Leslie Nielsen dead at 84

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http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/11/28/leslie-nielsen-dies/
Leslie Nielsen, who dazzled with deadpan in The Naked Gun and Airplane!, passed away on Sunday at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was being treated for pneumonia, according to the New York Times. He was 84.

The master of parody boasted a talent for delivering the most ridiculous lines in the straightest way possible, cloaking outright absurdity in straight-faced obliviousness. Ironically enough, the foundation of that earnest gravitas was built early in his career as a dramatic actor: After serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force and studying at New York City's famed Actors Studio, the Saskatchewan-born Nielsen popped up on early '50s TV. He received his first big film break playing sturdy Commander J.J. Adams in the 1956 sci-fi flick Forbidden Planet. Over the next few decades, he established himself as a reliable, handsome, rich-voiced character actor who graced myriad TV dramas (Peyton Place, Dr. Kildare) and movies (The Poseidon Adventure).

His career took a comical hard left turn when he was cast as Dr. Rumack in the 1980 big-screen parody film Airplane! (Let us honor his famous line, which stands as one of the best retorts in comedic cinema history: “Surely you can't be serious!” “I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.”) Two years later he was tapped by the Airplane! brain trust to play Lt. Frank Drebin in the cop-show spoof sitcom Police Squad! Although the series lasted only six episodes, Nielsen earned an Emmy nomination for his work, and in 1988, re-inhabited the bumbling Drebin again for the big-screen adaptation The Naked Gun. (It may be hard to find more laughs-per-minute in a comedy film than in the film's baseball-game scene, which culminates with Drebin foiling an assassination attempt on the Queen of England). The success of The Naked Gun paved the way for two sequels in 1991 and 1994, and Nielsen continued down the parody path in not-as-memorable films like Spy Hard, Wrongfully Accused, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. (He did earn notice in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.)

Nielsen worked into his 80s, appearing in even more spoof flicks like Superhero Movie and 2009′s Stan Helsing. Surely, we can't be more serious when we say: Leslie Nielsen, you will be missed.
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What a great comic actor. He will be missed.

Kind of made me think of my Dad - he's not far away from that age (79 in Dec.), and something like pneumonia, which isn't a big deal to the rest of us, could do in someone of that age.
 
Just watched Forbidden Planet for the first time a few days ago. Good movie, minus the weird sexism. Saw the naked gun movies a jillion times, always some of my favorite movies.
 
Well, this is one time I dont feel bad at all. He lived a really full life, 84 is a damn good age to go.

Loved his work and he will be missed. Finally a Hollywood death without a crazy scandal. More people need to just of old age.
 
This news really saddened me, he was my favorite comedic actor. I was fortunate enough to have met him at a convention a couple years back, he was a really nice guy. I'm going to watch Airplane! tonight in memory of him. I guess this time he had the fish instead of the lasagna. :cry:
 
[quote name='tcrash247']This news really saddened me, he was my favorite comedic actor. I was fortunate enough to have met him at a convention a couple years back, he was a really nice guy. I'm going to watch Airplane! tonight in memory of him. I guess this time he had the fish instead of the lasagna. :cry:[/QUOTE]
I know it sounds dumb and suspicious of me to say since he's now dead, but Leslie Nielsen was always a celebrity/actor I wanted to meet. I'm glad to hear he was a cool dude.

I paid tribute last night by watching some episodes of Police Squad. For those who don't know, Police Squad was the very short lived series that eventually inspired the Naked Gun movies. Police Squad was something special and very, very different from other comedies that were on TV during the 80s. If anyone is interested in the DVD, Big Lots has it for 6.00. Maybe not a super deal since all you're getting is six episodes, but it's fantastic television and it's the official studio release.
 
He'll never be called Shirley again. :(

Weird Al was a big fan of his, bet he's sad to hear this.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWfbIe4X_4
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My mind is blown that he's 84 because LITERALLY in all his movies he looks the same. The thought of him passing never occured to me because I kinda thought of him as immortal in some weird way. Jesus I'm gonna miss him.
 
[quote name='tcrash247']I watched Airplane! tonight and it's definitely one of the greatest comedies ever made. Everyone in it is fucking hilarious.[/QUOTE]

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking."

"Hey Joey, do you like Gladiators?"

"Do you speak Jive?"

"Get a hold of yourself!"

:lol:
 
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