Leslie Nielsen

Leslie Nielsen was a Canadian-American actor whose six-decade career produced two distinct phases — first as a serious Hollywood dramatic leading man through the 1950s and 1960s, then as a beloved deadpan comedy actor through the 1980s and 1990s following his role in Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker's Airplane! (1980). He was born Leslie William Nielsen on February 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His older brother Erik Nielsen later served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (1984–1986). He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the late stages of World War II before moving to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

His early career was in serious drama. His film debut came in 1956 with the MGM science-fiction film Forbidden Planet (in which he played Commander J.J. Adams) — one of the most-iconic 1950s American sci-fi films. He continued working steadily through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in over 50 films and dozens of TV-drama guest spots, including The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and recurring roles on 1960s Westerns.

His comedy pivot came at age 54 with the 1980 Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker disaster-movie parody Airplane! The Nielsen role of Dr. Rumack — the deadpan exchange "Surely you can't be serious!" / "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." — was built around Nielsen's dramatic-actor straight-faced delivery. The film became one of the 1980s American comedy films and established Nielsen's late-career comedy persona.

His subsequent comedy career produced the Frank Drebin role across Police Squad! (the 1982 ABC TV series that ran for only six episodes before cancellation) and the Naked Gun film franchise (The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 1988, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear 1991, and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult 1994). The Naked Gun films collectively grossed over $200 million worldwide. He continued working in deadpan comedy through his late seventies. He died on November 28, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 84.

His name Leslie is from the Scottish surname Leslie, anchored in the Scottish noble family of the same name. Leslie has been continuously among the most-popular American gender-neutral names for decades.