History Creator / DavidNiven

Before becoming an actor, Niven was an officer in the peacetime British Army. He was just making the leap to movie stardom in 1939 when the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII started; Niven rejoined for the duration. A measure of his popularity and success is that after seven years of war, during which he appeared in only two films (both government-sponsored propaganda pieces), he was still the second most popular film star in Britain. It was probably the mustache.

* Cpl. Miller in ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone'' (1961)

* ShoutOut: Appears as the expert in good manners in the ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'' story ''Calamity Jane'', where he tries to teach UsefulNotes/CalamityJane more feminine daintyness, becoming more degrading himself in the process.

* Colonel Carol Matthews a.k.a. "The Brain" in ''Film/TheBrain'' (1969)

* Capt. Randall in ''Film/{{The Charge of the Light Brigade|1936}}''

* Godfrey Smith in ''Film/MyManGodfrey'' (1957)

* AnOfficerAndAGentleman: Niven played a bunch of 'em, but proved to be an aversion in RealLife. Known for his rebellious sense of humor, he was very much a square peg in a round hole, so he resigned his commission, wandered off to Hollywood and found work as an extra. Ironically, his first major speaking role was as the young Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim in the definitive 1937 film adaption of ''Film/ThePrisonerOfZenda''. When he rejoined the service in WWII he was posted to the Commandos with a lot of other mavericks.

In most of his films Niven played a somewhat effete British gentleman, and looked distinctly out of place in his occasional action roles; this despite the fact that he spent much of the war as a commando. Creator/IanFleming considered him the ideal actor for the role of Film/JamesBond, and he ''did'' play him, although it was in [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 a parody film]].

In most of his films Niven played a somewhat effete British gentleman, and looked distinctly out of place in his occasional action roles; this despite the fact that he spent much of the war as a commando.

Creator/IanFleming considered him the ideal actor for the role of Film/JamesBond, and he ''did'' play him, although it was in [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 a parody film]]. Anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood should read his memoirs, ''The Moon's a Balloon'' and ''Bring On The Empty Horses''.

Creator/IanFleming considered him the ideal actor for the role of Film/JamesBond, and he ''did'' play him, although in [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 a parody film]]. Anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood should read his memoirs, ''The Moon's a Balloon'' and ''Bring On The Empty Horses''.

Creator/IanFleming considered him the ideal actor for the role of Film/JamesBond, though he only played him in [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 one now-obscure parody film]]. Anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood should read his memoirs, ''The Moon's a Balloon'' and ''Bring On The Empty Horses''.

Before becoming an actor, Niven was an officer in the peacetime British Army. He was just making the leap to movie stardom in 1939 when the UsefulNotes/SecondWorldWar started; Niven rejoined for the duration. A measure of his popularity and success is that after seven years of war, during which he appeared in only two films (both government-sponsored propaganda pieces), he was still the second most popular film star in Britain. It was probably the mustache.

* Philippe de Montfaucon in ''Film/EyeOfTheDevil'' (1967)

!!Tropes associated with David Niven:

* HorsingAround: Niven recounted an amusing anecdote that happened to him while he was filming ''ThePrisonerOfZenda'' in his memoir ''The Moon's A Balloon'': The director wanted all of his stars mounted on fiery, flashy horses for the royal procession scene. Niven, being an experienced rider, wanted no part of that and bribed the wrangler to give him a nice, safe, gentle mare instead... only to be nearly killed when his nice, safe, gentle mare was mounted by Ronald Colman's stallion.

* NiceToTheWaiter: The biggest bunch of flowers at his funeral was sent by the porters at Heathrow Airport. The note with it read: "To the finest gentleman who ever walked through these halls. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming He made a porter feel like a king.]]"
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: After the war England forced Niven to pay ruinous levels of income taxes on all of the money he'd made from his prewar Hollywood films and nearly bankrupted him in a remarkable show of ingratitude for his wartime service.

* QuintessentialBritishGentleman

* Phileas Fogg in ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'' (1956)

* Film/JamesBond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967''

'''James David Graham Niven''' (March 1, 1910 -- July 29, 1983) is mostly famous for being, by a considerable margin, the most English man ever to go to Hollywood.

Before becoming an actor, Niven was an officer in the peacetime British Army; when the UsefulNotes/SecondWorldWar started, he rejoined for the duration. A measure of his popularity and success is that after seven years of war, during which he appeared in only two films (both government-sponsored propaganda pieces), he was still the second most popular film star in Britain. It was probably the mustache.

* Sir Charles Lytton in ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' series (1963, 1982, 1983)

* MilesGloriosus: Inverted. Niven flatly refused to discuss his own wartime deeds (apart from some humorous annecdotes in his books) and was enraged by "war stories" from people who'd obviously never heard the sound of a bullet going by their heads.

'''James David Graham Niven''' (March 1, 1910 -– July 29, 1983) is mostly famous for being, by a considerable margin, the most English man ever to go to Hollywood.

Creator/IanFleming considered him the ideal actor for the role of Film/JamesBond, though he only played him in [[Film/CasinoRoyale1967 one now-obscure film]]. Anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood should read his memoirs, ''The Moon's a Balloon'' and ''Bring On The Empty Horses''.

* James Bond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967''

* AnOfficerAndAGentleman: Niven played a bunch of 'em, but proved to be an aversion in RealLife. Known for his rebellious sense of humor, he was very much a square peg in a round hole, so he resigned his commission, wandered off to Hollywood and found work as a extra. Ironically, his first major speaking role was as the young Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim in the definitive 1937 film adaption of ''Film/ThePrisonerOfZenda''. When he rejoined the service in WWII he was posted to the Commandos with a lot of other mavericks.

'''David Niven''' (March 1, 1910 -– July 29, 1983) is mostly famous for being, by a considerable margin, the most English man ever to go to Hollywood.