Actor Leslie Nielsen will always be remembered as the kind of character actor that had perfect comedic timing in such films as “Airplane,” playing Detective Frank Drebin in the “Naked Gun” series of films and so many more satire movies, however, he didn’t start out to be a comedic actor. His first foray into films and the early beginnings of television was as a serious dramatic leading man starring in some pretty hefty dramatic fare such as “[Actors] Studio One” and “Stage 13” on the small screen or “Ransom” and the classic scifi thriller “Forbidden Planet” on the silver screen.
While not burning many press releases as a dramatic actor Nielsen really caught on in 1980 (30 years after breaking into the business) with his absolute perfect satiric performance as Dr. Rumack in the hit comedy film “Airplane”. After gathering rave reviews there was no stopping the freight-train and he became one of the most sought after comedic actors in Hollywood who ran non-stop until his death this Sunday at the age of 84 from complications due to pneumonia.
Nielsen has two films yet to be released, “Stonerville” (ready for release) and voice-work in “The Waterman Movie” (currently filming) The studio hasn’t announced if the role Leslie was voicing was completed or will need to be recast.
Leslie will be greatly missed by all those who loved watching his impeccable timing in front of that camera.
Rest well Lt. Drebin.
Shirley a sad day for his fans.
Most definitely, it is surely a sad day for his fans (Don’t call him Shirley), but I still liked him as the ship commander in “Forbidden Planet” where he still was in the background for part of the movie due to its other “star”-Robbie the Robot. Will try watching the “Naked Gun” movies again as well as “Police Squad”.
just looking at my dvd collection now and realising that while i have the airplane movies, naked gun trilogy and police squad i don’t have forbidden planet. as a sci fi fan i just never saw it as worth buying. it was a good movie. the effects for their day were excellent (monster attacking the forcefield for example). but even watching it as a kid i saw it as a weak story buried under great effects.
so much of his stuff was cheesey low budget work but he’ll be best remembered for his comedies. airplane and naked gun franchises were all spectacular sucesses. not a bad legacy.
I will always remember him for his role in the TV Show Due South, a favorite of mine.
Also for his great movie parodies like Wrongfully Accused and Dracula: Dead and Loving It both very funny spoofs. Of course, his best will always be Airplane! and Naked Gun.
Unfortunately Stan Helsing was stupid. His part was one of the few standouts in it, but far too small a part to help the film.
One of the few actors whose later career made it impossible for me to watch his initial offerings.
His trademark deadpan delivery of incongruously funny lines was so close to his dramatic acting that when I would see him in straight dramatic roles I still expected him to deliver a punchline.
Police Squad and Airplane are my favorite vehicles showcasing his comedic talent, and I continue to revisit them every few years.
“Forbidden Planet” is still one of my all-time favorite F&SF movies. Most people today don’t realize that he was considered a leading/handsome man actor for a good part of his career. And he was very good at it. It gets overshadowed by his comedy because he was beyond outstanding at that.
@Dave: I love Due South, too.
Sleep well, Sgt. Frobisher. Thank you kindly.