Born in Belgravia, London, England, David Niven was considered a difficult child to educate, changing schools often until he finally attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He went to Malta as a soldier, left the army and migrated to Canada where he worked as a lumberjack, bridge builder, journalist and whiskey salesman. Heading to California via New York and Cuba, he began picking up roles in the 1930s as an extra in smaller films, until World War II, when he returned to Britain and rejoined the British Army. He served until 1945, seeing combat and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. It was after his return to civilian life that he attained full stardom.
David Niven died of complications of a debilitating neuro-muscular disorder, known as Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 73.
