogues: "A Daring Step Backward" | 18 April 1965 | NBC | Alec Fleming | |
| All Eyes on Sharon Tate | 1967 | | | Interviewee |
| Scotland Yard | 30 March 1971 | NBC | | Narrator |
| Aquarius | 9 October 1971 | ITV | | Interviewee |
| Personal View: David Niven | 1972 | | | |
| Parkinson | 14 October 1972 | BBC1 | | |
| Survival Special: "The Forbidden Desert of the Danaki" | 25 April 1973 | ITV | | Narrator |
| The Bluffers | 28 May 1974 | NBC | | Narrator |
| The British Screen Awards | 26 February 1975 | BBC1 | | |
| Bell System Family Theatre: "The Canterville Ghost" | 10 March 1975 | NBC | Sir Simon de Canterville | |
| Parkinson | 20 September 1975 | BBC1 | | |
| Survival Special: "Safari by Balloon" | 24 December 1975 | ITV | | Narrator |
| David Niven's World | 1976 | | | Narrator |
| Film Night: "David Niven" | 8 January 1976 | BBC2 | | |
| Survival Special: "The Family That Lives With Elephants" | 29 February 1976 | ITV | | Narrator |
| Looks Familiar | 23 September 1976 | ITV | | |
| The Billion Dollar Movies | 1977 | | | |
| The Hollywood Greats: "Errol Flynn" | 11 August 1977 | BBC1 | | |
| The Hollywood Greats: "Ronald Colman" | 10 August 1978 | BBC1 | | |
| Survival Special: "The Leopard That Changed Its Spots" | 22 December 1978 | ITV | | Narrator |
| A Man Called Intrepid | 20 – 22 May 1979 | NBC | | |
| Survival Special: "Penguin Islands" | 26 December 1980 | ITV | | Narrator |
| Portrait of a Great Lady | 1981 | | | |
| The AFI Life Achievement Award: Salute To Fred Astaire | 18 April 1981 | CBS | | Niven hosted the AFI Life Achievement Award given to Fred Astaire |
| Parkinson | 3 October 1981 | BBC1 | | |
* ^1 This list also includes programme-specific nominations for Niven, but not the career nominations, which consisted of the 1956 Emmy Award for Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series for his work in the Four Star Playhouse series.

## Books

Books by David Niven :
| Title | Year | Genre | Publisher |
| Round the Rugged Rocks | 1951 | Novel | London: Cresset Press |
| The Moon's a Balloon | 1972 | Autobiography | London: Hamilton |
| Bring on the Empty Horses | 1975 | Autobiography | London: Hamilton |
| Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly | 1981 | Novel | London: Hamilton |

## Discography

Album recordings by David Niven :
| Album | Year |
| The Second Elizabeth | 1952 |
| David Niven: The Moon's a Balloon | 1977 |
| The Enchanted Orchestra | 1979 |
| Bring on the Empty Horses | 1980 |