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David Niven

British actor and novelist (1910–1983)

  • Fame61.0
  • Momentum2.0
  • Wikipedia93K
Source-basedStable
Lived 1910–1983, aged 73United Kingdom
United KingdomUnited KingdomActorsActor
  • Wikipedia
    63 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1910–1983
    Aged 73
  • Known for
    Death on the Nile
    1978
Summary
Updated 2026-06-09

An officer who quit the peacetime army because he was bored, then became one of Hollywood's most polished leading men — and paused stardom to rejoin the military when the real war started.

Biography

About

Born in central London on 1 March 1910, David Niven moved through Sandhurst and a commission in the Highland Light Infantry before deciding the peacetime army wasn't for him. He resigned in 1933, found work as an extra, and made his way to Hollywood, where small parts led to a contract with Samuel Goldwyn. By 1939 he was a leading man in Wuthering Heights, but when the Second World War began he returned to Britain and rejoined the army as a lieutenant. After the war he built a long career across postwar classics — A Matter of Life and Death, The Bishop's Wife, Around the World in 80 Days — and…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from David Niven

David Niven
saidundated
Can you imagine being wonderfully over-paid for dressing up and playing games?
— From an interview; quoted in Frank S. Pepper, ed. The Wit and Wisdom of the 20th Century (1987), 'Acting', no. 19
David Niven
saidundated
Going to war was the only unselfish thing I have ever done for humanity.
— Quoted in , The Other Side of the Moon (1985), Ch. XIII: 1941–1942
David Niven
saidundated
Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don't take anything too seriously, it'll all work out in the end.
— To ; quoted in The Other Side of the Moon (1985), Ch. XXV: 1964–1966
David Niven
saidundated
Isn't it fascinating that probably the only laugh this man will ever get in his life is by stripping off his clothes and showing his shortcomings.
— On the ; quoted in The Other Side of the Moon (1985), Ch. XXV: 1964–1966
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Deep cuts

Filmography

Low confidence
Deep cuts

TV credits

Low confidence
Deep cuts

Awards

Low confidence
  • Academy Award for Best Actor
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Stable
61.0
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum2.0
Historical27.1
Source confidence65.0
Completeness75.0
Global rank
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Country rank
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Category rank
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Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence