James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 â 29 July 1983) was a British actor, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in Separate Tables (1958). Niven’s other roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Sir Charles Lytton (“the Phantom”) in The Pink Panther (1963), and James Bond in Casino Royale (1967).
David Niven attended Stowe School and Sandhurst Military Academy and served for two years in Malta with the Highland Light Infantry. When World War II broke out, he returned home to serve. He was the only British actor in Hollywood to do so and ignored the Embassyâs advice to stay. Once back in Britain, Niven received commando training and became the commander of âAâ Squadron in the misleadingly named GHQ Liaison Regiment, better known as Phantom, where he reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel by the warâs end. Before the Invasion of Normandy, he also acted in two films: a war drama and a biopic about the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter. He was also involved in organizing Operation Copperhead, a deception operation in which an actor pretended to be General Montgomery to confuse German intelligence. David Nivenâs exploits in Phantom are little-known, as the actor remained tight-lipped about his wartime experience for the rest of his life.
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