When David Niven learned that Great Britain declared war on Hitler in 1939, he was eager to join in the fight. He was one of the first actors to enlist. Therefore, he would play his greatest role as a patriotic soldier because he went back to his beloved country when the British Embassy told British actors to stay in America. However, because of his previous training in the army, he was well prepared to serve.
Niven’s father was also a military man, and he grew up attending military academies. Niven left the army because he grew bored of military life with no excitement. He discloses in his memoirs that he remembered a particular time when he had to listen to a lecture about machine guns, but instead he wanted to take a pretty girl out to dinner. He decided then that he would leave the army. When the major general giving the lecture asked if there were any questions, David Niven with typical wittiness responded: “Could you tell me the time, sir? I have to catch a train.”
Niven caught that train and traveled to America where he started his film career after Samuel Goldwyn of MGM discovered him doing stunt work. He played in 19 films, and he had some supporting roles in notable movies, such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and Wuthering Heights (1939).
However, when he learned that his country was going to war, he packed his bags to go temporarily back to Great Britain. Niven was ready for excitement and quickly joined the army. After he arrived back in Great Britain, he fought with the Commandos and experienced excitement. As an actor, Niven was part of the deception plan of Operation Overlord. He arrived in Normandy a few days after D-Day, and he worked with the Phantom Signals Unit to give an alert of changes relating to enemy movement. He worked with the Army Film unit and made propaganda films, such as The First of the Few (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944).
At the end of the war, Niven achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel . Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander at Normandy, awarded Niven the distinguished American award of the Legion of Merit for his contribution with the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme. This was a radio show that reported the news and entertained the troops with swing and jazz music.
After the war, Niven did not like discussing his role in the war. However, in his 1971 autobiography The Moon’s a Balloon, he opened up about his involvement in World War II by discussing the desolation of war. Of particular interest, he conveys an experience he had with the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In 1940, at a party, Churchill addressed Niven saying, “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.” When he returned to Hollywood, he transitioned well into being an actor again. In 1945, he was second in a poll of popular British actors. David Niven certainly experienced some excitement in World War II and played his best role serving his country.
Recommended Readings
“Biography for David Niven.” Radio of Yesteryear. Accessed on February 24,
2014. http://www.originaloldradio.com/biography_for_david_niven.html.
“Biography of the Day: David Niven.” Altmarius. Accessed on February 24,
2014. http://altmarius.ning.com/profiles/blogs/biography-of-the-day-david.
“David Niven.” Flickr. Accessed on February 24, 2014.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/truusbobjantoo/3132980220/.
Hamilton, Amelia. “Actors Who Served: David Niven.” Breitbart. Accessed
on February 24, 2014.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/08/03/actors-who-served-david-
niven.
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