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Biography: Leslie Nielsen

Although his career stretches back half a century and includes over 100 films and countless TV programs, Leslie Nielsen gained true fame late in his career, when he starred in a series of comic spoofs beginning with 1980's Airplane!. The son of a Canadian Mountie and the brother of Canada's future Deputy Prime Minister, Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, on February 11, 1926. He developed an early knack for acting when he was forced to lie to his disciplinarian father in order to avoid punishment, and he went on to become a radio announcer after serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII (despite being legally deaf, the result of a childhood illness). To prepare himself for his future career, Nielsen studied at Toronto's Academy of Radio Arts, which was run by CBC commentator and future Bonanza star Lorne Greene. After several years in radio, he won a scholarship to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where he studied acting under Sanford Meisner and dance under Martha Graham. He then spent five years appearing on such live television programs as Tales From Tomorrow before making his film bow in Ransom! (1956). With the exception of his starring roles in the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956) and the popular Debbie Reynolds-vehicle Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), much of Nielsen's early work was undistinguished; he was merely a handsome leading man in an industry overstocked with handsome leading men. An attempt to do a "Davy Crockett" by starring as Francis Marion in the Disney TV saga The Swamp Fox resulted in a nifty title tune but little else. Nielsen went on to star in such series as The New Breed, Bracken's World, and Hawaii Five-O (1968), but found he was more in demand as a heavy than as a hero. A notorious offscreen practical joker and cut-up, Nielsen was not given an onscreen conduit for this trait until he was cast in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker spoof Airplane (1980). This led to his deadpan characterization of monumentally inept police lieutenant Frank Drebin on Z.A.Z.'s cult TV series Police Squad, which in turn spawned the 1988 hit The Naked Gun and two sequels. Nielsen also found success in a number of other film spoofs, so much, in fact, that those familiar only with his loopy comedy roles are invariably surprised that, once upon a time, he took himself deadly seriously in films like Harlow (1965) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide less

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Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Cast: David Zucker Peter Boyle
Tags: Gross-Out Comedy Comedy Absurd Comedy Horror Comedy Parody/Spoof Slapstick
Length: 88min
While star Anna Faris returns for the third film in the Scary Movie series, the power behind the camera has shifted from the Wayans brothers to one of the Zucker brothers. The Zucker in question is David Zucker, and he's brought along his partner in...
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2001: A Space Travesty (2001)
Tags: Science Fiction Comedy Sci-Fi Comedy Parody/Spoof
Length: 98min
Originally titled 2000.1: A Space Travesty, this zany send-up of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi classic will never be confused with Noel Coward or Neil Simon. The inescapable Leslie Nielsen (who also co-produced and co-scripted) stars as U.S. Marshall...
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Camouflage (2000)
Cast: James Keach
Tags: Comedy Detective Film
Length: 97min
A veteran detective and his novice assistant find some very unexpected mysteries in this offbeat comedy. Jack Potter (Leslie Nielsen) is a hard-boiled but absent-minded private detective who thinks it might be a good idea to retire soon. Potter is...
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Wrongfully Accused (1998)
Cast: Michael York Richard Crenna
Tags: Parody/Spoof Absurd Comedy Comedy
Length: 85min
Pat Proft directed this satire on The Fugitive with a plot parody of the 1993 Harrison Ford movie, which in turn was inspired by the 1963-67 ABC television series with David Janssen. Violinist Ryan Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) romances the wife (Kelly Le...
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Harvey (1998)
Cast: Swoosie Kurtz
Tags: Comedy of Manners Comedy
Length: 90min
Previously adapted twice before, most notably for the Oscar-nominated 1950 film starring James Stewart, Mary Chase's classic stage-play +Harvey once again receives the celluloid treatment with this 1998 CBS made-for-TV movie. Night Court's Harry...
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Santa Who? (2000)
Cast: Leslie Nielsen
Tags: Fantasy Comedy Comedy Family Family-Oriented Comedy
Length: 88min
Containing much of the same spirit that permeated Tim Allen's The Santa Clause, Santa Who? tells the story of Zack (Max Morrow), a young boy who helps Santa (Leslie Nielsen) figure out who he is after an attack of amnesia caused by a fall from his...
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Spy Hard (1996)
Cast: Charles Durning Robert Culp Marcia Gay Harden Barry Bostwick
Tags: Comedy Spy Comedy Parody/Spoof Absurd Comedy
Length: 80min
The first of several sight gag and slapstick-rich comedies he produced without the team of Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams, this lowbrow comedy from executive producer and star Leslie Nielsen suffers by comparison to his work with the...
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Mr. Magoo (1997)
Cast: Kelly Lynch Stephen Tobolowsky
Tags: Family Comedy Slapstick Family-Oriented Comedy
Length: 87min
Action-adventure director Stanley Tong (Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx) did a change of pace by directing this live-action adaptation of UPA's bumbling, near-sighted Mr. Magoo the animated-series character created during the '40s by John Hubley and...
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Family Plan (1997)
Cast: Judge Reinhold
Tags: Comedy
Length: 120min
In this family-friendly comedy, a band of orphans are taken to a summer camp by their accident-prone guardian Harry (Leslie Nielsen). However, they soon find that they have to fight to keep the place open when greedy land tycoon Jeffrey Shayes (Judge...
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S.P.Q.R. 2.000 e 1/2 anni fa (1995)
Tags: Adventure Comedy Parody/Spoof Comedy
Length: 101min
Some things never change as this Italian comedy which spoofs government corruption, sports, night clubs, and the Mafia, amply proves. It is set in Rome, circa 71 B.C. and features comic actor Leslie Nielsen as a character similar to those in his Naked...
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Leslie Nielsen

Biography: Leslie Nielsen

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