Editing David Niven (section)

==Career==
===Military service===
From 1928, Niven attended the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. He did well at Sandhurst, which gave him the "officer and gentleman" bearing that was his trademark. He requested assignment to the [[Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders]] or the [[Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)]], then jokingly wrote on the form, as his third choice, "anything but the [[Highland Light Infantry]]" (because that regiment wore [[Trews|tartan trews]] rather than the [[kilt]]). Having completed his training, he was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[British Army]] on 30 January 1930, and assigned to the Highland Light Infantry (HLI).<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33575 |supp= |pages=651–652 |date=31 January 1930}}</ref> He served with them for two years in [[Malta]] and then for a few months in [[Dover]]. In Malta, he became friends with the maverick [[Michael Trubshawe]], and served under [[Roy Urquhart]], future commander of the [[British 1st Airborne Division]].<ref name="Moon">{{cite book |author=David Niven |title=The Moon's a Balloon |year=1971 |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |location=London |isbn=0-340-15817-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/moonsballoon00davi}}</ref> On 21 October 1956, in an episode of the game show ''[[What's My Line?]]'', Niven, as a member of the celebrity panel, was reacquainted with one of his former enlisted men. Alexander McGeachin was a guest and when his turn in the questioning came up, Niven asked, "Were you in a famous British regiment on Malta?" After McGeachin affirmed that he was, Niven quipped, "Did you have the misfortune to have me as your officer?" At that point, Niven had a brief but pleasant reunion.<ref>{{YouTube|T74qnT7WFZw|What's My Line? – Lerner & Loewe; Bishop Sheen; David Niven [panel] (21 October 1956)}}</ref>

Niven grew tired of the peacetime army. Though promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] on 1 January 1933,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33907 |page=674 |date=31 January 1933}}</ref> he saw no opportunity for further advancement. His ultimate decision to resign came after a lengthy lecture on machine guns, which was interfering with his plans for dinner with a particularly attractive young lady. At the end of the lecture, the speaker (a major general) asked if there were any questions. Showing the typical rebelliousness of his early years, Niven asked, "Could you tell me the time, sir? I have to catch a train."<ref name="Moon"/>

Lieutenant Niven resigned his commission on 6 September 1933.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33975 |page=5801 |date=5 September 1933}}</ref>

===Film career===
{{More citations needed|date=July 2021}}
==== 1935–1938: Early roles ====
When Niven presented himself at [[Central Casting]], he learned that he needed a [[work permit]] to reside and work in the United States. Since this required leaving the US, he went to [[Mexico]], where he worked as a "gun-man", cleaning and polishing the rifles of visiting American hunters. He received his [[Permanent residence (United States)|resident alien visa]] from the American consulate when his birth certificate arrived from [[UK|Britain]]. He returned to the US and was accepted by Central Casting as "Anglo-Saxon Type No. 2,008."<!--David Niven - Parkinson Interview Ji_K_jpCZSE --> Among the initial films in which he can be seen are ''[[Barbary Coast (film)|Barbary Coast]]'' (1935) and ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' (1935). He secured a small role in ''[[A Feather in Her Hat]]'' (1935) at [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] before returning to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] for a bit role, billed as David Nivens, in ''[[Rose Marie (1936 film)|Rose Marie]]'' (1936).

Niven's role in ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' brought him to the attention of independent film producer [[Samuel Goldwyn]], who signed him to a contract and established his career. For Goldwyn, Niven again had a small role in ''[[Splendor (1935 film)|Splendor]]'' (1935). He was lent to MGM for a minor part in ''[[Rose Marie (1936 film)|Rose Marie]]'' (1936), then a larger one in ''[[Palm Springs (1936 film)|Palm Springs]]'' (1936) for [[Paramount Pictures]]. His first sizable role for Goldwyn came in ''[[Dodsworth (film)|Dodsworth]]'' (1936). In that same year he was again loaned out, to [[20th Century Fox]] to play [[Bertie Wooster]] in ''[[Thank You, Jeeves!]]'' (1936), before landing a significant role as a soldier in ''[[The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]'' (1936) at [[Warner Brothers]], an Imperial adventure film starring his housemate at the time, [[Errol Flynn]]. Niven was fourth billed in ''[[Beloved Enemy]]'' (1936) for Goldwyn, supporting [[Merle Oberon]] with whom he was romantically involved. [[Universal Pictures]] used him in ''[[We Have Our Moments]]'' (1937) and he had a good supporting role in [[David O. Selznick]]'s ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1937).

====1938–1939: Leading man====
[[File:Errol Flynn and David Niven in The Dawn Patrol (1938 film) 02.png|right|thumb|With Errol Flynn in ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' (1938)]]
Fox Studios gave him the lead in a B picture, ''[[Dinner at the Ritz]]'' (1938) and he again had a supporting role in ''[[Bluebeard's Eighth Wife]]'' (1938) directed by [[Ernst Lubitsch]] at Paramount. Niven was one of the four heroes in [[John Ford]]'s ''[[Four Men and a Prayer]]'' (1938), also with Fox. He remained with Fox to play the part of a fake love interest in ''[[Three Blind Mice (1938 film)|Three Blind Mice]]'' (1938). Niven joined what became known as the Hollywood Raj, a group of British actors in Hollywood which included [[Gladys Cooper]], [[Cedric Hardwicke]], [[Boris Karloff]], [[Stan Laurel]], [[Basil Rathbone]], [[Ronald Colman]], [[Leslie Howard]],<ref>Eforgan, E. (2010) ''Leslie Howard: The Lost Actor.'' London: [[Vallentine Mitchell]]; p. 94 {{ISBN|978-0-85303-971-6}}</ref> and [[C. Aubrey Smith]]. 

Niven graduated to star parts in "A" films with ''[[The Dawn Patrol (1938 film)|The Dawn Patrol]]'' (1938) remake at Warners; although he was billed below Flynn and Rathbone, it was a leading role and the film did excellent business. Niven was reluctant to take part in ''[[Wuthering Heights (1939 film)|Wuthering Heights]]'' (1939) for Goldwyn, but eventually relented and the film was a big success. RKO borrowed him to play [[Ginger Rogers]]'s leading man in the romantic comedy ''[[Bachelor Mother]]'' (1939), which was another big hit. Goldwyn used him to support [[Gary Cooper]] in the adventure tale ''[[The Real Glory]]'' (1939), and [[Walter Wanger]] cast him opposite [[Loretta Young]] in ''[[Eternally Yours (film)|Eternally Yours]]'' (1939). Finally, Goldwyn granted Niven a lead part in a major film, the title role as the eponymous gentleman safecracker in ''[[Raffles (1939 film)|Raffles]]'' (1939).

====1939–1945: Second World War====
The day after Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven returned home and rejoined the British Army. He was alone among British stars in Hollywood in doing so; the [[British Embassy, Washington, D.C.|British Embassy]] advised most actors to stay.<ref name=friedrich1986>{{cite book|last=Friedrich|first=Otto|title=City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s|year=1986|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley and Los Angeles|isbn=0-520-20949-4|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0x8AFchW4JsC&pg=PA6}}</ref>

Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant in the [[Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)]] on 25 February 1940,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34823 |supp=y|page=1978|date=5 September 1933}}</ref> and was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred to the [[British Commandos|Commandos]]. He was assigned to a training base at [[Inverailort House]] in the Western [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]]. Niven later claimed credit for bringing future [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major General]] [[Sir Robert Laycock]] to the Commandos. Niven commanded "A" Squadron [[GHQ Liaison Regiment]], better known as "Phantom". He was promoted to war-substantive [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 18 August 1941.<ref>{{cite book |date=1943 |title=The Quarterly Army List (October–December 1943: Part II) |location=London |publisher=[[HM Stationery Office]] |page=1368b |url=https://archive.org/details/armylistjanpart121944gre/page/1796/mode/2up}}</ref>

[[File:Eternally Yours still.jpg|right|thumb|With [[Loretta Young]] in ''[[Eternally Yours (film)|Eternally Yours]]'' (1939)]]
[[File:First-of-the-Few-1942-Howard-Niven.jpg|right|thumb|With [[Leslie Howard]] in ''[[The First of the Few]]'' (1942)]]
Niven also worked with the [[Army Film and Photographic Unit]]. His work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor actor [[M. E. Clifton James]] to impersonate [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Bernard Montgomery|Sir Bernard Montgomery]]. During his work with the AFPU, [[Peter Ustinov]], one of the scriptwriters, had to pose as Niven's [[Batman (army)|batman]]. Niven explained in his autobiography that there was no military way that he, a [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]], and Ustinov, who was only a [[private (rank)|private]], could associate, other than as an officer and his subordinate, hence their strange "act". In 1978, Niven and Ustinov would star together in a film adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]''.

He acted in two wartime films not formally associated with the AFPU, but both made with a firm view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the United States. These were ''[[The First of the Few]]'' (1942), directed by [[Leslie Howard]], and ''[[The Way Ahead]]'' (1944), directed by [[Carol Reed]], the latter of which included a large supporting role for Ustinov.

Niven was also given a significant if largely unheralded role in the creation of [[SHAEF]]'s military radio efforts conceived to provide entertainment to British, Canadian, and American forces in England and in Europe. In 1944 he worked extensively with the [[BBC]] and SHAEF to expand these broadcast efforts. He also worked extensively with Major [[Glenn Miller]], whose [[Army Air Force]] big band, formed in the US, was performing and broadcasting for troops in England. Niven played a role in the operation to move the Miller band to France prior to Miller's December 1944 disappearance while flying over the English Channel.

On 14 March 1944, Niven was promoted war-substantive major (temporary lieutenant-colonel).<ref>{{cite book |date=1945 |title=The Quarterly Army List (April–June 1945: Part II) |location=London |publisher=[[HM Stationery Office]] |page=1368b |url=https://archive.org/details/armylistjulpart121945grea/page/2058/mode/2up}}</ref> He took part in the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[invasion of Normandy]] in June 1944, although he was sent to France several days after [[D-Day]]. He served in "[[GHQ Liaison Regiment|Phantom]]", a secret reconnaissance and signals unit which located and reported enemy positions,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/five-film-stars-wartime-roles|title=Five Film Stars' Wartime Roles|website=Imperial War Museums}}</ref> and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Niven was posted at one time to [[Chilham]] in Kent.
[[File:Scena Muda v.29, n.21, 1949 - David Niven.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Niven in 1949]]

Niven had particular scorn for those newspaper columnists covering the war who typed out self-glorifying and excessively florid prose about their meagre wartime experiences. Niven stated, "Anyone who says a bullet sings past, hums past, flies, pings, or whines past, has never heard one{{snd}}they go ''crack''!" He gave a few details of his war experience in his autobiography, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]:'' his private conversations with [[Winston Churchill]], the [[bombing of London]], and what it was like entering Germany with the occupation forces. Niven first met Churchill at a dinner party in February 1940. Churchill singled him out from the crowd and stated, "Young man, you did a fine thing to give up your film career to fight for your country. Mark you, had you not done so it would have been despicable."<ref name="Moon"/>

A few stories have surfaced. About to lead his men into action, Niven eased their nervousness by telling them, "Look, you chaps only have to do this once. But I'll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" Asked by suspicious American sentries during the [[Battle of the Bulge]] who had won the [[1943 World Series|World Series in 1943]], he answered, "Haven't the foggiest idea, but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in ''Bachelor Mother''!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/18/david-niven-british-star-hollywood-enlist-world-war-2/|title=David Niven was the only British star in Hollywood to enlist during WWII|date=18 August 2016}}</ref>

Niven ended the war as a [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]]. On his return to Hollywood after the war, he received the [[Legion of Merit]], an American military decoration<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37340 |date=8 November 1945 |page=5461 |supp=y}}</ref> in honour of Niven's work setting up the [[BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme]], a radio news and entertainment station for the Allied forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7698398|title=Recommendation for Award for Niven, John David Rank: Lieutenant Colonel|work=DocumentsOnline|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]]|format=fee usually required to view full pdf of original recommendation|access-date=7 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37340 |supp=y|page=5461|date=6 November 1945}}</ref>

====1946–1950: Postwar career====
Niven initially resumed his acting career in England, taking the lead in the classic, ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), from the team of [[Powell and Pressburger]]. The film was critically acclaimed, popular in England, and selected as the first [[Royal Film Performance]]. Niven returned to Hollywood but soon encountered tragedy with the death of his wife after falling down a flight of stairs at a party, and it was around this time that his career began to suffer as well.  Goldwyn lent him to Universal to play [[Aaron Burr]] in ''[[Magnificent Doll]]'' (1946) opposite [[Ginger Rogers]], then lent him to Paramount for ''[[The Perfect Marriage]]'' (1947) with Loretta Young and loaned him out a third time for Enterprise Productions' ''[[The Other Love]]'' (1947) opposite [[Barbara Stanwyck]]. Finally he was cast in a top picture for Goldwyn when he joined [[Cary Grant]] and Loretta Young for ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' (1947).

Any prospects for career advancement were quickly dashed when Goldwyn lent him to [[Alexander Korda]] to return to the UK for the title role in ''[[Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948 film)|Bonnie Prince Charlie]]'' (1948), a notorious flop. Back in Hollywood, Niven was in Goldwyn's well-regarded ''[[Enchantment (1948 film)|Enchantment]]'' (1948) with [[Teresa Wright]]. At Warner Bros he was in a comedy ''[[A Kiss in the Dark (1949 film)|A Kiss in the Dark]]'' (1948) with [[Jane Wyman]], then he appeared opposite [[Shirley Temple]] in the comedy ''[[A Kiss for Corliss]]'' (1949). None of these films was successful at the box office.  Niven's career was markedly in decline.

He returned to Britain for the title role in ''[[The Elusive Pimpernel (1950 film)|The Elusive Pimpernel]]'' (1950) from Powell and Pressberger, which was to have been financed by Korda and Goldwyn. Goldwyn pulled out and the film did not appear in the US for three years. Niven had a long, complex relationship with Goldwyn, who gave him his start, but Niven's demands for more money and better roles led to a long estrangement.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51974399|title=David Niven's Own Story|newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]]|date=15 September 1971|access-date=7 July 2012|page=15|publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

====1951–1964: Renewed acclaim====
[[File:David Niven in The Toast of New Orleans trailer.jpg|thumb|left|In ''[[The Toast of New Orleans]]'' (1950) trailer]]
In his post-Goldwyn years, it took Niven some time to return to the top of the Hollywood ladder. Foundering, he supported [[Mario Lanza]] in a musical at MGM, ''[[The Toast of New Orleans]]'' (1950). He then went to England to star in a musical with [[Vera-Ellen]], ''[[Happy Go Lovely]]'' (1951); it was little seen in the US but a big hit in Britain. He was reduced to a support role in MGM's ''[[Soldiers Three (film)|Soldiers Three]]'' (1951) not unlike some of the assignments early in his career. Niven had a far better part in the British war film ''[[Appointment with Venus (film)|Appointment with Venus]]'' (1952), which was popular in England. ''[[The Lady Says No]]'' (1952) was a poorly received American comedy. Niven tried Broadway, appearing opposite [[Gloria Swanson]] in ''Nina'' (1951–52). The play ran for only 45 performances but it was seen by [[Otto Preminger]], who decided to cast Niven in the film version ''[[The Moon Is Blue (film)|The Moon Is Blue]]'' (1953). As preparation Preminger, who had directed the play in New York, insisted that Niven appear on stage in the West Coast run. ''The Moon Is Blue'', a sex comedy, became notorious when it was released without a Production Code Seal of Approval; it was a major hit and Niven won a [[Golden Globe Award]] for his role.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Back in demand, Niven's next few films were made in England: ''[[The Love Lottery]]'' (1954), an [[Ealing]] comedy; ''[[Carrington V.C. (film)|Carrington V.C.]]'' (1954), a drama that earned Niven a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor; and ''[[Happy Ever After (1954 film)|Happy Ever After]]'' (1954), a comedy with [[Yvonne de Carlo]], which was hugely popular in Britain. In Hollywood, he was seen as the villain in an MGM swashbuckler, ''[[The King's Thief]]'' (1955) opposite a young [[Roger Moore]]. He had a better part in ''[[The Birds and the Bees (film)|The Birds and the Bees]]'' (1956), portraying a conman in a remake of ''[[The Lady Eve]]'' (1941), in which Niven played a third-billed supporting role under American television comedian [[George Gobel]] and [[leading lady]] [[Mitzi Gaynor]]. Niven also appeared in the British [[romantic comedy]] ''[[The Silken Affair]]'' (1956) with [[Geneviève Page]] the same year.

Niven's professional fortunes were fully restored when he starred as [[Phileas Fogg]] in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956), a huge hit at the box office and his signature film; it won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. He followed it with ''[[Oh, Men! Oh, Women!]]'' (1957); ''[[The Little Hut]]'' (1957), from the writer of ''The Moon is Blue'' and another success at the box office; ''[[My Man Godfrey (1957 film)|My Man Godfrey]]'' (1957), a screwball comedy; and ''[[Bonjour Tristesse (1958 film)|Bonjour Tristesse]]'' (1958), for Preminger. Niven also worked in television. He appeared several times on various short-drama shows and was one of the "four stars" of the dramatic [[anthology series]] ''[[Four Star Playhouse]]'', appearing in 33 episodes. The show was produced by [[Four Star Television]], which was owned and founded by Niven, [[Ida Lupino]], [[Dick Powell]], and [[Charles Boyer]]. The show ended in 1955, but Four Star became a highly successful TV production company.{{Citation needed|date=September 2012}}

[[File:David Niven 1958.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Drawing of Niven commemorating his 1958 Oscar win for ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'']]
[[File:David Niven in 1959.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Host/Best Actor, 1959]]
Niven is the only person to win an [[Academy Award]] at the ceremony he was hosting.<ref name="keegan20190220">{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/politics-oscar-inside-academys-long-hard-road-a-hostless-show-1187424 |title=The Politics of Oscar: Inside the Academy's Long, Hard Road to a Hostless Show |last=Keegan |first=Rebecca |date=20 February 2019 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=25 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225041612/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/politics-oscar-inside-academys-long-hard-road-a-hostless-show-1187424 |archive-date=25 February 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He won the 1959 [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role as Major David Angus Pollock in ''[[Separate Tables (film)|Separate Tables]]'', his only nomination for an Oscar. Appearing on-screen for only 23 minutes in the film, this is the briefest performance ever to win a Best Actor Oscar.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} He was also a co-host of the 30th, 31st, and 46th Academy Awards ceremonies. After Niven had won the Academy Award, Goldwyn called with an invitation to his home. In Goldwyn's drawing-room, Niven noticed a picture of himself in uniform which he had sent to Goldwyn from Britain during the Second World War. In happier times with Goldwyn, he had observed this same picture sitting on Goldwyn's piano. Now years later, the picture was still in exactly the same spot. As he was looking at the picture, Goldwyn's wife Frances said, "Sam never took it down."<ref name="Moon"/> 

With an Oscar to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, ''[[The David Niven Show]]'', but he was still starring in major films. He led in ''[[Ask Any Girl (film)|Ask Any Girl]]'' (1959), with Shirley MacLaine; the [[Carl Reiner]]-scripted ''[[Happy Anniversary (1959 film)|Happy Anniversary]]'' (1959) opposite Mitzi Gaynor; and ''[[Please Don't Eat the Daisies (film)|Please Don't Eat the Daisies]]'' (1960) with [[Doris Day]], a huge hit.

[[File:The Rogues cast 1964.JPG|right|thumb|upright|The cast of ''[[The Rogues (TV series)|The Rogues]]'' (1964) with [[Charles Boyer]], [[Gig Young]], Niven, [[Robert Coote]] and [[Gladys Cooper]]]]
Even more popular was the action film ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' (1961) with [[Gregory Peck]] and [[Anthony Quinn]]. This role led to the ex-soldier being cast in further war and/or action films: ''[[The Captive City (1962 film)|The Captive City]]'' (1962); ''[[The Best of Enemies (1961 film)|The Best of Enemies]]'' (1962); ''[[Guns of Darkness]]'' (1962); and ''[[55 Days at Peking]]'' (1963) with [[Charlton Heston]] and [[Ava Gardner]]. Niven returned to comedy with ''[[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|The Pink Panther]]'' (1963) also starring [[Peter Sellers]], another huge success at the box office. Less so was the comedy ''[[Bedtime Story (1964 film)|Bedtime Story]]'' (1964) with [[Marlon Brando]], later remade with [[Michael Caine]] in a very Nivenish performance under the title ''[[Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (film)|Dirty Rotten Scoundrels]]''. In 1964, Charles Boyer, [[Gig Young]], and top-billed Niven appeared in the Four Star series ''[[The Rogues (TV series)|The Rogues]]'' for NBC. Niven played Alexander 'Alec' Fleming, one of a family of retired con-artists who now fleece villains in the interests of justice. This was his only recurring role on television, and the series was originally set up to more or less revolve between the three leads in various combinations (one-lead, two-lead and three-lead episodes), although in the event, Gig Young, being the least busy, carried most of the series, with an assist from [[Larry Hagman]]. ''The Rogues'' ran for one season and won a Golden Globe.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

====1965–1983: Later films====
In 1965, Niven made two films for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]: the [[Peter Ustinov]]-directed ''[[Lady L]]'' with Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, and ''[[Where the Spies Are]]'', as a doctor-turned-secret agent. After the horror film ''[[Eye of the Devil]]'' (1966), Niven went the secret agent route again, appearing as James Bond in the hit ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' in 1967.  He remains, with the exception of Sean Connery in ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'', the only other man to portray Bond in a non-[[Eon Productions]] film. Niven had been Bond creator [[Ian Fleming]]'s choice to play Bond in ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]''. ''Casino Royale'' co-producer [[Charles K. Feldman]] said later that Fleming had written the book with Niven in mind, and therefore had sent a copy to Niven.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmss.com/books/fleming|title=Ian Fleming, Author or Spy?|website=www.hmss.com|access-date=24 August 2007|archive-date=28 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928000918/http://www.hmss.com/books/fleming/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Niven is the only actor who played James Bond to be mentioned by name in the text of a Fleming novel. In chapter 14 of ''[[You Only Live Twice (novel)|You Only Live Twice]]'', pearl diver [[Kissy Suzuki]] refers to Niven as "the only man she liked in Hollywood", and the only person who "treated her honourably" there.

Niven made two popular comedies, ''[[Prudence and the Pill]]'' (1968) and ''[[The Impossible Years (film)|The Impossible Years]]'' (1968). Less widely seen was the offbeat ''[[The Extraordinary Seaman]]'' for [[John Frankenheimer]] in 1969. ''[[The Brain (1969 film)|The Brain]]'', a French comedy with [[Bourvil]] and [[Jean-Paul Belmondo]], was the most popular film at the French box office in 1969. He did a war drama ''[[Before Winter Comes]]'' (1969) next, followed by a return to comedy in ''[[The Statue (1971 film)|The Statue]]'' (1971). 

Buoyed by the massive success of his best-selling memoir, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]'', Niven was in demand throughout the last decade of his life. ''[[King, Queen, Knave (film)|King, Queen, Knave]]'' (1972) and ''[[Vampira (1974 film)|Vampira]]'' (1974) were followed by one of the most enduring images of Niven.  While hosting the [[46th Academy Awards|46th Annual Oscars ceremony]], a naked man ([[Robert Opel]]) appeared behind Niven, "[[streaking]]" across the stage. In what instantly became a live-TV classic moment, a bemused Niven responded, "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IIl3zSYL8k| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2IIl3zSYL8k| archive-date=11 December 2021 | url-status=live|title=Oscar streaker | date=19 February 2008|publisher=YouTube |access-date=24 September 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> That same year, he hosted ''David Niven's World'' for [[LWT]], which profiled contemporary adventurers such as hang gliders, motorcyclists, and mountain climbers: it ran for 21 episodes. In 1975, he narrated ''The Remarkable Rocket'', a short animation based on a story by [[Oscar Wilde]]. 

Continuing with his film career, he starred in the highly-regarded drama ''[[Paper Tiger (1975 film)|Paper Tiger]]'' (1975) and a Disney comedy, ''[[No Deposit, No Return]]'' (1976), while at the same time appearing in lucrative TV commercials for cologne and coffee in Asia, setting a trend that carries on with major North American film stars today. The all-star mystery spoof ''[[Murder By Death]]'' (1976) followed, after which came a better Disney outing, ''[[Candleshoe]]'' (1977), alongside [[Jodie Foster]] and [[Helen Hayes]], and then the first of the all-star Ustinov-as-Poirot films, ''[[Death on the Nile (1978 film)|Death on the Nile]]'' (1978). ''[[A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)|A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square]]'' (1979); ''[[Escape to Athena]]'' (1979), another all-star effort, this time with his son as producer; then the far-better-than-usual [[Burt Reynolds]] vehicle ''[[Rough Cut (1980 film)|Rough Cut]]'' (1980), and finally ''[[The Sea Wolves]]'' (1980), a wartime adventure film, rounded out his peak years.  By the last two, and his TV mini-series [[A Man Called Intrepid]] (1979), Niven's declining health was becoming evident.

Niven's last leading role was in ''[[Better Late Than Never (1983 film)|Better Late Than Never]]'' (1983). In July 1982, [[Blake Edwards]] brought an ailing Niven back for cameos in two "Pink Panther" films shot at the same time (''[[Trail of the Pink Panther]]'' and ''[[Curse of the Pink Panther]]''), reprising his role as Sir Charles Lytton. By the time of filming, Niven was fully in the throes of [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]] and his voice was no longer usable. His lines were dubbed, however inadequately, on short notice, by [[Rich Little]]. Niven only learned of it from a newspaper report.

===Writing===
[[File:Gable Grant Hope Niven 1950s.jpg|thumb|right|[[Clark Gable]], [[Cary Grant]], [[Bob Hope]], and Niven laughing in the 1950s]]
Niven wrote four books. The first, ''Round the Rugged Rocks'', was a novel that appeared in 1951, when his film career was at its nadir, and was forgotten immediately. The plot was plainly autobiographical (although not recognised as such at the time of publication), involving a young soldier, John Hamilton, who leaves the [[British Army]], becomes a liquor salesman in New York, is involved in indoor horse racing, goes to Hollywood, becomes a deckhand on a fishing boat, and finally ends up as a highly successful film star.

In 1971, he published his autobiography, ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]'', selling over five million copies. He followed this with ''Bring On the Empty Horses'' in 1975, a collection of entertaining reminiscences from the [[Golden Age of Hollywood]] in the 1930s and 1940s. As a [[raconteur]] rather than an accurate memoirist, Niven recounted some incidents from a first-person perspective that happened to other people, among them [[Cary Grant]].<ref name="OtherSide"/> This borrowing and embroidering of his personal history was also said to be the reason why he persistently refused to appear on ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/11202745.why-david-niven-and-the-amateurs-behind-jamaica-inn-will-always-be-on-separate-tables/|title=Why David Niven and the amateurs behind ''Jamaica Inn'' will always be on ''Separate Tables''|work=[[Borehamwood & Elstree Times|Borehamwood Times]]|access-date=27 May 2021}}</ref> Niven's penchant for exaggeration is particularly apparent when comparing his written descriptions of his early film appearances (especially ''Barbary Coast'' and ''A Feather in her Hat''), and his Oscar acceptance speech, to the filmed evidence. In all three examples, the reality differs from Niven's accounts as presented in ''The Moon's a Balloon'' and related in various chat show appearances.

In 1981 Niven published a second and much more successful novel, ''Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly'', which was set during and after the Second World War, and which drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood.