Leslie Nielsen

Comedy: Airplane! and The Naked Gun

In an early comedic appearance, Nielsen appeared on M*A*S*H in 1973 as the title character in "The Ringbanger".

Nielsen's supporting role of Dr. Rumack in Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker's (ZAZ) 1980's Airplane! was a turning point in his career. The film, a parody of disaster films such as Zero Hour! and Airport, was based on building a comedy around "serious" actors better known for their dramatic roles. Other "straight" stars in the film included Robert Stack, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges.

Nielsen's deadpan delivery contrasted with the absurdity surrounding him. When asked, "Surely you can't be serious?", his curt, now iconic response was: "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." In several later interviews, he reflected on the line: "I thought it was amusing, but it never occurred to me that it was going to become a trademark. It's such a surprise ... the thing comes out, people say, 'What did he say?! Nielsen said he was "pleased and honoured that [he] had a chance to deliver that line".

The American Film Institute included the film in its list of the top ten comedy films of all time in 2008, and a 2007 survey in the United Kingdom judged it the second-greatest comedy film of all time after Monty Python's Life of Brian. In 2012, Empire voted it number one in the 50 Funniest Comedies Ever poll. Critics praised the film, which also proved a long-term success with audiences. In 2010, Airplane! was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The directors cast Nielsen for his ability to play like "a fish in water", saying: "You could have cast funny people and done it with everybody winking, goofing off, and silly ... we wanted people to be oblivious to the comedy." In 1982, ZAZ cast Nielsen in a similar style, in their ABC TV series Police Squad!. The spoof series introduced Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin, the stereotypical police officer modeled after serious characters, such as Joe Friday, in earlier police TV dramas.

The opening sequence for Police Squad! was based on the 1950s show M Squad, which starred Lee Marvin, and opened with footage of a police car roving through a dark urban setting with a big band playing a jazz song in the background. The Hank Simms voice-over and the show's organization into acts with an epilogue was homage to Quinn Martin police dramas including The Fugitive, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, The F.B.I., Dan August and Cannon. Nielsen portrayed a serious character whose one-liners appeared accidental next to the pratfalls and sight gags that were happening around him. Nielsen received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance, and despite positive critical reviews, the series was cancelled after just six episodes.

Six years after the cancellation of Police Squad!, the film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! returned Nielsen to his role as Frank Drebin. It involved a ruthless drug king using hypnosis to attempt an assassination on Queen Elizabeth II. Nielsen did many of his own stunts: "You have an idea of how you're going to do something, and it's your vision ... unless you do it, it really doesn't stand a chance." Ebert's –star review (out of four) noted: "You laugh, and then you laugh at yourself for laughing."

The Naked Gun spawned two sequels: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun : The Final Insult (1994). The Naked Gun 2½ grossed more than the original, with $86.9 million, while grossed $51.1 million. Nielsen remained open to a fourth Naked Gun film, although he doubted that it would be produced — "I don't think so", he said in 2005. "If there hasn't been one by now, I doubt it. I think it would be wonderful."

Nielsen briefly appeared on the World Wrestling Federation program in the summer of 1994 on WWF Monday Night Raw, spoofing the role of Frank Drebin. Nielsen and Naked Gun co-star George Kennedy were hired as sleuths to unravel the mystery of the Undertaker, who had disappeared at January's Royal Rumble event. At SummerSlam 1994, in a Naked Gun parody, they were hot on the case (in fact, they were standing on a case). Although they did not find the Undertaker, the case had been closed (the literal case had been shut), thus they solved the mystery. In 1990, Nielsen appeared as a Frank Drebin type character in advertisements for Red Rock Cider in the United Kingdom. In 1992, Nielsen appeared in the series finale for The Golden Girls as Lucas, who was Blanche's uncle and Dorothy's boyfriend.

Nielsen's few dramatic roles following his comedic success in Airplane! included the horror films Prom Night (1980) and Creepshow (1982). He appeared as a dramatic and unsympathetic character in the 1986 comedy Soul Man. His final dramatic role was as Allen Green, a violent client killed in self-defense by prostitute Claudia Draper (Barbra Streisand) in Martin Ritt's courtroom drama Nuts (1987).

Later comedies After Airplane! and The Naked Gun, Nielsen portrayed similarly styled roles in a number of other films. These mostly emulated the style of The Naked Gun with varying success and often targeted specific films; many were panned by critics, and most performed poorly. Repossessed (1990) and 2001: A Space Travesty (2001) are parodies of The Exorcist and 2001: A Space Odyssey, respectively. Both attempted absurd comedy, but were poorly received. Even a leading role in a Mel Brooks comic horror, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, failed to generate much box-office excitement, although it did gain a following in a later release to video. Both 1996's Spy Hard and 1998's Wrongfully Accused, a parody of James Bond films and The Fugitive, were popular on video, but not well received by critics.

His attempt at family and children's comedies met additional criticism. He appeared as Santa Claus in the Christmas comedy All I Want for Christmas (1991), a film that was at best only moderately successful at the box office, and had bad reviews. Surf Ninjas (1993) and Mr. Magoo (1997) also had scathing reviews. Several critics were disappointed that Nielsen's role in Surf Ninjas was only "an extended cameo" and Chris Hicks recommended that viewers "avoid any comedy that features Leslie Nielsen outside of the Naked Gun series". Jeff Miller of the Houston Chronicle panned Mr. Magoo, a live-action remake of the 1950s cartoon: "I'm supposed to suggest how the film might be better, but I can't think of anything to say other than to make the film again."

Nielsen's first major success since The Naked Gun came in a supporting role in Scary Movie 3 (2003). His appearance as President Harris led to a second appearance in its sequel, Scary Movie 4 (2006). This was the first time Nielsen had reprised a character since Frank Drebin. In one scene, Nielsen appeared almost nude, and reviewer James Berardinelli referred to the scene as putting "the 'scary' in Scary Movie 4".

Video, stage, and celebrity productions Nielsen also produced instructional golf videos, which are not presented in a serious style, beginning with 1993's Bad Golf Made Easier. The videos combine comedy with golf techniques. The series spawned two additional sequels, Bad Golf My Way (1994) and Stupid Little Golf Video (1997). Nielsen also co-wrote a fictional autobiography titled The Naked Truth. The book portrays Nielsen as a popular actor with a long history of prestigious films.

In his 80s, Nielsen performed serious roles on screen and stage (such as his one-man theatre show Darrow, in which he played Clarence Darrow), as well as providing voice-overs and appearances for commercials (including spots for a credit union in Arizona, where he owned a secondary residence), cartoons such as Zeroman, where he had the leading role/voice, children's shows, such as Pumper Pups, which he narrated, and comedic film roles. The sibling relationship with his elder brother, the Honourable Erik Nielsen, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, served as the premise of an HBO mockumentary entitled The Canadian Conspiracy, in which Leslie Nielsen appeared along with other prominent Canadian-born media personalities. He was a celebrity contestant on CBS's Gameshow Marathon, where he played The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Beat the Clock, and Press Your Luck for charity.

In 2007, Nielsen starred in the drama Music Within. In 2008, he portrayed a version of Uncle Ben for Superhero Movie, a spoof of superhero films. He then appeared in the 2008 parody An American Carol, which David Zucker directed, produced, and co-wrote. He appeared in the 2009 parody Stan Helsing. Nielsen portrayed the doctor in the Spanish horror comedy Spanish Movie, a spoof comedy like Scary Movie, but making fun of popular Spanish films.

Nielsen appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television episodes, portraying more than 220 characters. From at least the early 1970s, he was a television commercial spokesperson for the Bank of Montreal, Ford, Shell and Dollar Rent-A-Car, among many others; his earlier spots took advantage of his serious and authoritative persona, while later commercials were more humorous, mirroring his transition to comedic acting roles.

Personal life

"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." — Nielsen reflecting on his career in 2007 He had two daughters from his second marriage. He joked, "I have no goals or ambition. I do, however, wish to work enough to maintain whatever celebrity status I have so that they will continue to invite me to golf tournaments." His epitaph reads "Let 'er rip", a final reference to his favorite practical joke.

In his later years, Nielsen and his wife Barbaree resided between homes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Nielsen was legally deaf and wore hearing aids for most of his life. Later in life, he had knee osteoarthritis. He participated in an educational video from Arthritis Research Canada, demonstrating the physical examination of a patient with knee osteoarthritis.

Death

In November 2010, Nielsen was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On November 28, his nephew Doug told Winnipeg radio station CJOB that he died in his sleep from pneumonia around 5:30 p.m. EST, aged 84, surrounded by family and friends.

Nielsen's body is interred in Fort Lauderdale's Evergreen Cemetery. As a final bit of humour, he chose "Let 'er rip" as his epitaph. On December 7, 2010, his funeral was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during which the Naked Gun theme played.

Achievements Among his awards, in 1995 Nielsen received UCLA's Jack Benny Award. In 2001, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. The following year, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, although he was also a naturalized American citizen.

Despite Nielsen's American citizenship, he maintained his Canadian heritage: "There's no way you can be a Canadian and think you can lose it ... Canadians are a goodly group. They are very aware of caring and helping."

In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

On February 20, 2002, Nielsen was named an honorary citizen of West Virginia and an Ambassador of Mountain State Goodwill. Nielsen visited the state many times to speak and visit friends. In 2003, in honour of Nielsen, Grant MacEwan College named its school of communications after him. Also in 2003, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists awarded him the ACTRA Award of Excellence.

Filmography