IMDB

Actor

1945-05-27 · Kansas City, Missouri, USA · Male

16 series in the catalog

Clifford Wallace "Kip" Niven (May 27, 1945 – May 6, 2019) was an American actor and theater director.

Early life

Niven was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas, the son of William Watson Niven and Elizabeth Hopkins Niven. He graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School and briefly attended Baylor University, before graduating from University of Kansas. After college, he joined the Army, serving three years, including a tour in Vietnam.

Career

In 1972, Niven was featured in the premiere episode of The Sixth Sense. In 1973, he joined David Soul, Robert Urich and Tim Matheson as one of the four rogue cops in Magnum Force, starring Clint Eastwood. He amassed nearly 100 credits in film and television, enjoying recurring roles on TV series such as The Waltons, Alice and Emergency!.

In his later years, Niven returned to the Kansas City area, where he was described as "a pillar of the local theatre scene".

Personal life

Niven's first wife, Susan Tisdall Niven, whom he married in 1968 and with whom he had two children, died in a car accident in 1981. In 1982, he married actress Linda Lavin. They divorced in 1992. In 1994, Niven married Beth Reiff, with whom he had a daughter. They remained together until her death in 2012.

Niven lived in the Kansas City suburb of Leawood, Kansas. He died of a heart attack in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 6, 2019, aged 73.

Kip Niven At Find A Grave