Leslie William Nielsen,
OC (born February 11, 1926) is a
Canadian actor and
comedian. Although Nielsen's acting career crosses a variety of genres in both television and films, he has achieved his greatest film success as Commander John J. Adams in the film
Forbidden Planet, and also in comic movies, including
Airplane! and
The Naked Gun series. His portrayal of serious characters seemingly oblivious of (and complicit in) their absurd surroundings gives Nielsen a reputation as a comedian.
A series of later comedies attempted to emulate the popularity of his prior roles, bring a change from 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 film critic
Roger Ebert, "the
Olivier of spoofs."
He may be best known for his roles as
Frank Drebin in
The Naked Gun, Dr. Rumack in
Airplane!, as well as President Harris in the
Scary Movie series. Nielsen has appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters.
Early life
Nielsen was born in
Regina, Saskatchewan, to Ingvard and Maybelle Nielsen. His father was
Danish, and his mother was
Welsh.
Nielsen's older brother,
Erik Nielsen (1924–2008), was
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada during the 1980s;
their uncle
Jean Hersholt was a prominent silent-film actor after whom a
humanitarian award was named. Nielsen spent several years living in
Fort Norman,
Northwest Territories when his father was stationed there with the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Following his graduation from
Victoria Composite High School in
Edmonton, at the age of seventeen, Nielsen enlisted in the
Royal Canadian Air Force and was trained as an aerial gunner during the latter part of
World War II (but was too young to be fully trained and sent overseas).
He then worked as a
disc jockey at a
Calgary, Alberta,
radio station, before enrolling at the
Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts in
Toronto.
He moved to
New York City when he received a
scholarship for the
Neighborhood Playhouse.
Nielsen studied theater and music, while performing in
summer stock theatre.
