Talk:David Niven

message: This article contains a statement which contains blantantly false, possibly opinionated information: "Also in 1979, Niven starred in the television miniseries A Man Called INTREPID, based on the supposed memoir of Sir William Stephenson, a Canadian master spy for British intelligence. (In fact the book was mostly invented by co-author William Stevenson (no relation), Sir William then being very old.)"
Clearly, the person who wrote this statement has never looked at the book in question. Firstly, at no point does the book pretend to be a memoir of Sir William Stephenson; rather, it is a biography, openly constructed by someone else (of a coincidentally near-identical name). Secondly, William Stevenson is the only named author of this book, not the "co-author".  Thirdly, as far as I am aware, the book is, apart from a very small number of mistakes (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephenson#Disputed_accounts) factual and accurate, with nothing "invented" by the author. If the editors of this Wikipedia article know any evidence to the contrary, they should refer to this evidence or delete the statement. As it stands, this statement is a worrying piece of disinformation apparently trying to slur a historically significant book. Please be aware that the opinionist Revilo P. Oliver (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revilo_Oliver) published a vitriolic article trying to discredit this book (see
http://www.revilo-oliver.com/rpo/Intrepid_Liar.html). The statement here against the book may have been written by someone under the influence of myths and rumours started by people like Oliver. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.37.33.46 (talk) 15:12, 24 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: See British Security Co-ordination  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.150.18.209 (talk) 17:31, 17 September 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: A Man Called Intrepid

message: Using Michael Munn as a reference or source is just asinine. Relying on a disreputable writer is the wrong way of sourcing information and decreases the value of Wikipedia. Sourcing writers like these are the reasons schools call Wikipedia unreliable. My kids have attended in schools in over five states and are at college now. NONE of them would allow Wikipedia as a source and it is because of the Michael Munn's of the book world that has made it that way. Geez! It's just absolutely disgusting. MagnoliaSouth (talk) 19:16, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Why is the Munn travesty of a biography still used as a reference? David Jnr said "Why, if Michael Munn was such a good friend, did he never introduce him to us?" Munn claims to have taped Niven in 1982 when everyone else says that he couldn't speak. It should probably remain in the biography section because it does exist as a book, although I would be tempted to put it under fiction. It certainly shouldn't be used as a reference and nothing in it should be quoted -- SteveCrook (talk) 02:47, 20 September 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Munn a reference?

message: David Niven was not born in Scotland. See the trivia section of IMDB. It says "He often used to say he was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland. It was only after his birth certificate was checked after his death that this was found to be incorrect. David thought it sounded more romantic. He was born in London, England." Mintguy (T) 01:33, 5 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: IMDb is not a good source of information. What did his son say? MagnoliaSouth (talk) 19:16, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: IMDb is certainly not a good source and it wasn't wise to single it out in this matter. However, most sources now, including Niven's official biogs, say he was born in London. So I don't see why there should still be any doubt. Crisso (talk) 23:08, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Born in London

message: "The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping... and showing his shortcomings." David Niven, commenting on the streaker who crossed the stage while he was hosting the Academy Awards in 1974. His remarks appeared to be off-the-cuff, but were, in fact, prepared beforehand.
:Is this true? (The prepartion of the comment, that is.) If so, a source would be nice. --Hamiltonian 06:17, 2 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: It's unlikely, unless Niven knew the streaker was going to do it - which would imply some collusion SteveCrook 02:35, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Streaker

message: Where does this idea that he was born James David Graham Nevins come from? It's mentioned on quite a few web sites, but they might have all copied it from each other. Nobody gives any sources. SteveCrook 02:45, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I've checked not only in Niven's own biographical books (not always strictly accurate) and also in Sheridan Morley's The Other Side of the Moon. There is no mention of anyone called Nevins and Morley had access to the family records and birth certificates. Please jump hard all over the next person that tries to change the surnames in this article to Nevins again, if I don't spot them in time. SteveCrook 13:10, 13 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Nevins?

message: I have no idea if Niven actually died from ALS or another motor neurone disease, but ALS is incorrectly listed here as being synonymous with the term "motor neurone disease." There are many motor neurone diseases, and ALS is only one of them. 69.168.108.191 19:44, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Most sources say he died from ALS (often calling it Lou Gehrig's disease). I've tidied up the section about his death  SteveCrook 23:15, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

text: In the US ALS is commonly used to mean any form of MND. MND is more commonly used in Britain and it is not normally specified which variety, as there are on a spectrum. Niven was British Jooler 03:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: ALS?

message: ...is very unclear.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.7.232.188 (talk) 04:10, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: First sentence in biography section...

message: Upon reading of an affair which supposedly took place between David Niven and Merle Oberon it occurred to me that these two had something in common.  Has it occurred to anyone else that David Niven gave every appearance of being a mixed race Anglo-Indian.  This would go some way towards explaining the confusion surrounding his antecedents.  I am almost certain Mr Niven had Indian blood in his ancestry.
118.92.194.56 (talk) 20:50, 24 November 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Do you have anything apart from a suspicion or feeling that leads you to believe it? I've never seen any mention of it in all that I've read about him -- SteveCrook (talk) 05:05, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

text: Merle Oberon was Irish-Indian as her Grandfather was Irish & her Grandmother(on her mother"s side was Irish named O'Brien) which she took the name Oberon from O'Brien. 2A02:C7C:4081:D700:B130:717:B16:F317 (talk) 15:45, 20 February 2024 (UTC)
thread_title: Mixed race?

message: Under this heading in the article it states:- 
"According to his autobiography, he and Errol Flynn shared a house, which they dubbed Cirrhosis-by-the-Sea although in actual fact the co-habitee was Robert Newton, a less well-known actor and thus perhaps less noteworthy for Niven's dinner table anecdotes." 
The source is given as Sheridan Morley's book "The Other Side of the Moon" (1985). This has been badly misquoted by the writer of this article for in actual fact he did share a house with Flynn and Robert Coote (not Robert Newton) was a resident also as page 74 states:- 
"He (Niven) and Flynn were firm friends and had decided to rent Rosalind Russell's house at 601 North Linden Drive as a bachelor pad. Flynn was at that time seperated from Lili Damita, but he was by no means the only other tenant at 601 - Robert Coote stayed there for a while before Miss Damita returned briefly to the Flynn marital nest and Coote and Niven had to move down to the beach, and the address later became a kind of refuge for actors on the run from tricky marriages and/or girlfriends. It was Miss Russell herself, a sharply witty woman, who therefore named it Cirrhosis-by-the-Sea." Peter 10:20, 14 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Early film career 

message: This section states that Niven's request to join "anyone but the HLI" was known in the regiment, and therefore he didn't enjoy his time in the army. However, Niven indicates otherwise in "The Moon's a Balloon" - his CO mentions it to him but then says something to the effect of keeping it to himself. As the article says, his decision to leave the army was because he was bored with it, not that he had a hard time with it. However, it's a while since I read the book, and other sources may say different, so I'll check before I make any changes. Halmyre (talk) 14:44, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Never take "The Moon's a Balloon" as an accurate reference for anything. It's an interesting story about a character called David Niven. That was the best performance of David Niven's career, playing the character called David Niven :)  -- SteveCrook (talk) 05:59, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text:  That's true; but is there any other source which says "Niven did not enjoy his time in the army", and implies that it was because of his flippant request, as it says in the article? Halmyre (talk) 16:56, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text:  The Morley & Lord biographies might have something top say on the subject, they're both mainly accurate. But that's one problem with Wikipedia, they want a citation, but it doesn't matter how accurate it is. As long as it's cited somewhere, it meets their rules. They even include citations from some of Munn's "biographies" :) -- SteveCrook (talk) 21:29, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Education and army service 

message: Niven's likeness was given to the super-villain Sinestro -- this should be added in a "Legacy" or "Cultural references" section. Stopde (talk) 08:03, 29 March 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Inspiration behind Sinestro 

message: The mention of a suicide attempt cites the Daily Mail, one of the most scurrilous of all the scurrilous scandal rags in the UK. Many of their stories are just made up. But this article in the Mail is referring to the Michael Munn book. So it's one bad source based on another bad source. Should it be kept in the article? -- SteveCrook (talk) 15:36, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Suicide attempt 

message: There is information on other Wikipedia bios that Niven had quite a number of affairs with a few prominent actresses as well as other women. But there is nothing on his bio that corroborates these details. Is there information about this is any biographies or autobiographies? Or are the writers here trying to be discrete? 69.125.134.86 (talk) 15:03, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I am reading a biography of Elizabeth Taylor right now and it says that Niven had numerous affairs/one-night stands with a number of men as well.  But this is common in Hollywood/the acting profession.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.105.37.38 (talk) 01:03, 30 March 2014 (UTC)
replies: text:  These things are normally only written about after the person has died. So you'd need to find biographies/autobiographies who have been published after Niven's death if that's what you find necessary to explore. An accident like happened to his first wife is included in Lilli Palmer's autobiography. There is no name, but to me it seemed like it was that one. 58.174.224.4 (talk) 04:26, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

text: User talk:88.105.37.38: How "common"? More so than in other walks of life, say, like "Wikipedia editors"? You provide no proof, not even the name of the biography you said you were reading that discusses Niven. You should review Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources. As is, your comment does not signify. Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 23:08, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

text: What also might be mentioned is the fact he had tuberculosis as a child. He mentioned it as a guest on Dick Cavett's show in 1981: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUbTn-aLix4 --Maarten1963 (talk) 16:22, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Personal life?