1. Leslie William Nielsen was a Canadian actor and comedian.
43 Facts About Leslie Nielsen
1. 2.
Leslie Nielsen made his acting debut in 1950, appearing in 46 live television programs a year.
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Leslie Nielsen made his film debut in 1956, with supporting roles in several dramas and western and romance films produced from the 1950s to 1970s.
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Leslie Nielsen received a variety of awards and was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Leslie Nielsen was born on February 11,1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan.
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Leslie Nielsen's mother, Mabel Elizabeth, was an immigrant from Wales, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
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Leslie Nielsen was born the second of two boys to both his parents.
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Leslie Nielsen's elder brother, Erik Nielsen, was a long-time Canadian Member of Parliament, cabinet minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1986.
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Leslie Nielsen has a half-brother, Gilbert Nielsen, from his father's other relationship.
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Leslie Nielsen's half-uncle Jean Hersholt was an actor known for his portrayal of Dr Christian in a radio series of that title, and the subsequent television series and films.
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Leslie Nielsen's father was an abusive man who beat his wife and sons, and Leslie longed to escape.
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Leslie Nielsen moved to New York City for his scholarship, studying theatre and music at the Neighborhood Playhouse, while performing in summer stock theatre.
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Leslie Nielsen's career began in dramatic roles on television during "Television's Golden Age", appearing in 46 live programs in 1950 alone.
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Leslie Nielsen said there "was very little gold, we only got $75 or $100 per show".
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Leslie Nielsen narrated documentaries and commercials and most of his early work as a dramatic actor was uneventful.
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In 1952 Leslie Nielsen made his Broadway debut as Petty Officer Herbert in Seagulls Over Sorrento, a short-lived transfer from the West End.
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In 1957, Leslie Nielsen won the lead role opposite Debbie Reynolds in the romantic comedy Tammy and the Bachelor for Universal Pictures, which, as a Chicago Tribune critic wrote in 1998, made people consider him a dramatic actor and handsome romantic lead.
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Leslie Nielsen guest-starred in a 1964 episode of Daniel Boone with Fess Parker in a minor but credited role.
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In 1972, Leslie Nielsen appeared in the supporting role as the captain of the doomed ocean liner SS Poseidon in the disaster epic, The Poseidon Adventure.
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Leslie Nielsen starred in the William Girdler's 1977 action film, Project: Kill.
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Leslie Nielsen was cast in the 1979 Canadian disaster film City on Fire, in which he portrayed a corrupt mayor.
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Leslie Nielsen said he was "pleased and honoured that [he] had a chance to deliver that line".
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Leslie Nielsen portrayed a serious character whose one-liners appeared accidental next to the pratfalls and sight gags that were happening around him.
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Leslie Nielsen received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance and despite positive critical reviews, the series was cancelled after just six episodes.
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Leslie Nielsen briefly appeared on the World Wrestling Federation program in the summer of 1994 on WWF Monday Night Raw, spoofing the role of Frank Drebin.
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In 1990, Leslie Nielsen appeared as a Frank Drebin type character in advertisements for Red Rock Cider in the United Kingdom.
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Leslie Nielsen appeared as a dramatic and unsympathetic character in the 1986 comedy Soul Man.
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Leslie Nielsen appeared as Santa Claus in the Christmas comedy All I Want for Christmas, a film that was at best only moderately successful at the box office, and had bad reviews.
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In one scene, Leslie Nielsen appeared almost nude, and one critic referred to the scene as putting "the 'scary' in Scary Movie 4".
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Leslie Nielsen produced instructional golf videos, which were not presented in a serious style, beginning with 1993's Bad Golf Made Easier.
31.
The sibling relationship with his elder brother, the Honourable Erik Nielsen, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, served as the premise of an HBO mockumentary entitled The Canadian Conspiracy in which Leslie Nielsen appeared, along with other prominent Canadian-born media personalities.
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Leslie Nielsen was a celebrity contestant on CBS's Gameshow Marathon, where he played The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Beat the Clock, and Press Your Luck for charity.
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Leslie Nielsen then appeared in the 2008 parody An American Carol, which David Zucker directed, produced, and co-wrote.
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Leslie Nielsen portrayed the doctor in the Spanish horror comedy Spanish Movie, a spoof comedy like Scary Movie, but making fun of popular Spanish films.
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Leslie Nielsen appeared in more than 100 films and 1,500 television episodes, portraying more than 220 characters.
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Leslie Nielsen married four times: to nightclub singer Monica Boyar, Alisande Ullman, Brooks Oliver, and Barbaree Earl.
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Leslie Nielsen was a practical joker, and known for pranking people with a portable hand-controlled fart machine.
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Leslie Nielsen's epitaph reads "Let 'er rip", a final reference to his favorite practical joke.
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Leslie Nielsen was legally deaf and wore hearing aids for most of his life.
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Leslie Nielsen participated in an educational video from The Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, demonstrating the physical examination of a patient with knee osteoarthritis.
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In November 2010, Leslie Nielsen was admitted to Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with pneumonia.
42.
On February 20,2002, Leslie Nielsen was named an honorary citizen of West Virginia and an Ambassador of Mountain State Goodwill.
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Leslie Nielsen visited the state many times to speak and visit friends.