Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen
OC
Leslie Nielsen OC
	Nielsen in 1982
Born	Leslie William Nielsen; February 11, 1926; Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	November 28, 2010 (aged 84); Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Alma mater	Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre; Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts
Occupations	Actor; comedian; producer;
Years active	1950–2010
Notable work	Forbidden Planet; The Poseidon Adventure; Airplane!; Police Squad!; The Naked Gun;
Spouses	Monica Boyar (m. 1950; div. 1956); Alisande Ullman (m. 1958; div. 1973); Brooks Oliver (m. 1981; div. 1983); Barbaree Earl (m. 2001);
Children	2
Relatives	Erik Nielsen (brother); Jean Hersholt (half-uncle);
Military career
Allegiance	Canada
Branch	Royal Canadian Air Force
Years of service	1943–1945
Battles / wars	World War II
Signature

Leslie William Nielsen OC (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian.^[5] With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.^[6]

Nielsen made his acting debut in 1950, appearing in 46 live television programs that year. He made his film debut in 1956, with supporting roles in several dramas, westerns and romance films produced from the 1950s to 1970s.

Although his performances in the films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure gave him standing as a dramatic actor, Nielsen later gained recognition for his deadpan comedy roles during the 1980s, after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! .^[7] In his comedy roles, he specialized in portraying characters oblivious to and complicit in their absurd surroundings.^[8] His performance in Airplane! marked a turning point which made him "the Olivier of spoofs", according to film critic Roger Ebert,^[9] and led to further success in the genre, starring in The Naked Gun film series, based on his earlier short-lived television series Police Squad!.

He received a variety of awards and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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^ "'Naked Gun,' 'Airplane' actor Leslie Nielsen dies". Technology Marketing Corporation. Associated Press. December 2, 2010. 'I played a lot of leaders, autocratic sorts; perhaps it was my Canadian accent', he said.
^ Collins, Glenn (December 21, 1988). "Mr. Nondescript Becomes a Star in 'Naked Gun'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013.
^ Brown, Emma (November 29, 2010). "Leslie Nielsen, serious actor who became a master of deadpan comedy, dies at 84". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
^ Maslin, Janet (December 2, 1988). "Review/Film; A Fall Guy as Antihero". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009.
^ Ebert, Roger (October 24, 2003). "Scary Movie 3". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2017.

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[5] "'Naked Gun,' 'Airplane' actor Leslie Nielsen dies". Technology Marketing Corporation. Associated Press. December 2, 2010. 'I played a lot of leaders, autocratic sorts; perhaps it was my Canadian accent', he said.

[6] Collins, Glenn (December 21, 1988). "Mr. Nondescript Becomes a Star in 'Naked Gun'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013.

[7] Brown, Emma (November 29, 2010). "Leslie Nielsen, serious actor who became a master of deadpan comedy, dies at 84". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2015.

[NYT-8] Maslin, Janet (December 2, 1988). "Review/Film; A Fall Guy as Antihero". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009.

[Ebert-9] Ebert, Roger (October 24, 2003). "Scary Movie 3". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2017.

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