By Lee Pfeiffer
Actor Leslie Nielsen, who improbably morphed from B-level dramatic leading man to a comedy acting legend, has died from complications with pneumonia at age 84. A native Canadian, Nielson was the nephew of silent screen star Jean Hersholt, for whom the honorary Oscar award was named. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Nielsen said, "I did learn very early that when I would mention my uncle, people would look at me as if I were the biggest liar in the world. Then I would take them home and show them 8-by-10 glossies, and things changed quite drastically. So I began to think that maybe this acting business was not a bad idea, much as I was very shy about it and certainly without courage regarding it. My uncle died not too long after I was in a position to know him. I regret that I had not a chance to know him better." He dabbled with being a disc jockey before moving to New York to attend The Actor's Studio. He made his TV debut in a 1948 drama opposite Charlton Heston, who was also a star on the rise.
With his distinguished good looks and baritone voice, Nielsen found work regularly on TV and in feature films. He starred in the Disney mini series Swamp Fox. His most prestigious role as a leading man early in his career was as the star of the MGM sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet. He seemed destined to be a supporting player in B-level movies, though he did land parts in quality productions such as The Poseidon Adventure and Nuts. Nielsen had the good fortune to be cast as a key player in the 1980 disaster film spoof Airplane! The film was a blockbuster, and like fellow dramatic actors who were in the cast such as Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges, Nielsen soon found himself a popular favorite in comedies. His 1982 TV series Police Squad was far ahead of its time. Although canceled after only six episodes, it is regarded as a cult classic today. More importantly, it inspired the series of Naked Gun films that made Nielsen a bonafide leading man with box-office clout. In the ensuing years, Nielsen never equaled the success of those films, but worked consistently, generally in outrageous comedies. He wrote a fictional, comedic "autobiography", The Naked Truth. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame. For more click here