---
name: "David Niven"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/david-niven"
fi1m_id: "david-niven"
imdb_id: "nm0000057"
tmdb_id: 14261
wikidata_id: "Q181917"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 March 1910"
died: "29 July 1983"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-01T00:13:11.746186+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# David Niven

## Identity

David Niven

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/david-niven
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** david-niven
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000057
- **TMDB ID:** 14261
- **Wikidata ID:** Q181917
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181917, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000057/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14261

Actor. Born 1 March 1910 in London, England, UK. Died 29 July 1983.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 March 1910, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 29 July 1983
- **Active:** 1936–1983
- **Also known as:** James David Graham Niven, David Nivens, Дейвид Нивен, Дэвид Нивен, 大卫·尼文
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 9 acting, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Samuel Goldwyn](https://film.one/person/samuel-goldwyn.md), [William Wyler](https://film.one/person/william-wyler.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 82 (3), 1940s 83 (2), 1950s 68 (2), 1960s 62 (2), 1980s 34 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 70 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 4 of 9 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 6, Romance 6, Comedy 5, Adventure 3, Fantasy 3, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $119m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181917, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000057/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14261

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Dodsworth*](https://film.one/film/dodsworth.md) (87), [*Wuthering Heights*](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md) (76)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Bishop's Wife*](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md) (74), [*Curse of the Pink Panther*](https://film.one/film/curse-of-the-pink-panther.md) (34)
- **Netflix:** [*The Guns of Navarone*](https://film.one/film/the-guns-of-navarone.md) (74)
- **Apple TV:** [*Separate Tables*](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md) (74)
- **Tubi:** [*Around the World in 80 Days*](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md) (63)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on David Niven

> David Niven gives the polished English gentleman a vulnerability that makes the manners worth watching. We rate him most highly when staying courteous takes effort, though his charm cannot make every lightweight vehicle worth the evening.

Peter Carter is frightened, but he has not forgotten how to be courteous. In his post-war return, *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), David Niven gives Powell and Pressburger’s romantic fantasy someone to care about before its rules become clear. The performances are deliberately theatrical, with Kim Hunter’s directness as June keeping the romance convincing. We were moved by Niven’s politeness because it lets the fear show without asking us to pity him.

That gift was already useful in *Wuthering Heights* (1939), among the films that established him as a leading man. As Edgar Linton, he gives a man who knows he comes second a decency that is easy to overlook beside the stronger passions. Wyler’s film has its shortcomings, particularly Merle Oberon’s excessive composure as Cathy, but Niven makes restraint appropriate to his character. We can understand Edgar without needing him to become the most interesting person in the story.

The later work found several uses for his composure. Phileas Fogg in *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956) reinforced the English-gentleman image; Major Pollock in *Separate Tables* (1958) gave him room to show how much more he could do within it. That performance finds dramatic depth in limited screen time. *The Pink Panther* (1963), with Niven as Sir Charles Lytton, made good use of his unflustered comic timing. These parts depend on an actor who knows how to listen and when to speak.

The limitation is real: the polished gentleman can become too familiar, especially when the film offers him little else to play. His later career included plenty of slight vehicles, and we would not recommend following the charm indiscriminately. Peter Carter and Edgar Linton both have reasons to find good manners difficult, which gives Niven something more demanding to play. Start with Peter Carter; leave the completism for another evening.

## Biography

David Niven (born James David Graham Niven) was an English actor and author. Born in London on 1 March 1910, he trained at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, before working in various roles and moving to Hollywood in the mid-1930s, where he began as an extra and secured supporting parts in films such as *Wuthering Heights* (1939), in which he played Edgar Linton.

During the Second World War he served as an officer in the British Army. Post-war he appeared in numerous films, including *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956) as Phileas Fogg, *The Guns of Navarone* (1961), *The Pink Panther* (1963) as Sir Charles Lytton, and *Death on the Nile* (1978). He received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in *Separate Tables* (1958). Niven also wrote memoirs and novels. He died on 29 July 1983.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Performed in (9) — the average rests on these

- *Curse of the Pink Panther* (1983), Fi1m 34, as Sir Charles Litton — [page](https://film.one/film/curse-of-the-pink-panther.md)
- *Casino Royale* (1967), Fi1m 50, as James Bond — [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale-1967.md)
- *The Guns of Navarone* (1961), Fi1m 74, as Cpl. John Anthony Miller — [page](https://film.one/film/the-guns-of-navarone.md)
- *Separate Tables* (1958), Fi1m 74, as Angus Pollock — [page](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md)
- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), Fi1m 63, as Phileas Fogg — [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)
- *The Bishop's Wife* (1947), Fi1m 74, as Henry Brougham — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md)
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92, as Peter Carter — [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *Wuthering Heights* (1939), Fi1m 76, as Edgar Linton — [page](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md)
- *Dodsworth* (1936), Fi1m 87, as Captain Clyde Lockert — [page](https://film.one/film/dodsworth.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1935), Fi1m 83, as Able Bodied Seaman (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty.md)

## Complete filmography (112)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger* (2024), as (archive footage)
- *The Many Faces of Dracula* (2000), as Count Dracula (archive footage)
- *Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker* (1991), as actor 'Bonjour Tristesse' (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *The Night They Saved Christmas* (1984), Executive Producer
- *Curse of the Pink Panther* (1983), as Sir Charles Litton — Fi1m 34, [page](https://film.one/film/curse-of-the-pink-panther.md)
- *Better Late Than Never* (1983), as Nick Cartland
- *Trail of the Pink Panther* (1982), as Sir Charles Litton
- *The Sea Wolves* (1980), as Col. W.H. Grice
- *Rough Cut* (1980), as Chief Insp. Cyril Willis
- *A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square* (1980), as Ivan
- *Escape to Athena* (1979), as Professor Blake
- *A Man Called Intrepid* (1979), series, as Sir William Stephenson
- *Death on the Nile* (1978), as Colonel Race
- *Candleshoe* (1977), as Priory
- *Murder by Death* (1976), as Dick Charleston
- *No Deposit, No Return* (1976), as J.W. Osborne
- *Paper Tiger* (1975), as 'Major' Walter Bradbury
- *The Remarkable Rocket* (1975), as Narrator (voice)
- *The Canterville Ghost* (1974), as Sir Simon de Canterville
- *Gorilla* (1974), as Narrator
- *Vampira* (1974), as Count Dracula
- *King, Queen, Knave* (1972), as Charles Dreyer
- *Scotland Yard - the Golden Thread* (1971), as Host
- *The Statue* (1971), as Alex Bolt
- *The Extraordinary Seaman* (1969), as Lt. Commander John Finchhaven, R.N.
- *The Brain* (1969), as Colonnel Carol Matthews, Aka 'Le Cerveau'
- *Before Winter Comes* (1969), as Major Burnside
- *The Impossible Years* (1968), as Jonathan Kingsley
- *Prudence and the Pill* (1968), as Gerald Hardcastle
- *Casino Royale* (1967), as James Bond — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/casino-royale-1967.md)
- *Eye of the Devil* (1966), as Philippe de Montfaucon
- *Where the Spies Are* (1966), as Dr. Jason Love
- *Lady L* (1965), as Dicky, Lord Lendale
- *The Rogues* (1964), series, as Alec Fleming
- *Bedtime Story* (1964), as Lawrence Jameson
- *The Pink Panther* (1963), as Sir Charles Lytton
- *Burke's Law* (1963), series, as Harvey Cleeve
- *55 Days at Peking* (1963), as Sir Arthur Robertson
- *The Shortest Day* (1963), as Soldato inglese (uncredited)
- *Conquered City* (1962), as Major Peter Whitfield
- *Guns of Darkness* (1962), as Tom Jordan
- *The Road to Hong Kong* (1962), as Lama Remembering Lady Chatterly's Lover (uncredited)
- *The Best of Enemies* (1961), as Maj. Richardson
- *The Guns of Navarone* (1961), as Cpl. John Anthony Miller — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-guns-of-navarone.md)
- *Please Don't Eat the Daisies* (1960), as Larry Mackay
- *The DuPont Show with June Allyson* (1959), series, as Marcus Dodds
- *Ask Any Girl* (1959), as Miles Doughton
- *Happy Anniversary* (1959), as Chris Walters
- *Separate Tables* (1958), as Angus Pollock — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/separate-tables.md)
- *Bonjour Tristesse* (1958), as Raymond
- *My Man Godfrey* (1957), as Godfrey Smith
- *Alcoa Theatre* (1957), series, as Mark Garron, Paul Evans, Robert Medhill, Paul Martel, Jeff Carleton
- *Goodyear Theatre* (1957), series, as Jeff Carleton
- *The Little Hut* (1957), as Henry Brittingham-Brett
- *Oh, Men! Oh, Women!* (1957), as Alan Coles
- *Around the World in 80 Days* (1956), as Phileas Fogg — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/around-the-world-in-80-days.md)
- *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Allen Raikes, Milo Brant · Director
- *The Silken Affair* (1956), as Roger Tweakham
- *The Birds and the Bees* (1956), as Patrick Harris
- *The King's Thief* (1955), as James - Duke of Brampton
- *The Star and the Story* (1955), series, as Johnny
- *Carrington V.C.* (1954), as Major Charles Carrington
- *Happy Ever After* (1954), as Jasper O'Leary
- *The Love Lottery* (1954), as Rex Allerton
- *The Moon Is Blue* (1953), as David Slater
- *Four Star Playhouse* (1952), series, as Doctor, William Langford, Bingham, Phil Weston, Mitch, Doctor Gentry, Ted Parker, Andy, Steve Carlyle / Roger Carlyle, Richard Lilliam, Andy Fields, Royal Thurston, John, Hal Winters, Tony Stewart, George, Deacon, Charles, Robert Louis Stevenson, Wyeth, Uncle Fred, Cookie, Henry, Adams, Maxwell, Lar
- *The Lady Says No* (1952), as Bill Shelby
- *Appointment with Venus* (1951), as Valentine Moreland
- *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, Actor
- *Soldiers Three* (1951), as Capt. Pindenny
- *Happy Go Lovely* (1951), as B.G. Bruno
- *The Elusive Pimpernel* (1950), as Percy "Scarlet Pimpernel" Blakeney
- *The Jack Benny Program* (1950), series, as David Niven
- *The Toast of New Orleans* (1950), as Jacques Riboudeaux
- *Robert Montgomery Presents* (1950), series, as Sheffield
- *A Kiss for Corliss* (1949), as Kenneth Marquis
- *A Kiss in the Dark* (1949), as Eric Phillips
- *Enchantment* (1948), as Roland Dane
- *Bonnie Prince Charlie* (1948), as Prince Charles Edward Stuart
- *The Bishop's Wife* (1947), as Henry Brougham — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bishops-wife.md)
- *The Other Love* (1947), as Doctor Anthony Stanton
- *The Perfect Marriage* (1947), as Dale Williams
- *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), as Peter Carter — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md)
- *Magnificent Doll* (1946), as Aaron Burr
- *United States* (1944), as Narrator (voice)
- *The Way Ahead* (1944), as Lieutenant Jim Perry
- *The First of the Few* (1942), as Geoffrey Crisp
- *Raffles* (1939), as A.J. Raffles
- *Eternally Yours* (1939), as Tony
- *The Real Glory* (1939), as Lieut. McCool
- *Bachelor Mother* (1939), as David Merlin
- *Wuthering Heights* (1939), as Edgar Linton — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/wuthering-heights.md)
- *The Dawn Patrol* (1938), as Lt. Scott
- *Three Blind Mice* (1938), as Steve Harrington
- *Four Men and a Prayer* (1938), as Christopher Leigh
- *Bluebeard's 8th Wife* (1938), as Albert De Regnier
- *Dinner at the Ritz* (1937), as Paul de Brack
- *The Prisoner of Zenda* (1937), as Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim
- *We Have Our Moments* (1937), as Joe Gilling
- *Beloved Enemy* (1936), as Captain Gerald Preston
- *The Charge of the Light Brigade* (1936), as Captain Randall
- *Thank You, Jeeves!* (1936), as Bertie Wooster
- *Dodsworth* (1936), as Captain Clyde Lockert — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/dodsworth.md)
- *Palm Springs* (1936), as George Britell
- *Rose Marie* (1936), as Teddy
- *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1935), as Able Bodied Seaman (uncredited) — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty.md)
- *Splendor* (1935), as Clancey Lorrimore
- *A Feather in Her Hat* (1935), as Leo Cartwright
- *Barbary Coast* (1935), as Cockney Sailor Thrown Out of Saloon (uncredited)
- *Without Regret* (1935), as Bill Gage
- *Cleopatra* (1934), as Slave (uncredited)
- *There Goes the Bride* (1932), as Bit Role (uncredited)

## Gallery

- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-dcd49eccc8a0.jpg) David Niven — Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/David_Niven_Allan_Warren.jpg/1280px-David_Niven_Allan_Warren.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rialto Theater advertisement for the film The Guns of Navarone (1961) - 28 Jul. 1961 Morning Call, Allentown PA](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-d83d73dbc1c6.jpg) Rialto Theater advertisement for the film The Guns of Navarone (1961) - 28 Jul. 1961 Morning Call, Allentown PA — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/1961_-_Rialto_Theater_Ad_-_28_Jul_MC_-_Allentown_PA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Baseline Drive-In theater advertisement for the romantic comedy film The Little Hut (1957). From the 26 May 1957 San Bernardino Sun.](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-f735fc43cbd7.jpg) Baseline Drive-In theater advertisement for the romantic comedy film The Little Hut (1957). From the 26 May 1957 San Bernardino Sun. — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Baseline_Drive-in_Ad_-_26_May_1957%2C_Highland%2C_CA.jpg/1280px-Baseline_Drive-in_Ad_-_26_May_1957%2C_Highland%2C_CA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cristina Ferrare and David Niven c. 1968 in a press photo for The Impossible Years](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-3070238576f9.jpg) Cristina Ferrare and David Niven c. 1968 in a press photo for The Impossible Years — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Cristina_Ferrare_and_David_Niven_c._1968.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-a94c9394a9e3.jpg) David Niven — Image via TMDB
- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-99ab614461b3.jpg) David Niven — Image via TMDB
- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-77d04078e541.jpg) David Niven — Image via TMDB
- ![Prins Bernhard woont galavoorstelling van de film "The Guns of Navarone" bij. David Niven (links), Carl Foreman (scenarioschrijver) en prins Bernhard (1961)](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-7d1445f95b87.jpg) Prins Bernhard woont galavoorstelling van de film "The Guns of Navarone" bij. David Niven (links), Carl Foreman (scenarioschrijver) en prins Bernhard (1961) — Joop van Bilsen for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/David_Niven%2C_Carl_Foreman_and_prince_Bernhard_1961.jpg/1280px-David_Niven%2C_Carl_Foreman_and_prince_Bernhard_1961.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist David Niven. Subjects: actors (1937)](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-30769658483b.jpg) British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist David Niven. Subjects: actors (1937) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/David_Niven_%28SAYRE_7175%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-ddca552b5fde.jpg) David Niven — Image via TMDB
- ![David Niven](https://film.one/media/person/7127/gallery-1e3c1c1cd880.jpg) David Niven — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1959: Best Actor (won), for *Separate Tables*

### Golden Globes — 2 won

- 1958: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (won), for *Separate Tables*
- 1953: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (won), for *The Moon Is Blue*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/david-niven