Sunday, November 28, 2010

RIP Leslie Nielsen

“Surely you can’t be serious? I am serious and don’t call me Shirley”.

Actor Leslie Nielsen, best known for his film roles in "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun" series, died Sunday, November 28 of complications from pneumonia, his family said. Nielsen, 84, died in a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by his wife and friends.

Leslie William Nielsen was born on February 11, 1926 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and grew up 200 miles from the Arctic Circle in Fort Norman where his father was an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was often beaten by his father and when he turned 17 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After World War II he became a disc jockey then trained at a Toronto radio school operated by Lorne Greene. A scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse brought him to New York where he began his career in television. He made over 150 TV appearances. His first film role was in “Forbidden Planet” (1956) and his best dramatic role was as the captain of the ocean liner in “The Poseidan Adventure” (1972), but he’s best remembered for his role in the “Airplane” and “Naked Gun” films. Nielsen appeared in one Euro-western “Four Rode Out” (1970) with Sue Lyons and Pernell Roberts.

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