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Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen OC (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.
Nielsen made his acting debut in 1950, appearing in 46 live television programs that year. He made his film debut in 1956, with supporting roles in several dramas, westerns and romance films produced from the 1950s to 1970s.
Although his performances in the films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure gave him standing as a dramatic actor, Nielsen later gained recognition for his deadpan comedy roles during the 1980s, after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! In his comedy roles, he specialized in portraying characters oblivious to and complicit in their absurd surroundings. His performance in Airplane! marked a turning point which made him "the Olivier of spoofs", according to film critic Roger Ebert, and led to further success in the genre, starring in The Naked Gun film series, based on his earlier short-lived television series Police Squad!
He received a variety of awards and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Nielsen was born on February 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (née Davies), was an immigrant from Wales, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen (1900–1975), was a Danish-born constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Nielsen's elder brother, Erik Nielsen (1924–2008), was a long-time Canadian Member of Parliament, cabinet minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1986. He also had a half-brother, Gilbert Nielsen, from his father's other relationship.
Nielsen's half-uncle Jean Hersholt was an actor known for his portrayal of Dr. Christian in a radio series of that title, and the subsequent television series and films. In a 1994 Boston Globe article, he explained: "I did learn very early that when I would mention my uncle, people would look at me as if I were the biggest liar in the world. Then I would take them home and show them 8-by-10 glossies, and things changed quite drastically. So I began to think that maybe this acting business was not a bad idea, much as I was very shy about it and certainly without courage regarding it. My uncle died not too long after I was in a position to know him. I regret that I had not a chance to know him better."
As a child, Nielsen lived with his family in Fort Norman (now Tulita) in the Northwest Territories, where his father was with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They moved to Edmonton in 1930. His father was an abusive man who beat his wife and sons, and Leslie longed to escape. Following graduation from Victoria High School (later renamed Victoria School of the Arts) in Edmonton, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 17 in 1943, though he was legally deaf (he wore hearing aids most of his life). There he trained as an aerial gunner during World War II but was never sent overseas. Upon the war's end, he was discharged and worked briefly as a disc jockey at a Calgary, Alberta, radio station, before enrolling at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto.
While studying in Toronto, Nielsen received a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse. He noted, "I couldn't refuse, but I must say when you come from the land of the snow goose, the moose, and wool to New York, you're bringing every ton of hayseed and country bumpkin that you packed. As long as I didn't open my mouth, I felt a certain security. But I always thought I was going to be unmasked: 'OK, pack your stuff'. 'Well, what's the matter?'. 'We've discovered you have no talent; we're shipping you back to Canada'."
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Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen OC (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian-American actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.
Nielsen made his acting debut in 1950, appearing in 46 live television programs that year. He made his film debut in 1956, with supporting roles in several dramas, westerns and romance films produced from the 1950s to 1970s.
Although his performances in the films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure gave him standing as a dramatic actor, Nielsen later gained recognition for his deadpan comedy roles during the 1980s, after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! In his comedy roles, he specialized in portraying characters oblivious to and complicit in their absurd surroundings. His performance in Airplane! marked a turning point which made him "the Olivier of spoofs", according to film critic Roger Ebert, and led to further success in the genre, starring in The Naked Gun film series, based on his earlier short-lived television series Police Squad!
He received a variety of awards and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Nielsen was born on February 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (née Davies), was an immigrant from Wales, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen (1900–1975), was a Danish-born constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Nielsen's elder brother, Erik Nielsen (1924–2008), was a long-time Canadian Member of Parliament, cabinet minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1986. He also had a half-brother, Gilbert Nielsen, from his father's other relationship.
Nielsen's half-uncle Jean Hersholt was an actor known for his portrayal of Dr. Christian in a radio series of that title, and the subsequent television series and films. In a 1994 Boston Globe article, he explained: "I did learn very early that when I would mention my uncle, people would look at me as if I were the biggest liar in the world. Then I would take them home and show them 8-by-10 glossies, and things changed quite drastically. So I began to think that maybe this acting business was not a bad idea, much as I was very shy about it and certainly without courage regarding it. My uncle died not too long after I was in a position to know him. I regret that I had not a chance to know him better."
As a child, Nielsen lived with his family in Fort Norman (now Tulita) in the Northwest Territories, where his father was with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They moved to Edmonton in 1930. His father was an abusive man who beat his wife and sons, and Leslie longed to escape. Following graduation from Victoria High School (later renamed Victoria School of the Arts) in Edmonton, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 17 in 1943, though he was legally deaf (he wore hearing aids most of his life). There he trained as an aerial gunner during World War II but was never sent overseas. Upon the war's end, he was discharged and worked briefly as a disc jockey at a Calgary, Alberta, radio station, before enrolling at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto.
While studying in Toronto, Nielsen received a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse. He noted, "I couldn't refuse, but I must say when you come from the land of the snow goose, the moose, and wool to New York, you're bringing every ton of hayseed and country bumpkin that you packed. As long as I didn't open my mouth, I felt a certain security. But I always thought I was going to be unmasked: 'OK, pack your stuff'. 'Well, what's the matter?'. 'We've discovered you have no talent; we're shipping you back to Canada'."
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