Kip Niven, Actor from ‘The Waltons,' 'Magnum Force,' and 'Alice,' Dies at 73

Kansas born Hollywood star, Clifford Kip Niven recently died at 73. Although the reason behind his death was not released, his credibility as an actor resonates with many!

The seasoned actor started his profession in the early 70s, with appearances on the big screen in dramas like “Escape and Emergency,” “ Kate & Allie and Spencer: For Hire,” “The Waltons,” “Alice" and lots more.

WHY THE WORLD WILL MISS KIP CLIFFORD

Apart from the way he adequately portrays a character in his films, the actor was also a cheerful individual who brought smiles to the faces of his loved ones, fans, and even his hometown.

He contributed in no small way in making the city of Kansas a force to reckon with; he pioneered the “Equity Actors’ Readers’ Theatre.”

His good old friend Doug Weaver revealed that the actor knew his onions, and affiliated with almost every TV star in his city, he also had empathy for young talents and stopped at nothing to help anyone with a flair for acting into the movie industry. In his words:

“The most amazing thing about Kip, he knew every actor in Kansas, he is so full of life.”

He continued about how much of an impact the deceased made. He said:

“we all grew up wanting to be Kip; he was a great actor, the glue that held the theatre world together; he is going to be incredibly missed.”

His friend was not the only one who applauded Kip's personae. Other Hollywood celebrities, like Willmorth, and Manon Halliburton, took to their social media to express their sadness.Willmorth wrote:

“He was a terrific man. We have lost a mighty man.”

Manon posted:

“Kip was a legend in his own right, as a person and an artist.”

HIS SUCCESSES

He was born in May 1945. He schooled in Kansas and lived most of his life there. The actor had much love for his hometown, so it was not surprising he chose to settle in the city after he had set up a drama theatre in the 90s.

He starred in numerous productions; they include, “Earthquake,” “Damnation Alley,” “New Year's Evil,” “ Airport,” “Swashbuckler,” “The Painting,” “Midway,” “ Raising Jeffrey Dahmer,” “The Hindenburg” and “Magnum Force.”

DID HE HAVE ANY FAMILY?

It seemed like the “Alice” star had a thing for actresses. In 1968, he married Susan who was an actress, but he lost her to an untimely death after she was a victim of an accident. He later married Linda Lavin, a co-star in the CBS sitcom, but their union ended ten years later.

His marriage to his third partner, Beth Reiff came to an end after she died in 2012. He later said his fourth and last “I do” with Claudia.

The “Jayhawker” star left behind his wife and three of his kids namely, Jim, Katie and Maggie.

He may have departed from the world, but he is ingrained in the hearts of his loved one!