Kirriemuir a myth

“The query from a reader about the birthplace of Hollywood legend David Niven has often been debated and the myth involving Kirriemuir can be dismissed,” writes our quizmaster writes Fraser Elder.

“The debonair Niven once claimed on the Michael Parkinson Show he was born in the Angus town, but the facts tell a different story.

“He was born in London, James David Niven to a Scottish family in 1910. His father, William Niven, was killed in Gallipoli in 1915 and his parental grandfather, David Graham Niven, was a resident in St Martin’s in Perthshire.

“After training at Sandhurst, Niven joined the Highland Light Infantry and in his many visits to Scotland, Kirriemuir was only one of his brief stopping off points.

“A Hollywood Oscar winner in 1958 as Best Actor in Separate Tables, he died in Switzerland in 1983 on the same day as his close friend and fellow British actor Raymond Massey.”