David Niven

Niven was British actor born in 1910. He spend time in the military before his acting career and, again, after the break out of the second world war. A life long jokester, there are innumerable stories of Niven cracking wise, easing pre-battle tensions, calling out the absurd in uncomfortable situations and, generally speaking, showing incredible wit. Niven resigned from the army the first time because he felt there was no room for advancement and his insubordination was prevalent. He tried to sign up as a film extra but was not authorized to work in the U.S. until his British paperwork came through so he went to Mexico for a short time and cleaned guns for visiting hunters. He spent a few years doing just extra work before catching the eye of Goldwyn who contracted him and gave him a chance to gain notoriety. In 1956 Niven achieved rich success playing Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days. He is also one of a few actors to play James Bond. In all, Niven made more than 100 movies and his perhaps best known for his mustachioed role in the Pink Panther series as Sir Charles Lytton. In 1958 Niven received an Academy award for his performance as Major Pollock in Separate Tables. In 1983 Niven succumbed to Lou Gehrig's disease and passed away. His star is on the south side of the 6300 block of Hollywood blvd.