Hjördis Genberg

Hjördis Paulina Genberg (10 November 1919 – 24 December 1997) was a Swedish actress and model.

She was the second wife of English actor and author David Niven.

Genberg was among the first supermodels of Sweden.

Hjördis Genberg was born on 10 November 1919 in Åsarna, Jämtland county, Sweden.

She was the fourth of five children of Gerda Paulina (née Hägglund) and Johan Georg Genberg.

Genberg attended high school in the nearby Salsåker, a small town in Nordingrå.

In 1943, she made her breakthrough as an actress in the film Sjätte skottet.

She married the businessman Carl-Gustav Tersmeden in 1946.

They divorced in 1947.

In January 1948, Genberg married British actor David Niven, with whom she adopted two daughters, Kristina and Fiona Niven.

According to friends, the relationship between Niven and Hjördis was turbulent.

After 35 years of marriage, Niven died on 29 July 1983 in Château-d’Œx, Switzerland, of ALS.

In 1994, tabloid newspapers linked her with Prince Rainier of Monaco, however a spokesperson for Rainier said no marriage was in the plans.

Hjördis Genberg died on 24 December 1997, of a brain bleed at age 78 in Céligny, Switzerland.

Her ashes were scattered in the Mediterranean Sea.