And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Niven, James David Graham. Royal Military College - Sandhurst, Class of 1930 Lt. Colonel (ret.) British Army Commando WWII Medal British War Medal France/Germany Star WWII Victory medal US Legion of Merit Best Actor Oscar Best Actor Golden Globe (x2) best-selling author
Literally the only English actor to quit Hollywood when WWII broke out and re-join the British Army. During which service he met and befriended a young private and fellow actor named Peter von Ustinov, who was made his orderly in order to get around rules against field-grade officers associating with lowly enlisted men.
Secretly paid a man to "streak" (run nude) through the 46th Oscars in 1974 while Niven was hosting, just so that he could deliver a killer line about the man "showing his shortcomings".
David Niven
ReplyDeleteA real life WWII hero who didn't brag about it.
ReplyDeletePip pip, cheerio, keep a stiff upper lip.
ReplyDeleteDavid was a British soldier, actor, memoirist, novelist and a class guy.
ReplyDeleteI never understood how this was leading man material.
ReplyDeleteHis autobiographical books are witty and well written. He was a good man.
ReplyDeleteplayed rather a minor heavy in prisoner of zenda,mascdid fairbanks, jr.
ReplyDeleteNiven, James David Graham.
ReplyDeleteRoyal Military College - Sandhurst, Class of 1930
Lt. Colonel (ret.)
British Army Commando
WWII Medal
British War Medal
France/Germany Star
WWII Victory medal
US Legion of Merit
Best Actor Oscar
Best Actor Golden Globe (x2)
best-selling author
Literally the only English actor to quit Hollywood when WWII broke out and re-join the British Army. During which service he met and befriended a young private and fellow actor named Peter von Ustinov, who was made his orderly in order to get around rules against field-grade officers associating with lowly enlisted men.
Secretly paid a man to "streak" (run nude) through the 46th Oscars in 1974 while Niven was hosting, just so that he could deliver a killer line about the man "showing his shortcomings".