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marv2
11-29-2010, 12:46 AM
He was another person I was fortunate enough to meet years ago. A real nice guy:


The actor best known for starring in such comedies as "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" film franchise died Sunday of complications from pneumonia.
Leslie Nielsen, the actor best known for starring in such comedies as Airplane! and the Naked Gun film franchise, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84.

“We are sadden by the passing of beloved actor Leslie Nielsen, probably best remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun series of pictures, but who enjoyed a more than 60-year career in motion pictures and television," said a statement from Nielsen's family released through his rep.

Nielsen was born Feb. 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His acting career spanned several decades, starting in the 1950s with episodes of series including The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and Tales of Tomorrow and encompassing several genres. But he became known in later years for his deadpan delivery in comedies featuring absurd situations, including 1980s's Airplane!, a parody of Zero! Hour, Airport and other movies about flying.

After Airplane! became a hit, the film's directors -- Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker -- wanted to take the film's slapstyle style of comedy to TV. They asked Nielsen to play the lead role in their new series "Police Squad!"

In the show, Nielsen played Frank Drebin, a stereotypical police officer modeled after characters in earlier police TV series. The show lasted only six episodes but earned Nielsen an Emmy nom for lead actor in a comedy series.

Six years later, Nielsen reprised his role for a feature-length version of the show, Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, as well as two sequels.

In lieu of flowers, Nielsen's family is asking that donations in his name be made "to the charity of your choice."

stephanie
11-29-2010, 01:26 AM
Oh God! He is one of the few people who found a whole new generation of fans through his comedic role in Airplane and those police movies. I was just thinking about him a month ago.
May he RIP he seemed like a nice guy.

sophisticated_soul
11-29-2010, 01:26 AM
A favorite of mine for many years. He was a very versatile actor [[remember Striesand's "Nuts" [[1987)) thought he is best remembered for his comedic talents. From "Forbidden Planet" [[1956) to "Superhero Movie" [[2008), I have a lot of his work in my dvd collection. I will miss him. RIP Leslie Nielsen. Thanks for the laughs.

GeeTee(HPK)
11-29-2010, 03:29 AM
R.i.p. :[[

Doug-Morgan
11-29-2010, 10:02 AM
I was thinking of "Forbidden Planet" too. Very sorry to read of his passing.

arrr&bee
11-29-2010, 12:48 PM
I heard last night of his passing,very good actor i remember him from his dramatic roles in[swamp fox-the new breed]as well as his many guest starring roles...r.i.p.

mark speck
11-29-2010, 10:07 PM
What an amazing talent he was...I grew up watching him in various prime-time roles [[usually on cop shows), and was delighted to see him become a comedic star. I too have quite a few of his TV appearances on VHS and DVD [[I even have a New Breed episode on VHS!). RIP, Mr. Nielsen, and thank you... :[[

Best,

Mark

marv2
11-29-2010, 10:53 PM
Sad news indeed. He was a really nice guy. I met him once back in the 80's, 1986 here in New York when he asked me to use his camera to take a pic of a group of him with friends as we were all checking out of the Drake Hotel.


RIP Leslie and thank you!