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"He is serious. And don't call him Shirley."
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"I'm afraid if I don't keep moving, they're going to catch me ... I am 81 years old and I want to see what's around the corner, and I don't see any reason in the world not to keep working. But I am starting to value my down time a great deal because I am realizing there might be other things to do that I am overlooking."
—Leslie Nielsen reflecting on his career
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Leslie Nielsen was a Canadian born actor and comedian. Originally trained at Toronto's Neighborhood Playhouse, he first became known as a dramatic lead debuting in The Vagabond King. Though the movie wasn't a success, Nielsen soon achieved fame as Commander John J. Adams in Forbidden Planet, and subsequently starred in many films and television shows as a romantic or dramatic leading man
He is, however, best known for his comedic career, starting with a Casting Gag role in Airplane!, where his deadpan delivery in the face of nonstop absurdity stole the film. The film's success rejuvenated his career, and Nielsen soon found himself starring in other comic works, most notably Police Squad! and The Naked Gun. All together, he has appeared in over a hundred films and 1,500 television programs.
He died of complications from pneumonia in November 2010.
His epitaph reads: "Let 'er Rip." Because that's how he rolls.
Tropes named after Leslie Nielsen:[]
Leslie Nielsen's career and works demonstrate the following tropes:[]
- Career Resurrection
- The Comically Serious
- Don't Explain the Joke
- Market-Based Title: In Spain, some of his comedic movies are renamed to "verb related to the movie" + como puedas (as you can):
- Aterriza como puedas (Airplane!)
- Agárralo como puedas (The Naked Gun)
- Espía como puedas (Spy Hard)
- Acampa como puedas (Family Plan)
- 2001: Despega como puedas (2001: A Space Travesty)
- Esquía como puedas (Kevin of the North)
- Milking the Giant Cow
- Shaggy Frog Story
- Straight Man
- Walking Disaster Area
Leslie Nielsen appears in the following works detailed on TV Tropes:[]
- Forbidden Planet
- The Poseidon Adventure
- Airplane!
- The Canadian Conspiracy, a 1985 HBO Mockumentary which riffs on the fact that his older brother Erik was Deputy Prime Minister to Brian Mulroney, and included a whole bunch of Canadians in Hollywood (including both Lorne Greene and Lorne Michaels, to say nothing of William Shatner and Michael J. Fox) trying to subvert the US government. Yes.
- Creepshow
- Due South
- Dracula: Dead and Loving It
- Men with Brooms
- Mr. Magoo (live-action movie)
- Police Squad!
- The Naked Gun series, a sequel to Police Squad!
- Scary Movie 3&4
- S.P.Q.R.: 2000 and a half years ago, an Italian comedy movie among many starring veteran actors Massimo Boldi and Christian De Sica; this movie - otherwise rather forgettable - is known for having been graced by Leslie Nielsen himself.
- Stan Helsing
- Superhero Movie
- Spy Hard
- Wrongfully Accused