“You are not just here to fill space or be a background character in someone else's movie. Consider this: nothing would be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different without you. We are all connected, and we are all affected by the decisions and even the existence of those around us.” -- David Niven, the debonair, Academy Award-winning British actor of Hollywood's Golden Age. After Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven joined the British Army, eventually participating in the Normandy invasion in a commando reconnaissance unit.
Born on this day in 1910, Niven was a successful writer in addition to his long film career, with his autobiographical "The Moon's A Balloon" selling millions of copies. His admittedly embellished tales of Hollywood, often substituting others' exploits for his, endeared him to that community and to his international fans.
2 comments:
Niven was a class act all the way. I remember his quote about a streaker who dashed across the Oscar stage as Niven stood nearby.
Niven quipped, "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"
donnah -- I remember watching that live. There was a streaking fad in those years. Niven was nonchalant and witty, and definitely won the moment from the exhibitionist.
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