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Leslie Nielsen

Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11, 1926) is a Canadian-American comedian and actor. Although Nielsen’s acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and movies, he achieved his greatest film success in comedies, including Airplane! and The Naked Gun series of films. His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious of (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gave Nielsen a reputation as a comedian.[1] A series of later comedies attempted to emulate the popularity of his prior roles.

This paralleled the serious roles of his early career. Leading roles in the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet and as the ship's captain in The Poseidon Adventure came long before Nielsen considered a turn to comedy. His deadpan delivery as a doctor in 1980’s Airplane! marked a turning point in Nielsen’s career, one that would make him, in the words of movie critic Roger Ebert, "the Olivier of spoofs."[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ nytimes.com. A Fall Guy as Antihero. Retrieved on April 16, 2007.
  2. ^ RogerEbert.com. Scary Movie 3. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.