Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian and 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 films such as Forbidden Planet (1956) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972) gave him standing as a dramatic actor, during the 1980s, Nielsen gained recognition for his deadpan comedy roles after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! (1980).
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!
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