Actor Leslie Nielsen has died of complications from pneumonia today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 84.
Just the other day, my family and I were watching the movie Airplane! I love that movie. Anyone who has seen it can’t forget some of Nielsen’s classic lines – “I just want to wish you both good luck, we’re all counting on you…” “You can tell me. I’m a doctor,” and my favorite “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.”
It took a long time before I realized Leslie Nielsen had once been a dramatic actor and not always the funny guy that I remember him as. It actually dawned on me when I was watching one of my favorite movies from childhood, The Poseidon Adventure. I had seen the movie a million times, but it was only a few years ago when I saw it and went “Wow, that is Leslie Nielsen in a serious role as the captain of the ship!”
Nielsen was born in Saskatchewan in 1926. His uncle was famous silent film star Erik Nielsen. When Nielsen would mention that to people, they would think he was lying and when they found out he was telling the truth, he noticed a difference in their attitude. He said that difference made him think acting wasn’t such a bad idea and he took it up after a brief stint in the Royal Canadian Air Force and as a disc jockey. He eventually moved to New York City where he studied theatre and music at the Neighborhood Playhouse and Actors Studio.
He started out in television and appeared in almost 50 shows in 1950. His first feature film was The Vagabond King. After that, he was cast in Forbidden Planet and signed to a long term contract by MGM. He went on to star in such films as Ransom!, The Opposite of Sex, Tammy and the Bachelor, The Swamp Fox and How to Commit Marriage.
He did more comedies after Airplane! including the television series “Police Squad” where he played Officer Frank Drebin. While the show wasn’t a hit (but has become a cult favorite), it did carry the character of Drebin over to the successful films The Naked GunThe Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear, and The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult.
All in all, Nielsen starred in over 100 films and appeared in a staggering 1,500 television programs including “The Virginian,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Kung Fu.”