History Creator / LeslieNielsen

[[GraveHumor His epitaph reads:]] ''[[ToiletHumor "Let 'er Rip"]]''. Because that's how he rolls. When interviewed, he asked what he would want inscribed on his gravestone, and he answered with this. And yes, he added in a perfectly timed squeeze of the whoopee cushion to punctuate the answer. (You can virtually visit his grave on Website/FindAGrave, [[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=62278982 here]].)

* ''Series/DueSouth'': Where his character is eventually described as having "an extraordinary resemblance to the Canadian actor and comedian Leslie Nielsen."

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In a rare comedic turn pre-''Airplane!'', he appears in [[/Recap/MashS1E16TheRingbanger one episode]] as an overly gung-ho colonel who's gaslit into thinking he has battle fatigue and going stateside to cool off.

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In a rare comedic turn pre-''Airplane!'', he appears in one episode as an overly gung-ho colonel who's gaslit into thinking he has battle fatigue and going stateside to cool off.

* ''Film/{{Creepshow}}'' (One of the few dramatic roles he did post-''Airplane!'' -- save the ending of that segment, when he gives the full Nielsen LargeHam comic moment.)

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': He plays a colonel in one episode gaslit into thinking he has battle fatigue and going stateside to cool off.

However, he's best remembered for [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome his comedic career]], which began in earnest with a CastingGag role in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', where [[TheComicallySerious his deadpan delivery in the face of nonstop absurdity stole the film.]] The film's success rejuvenated his career, and Nielsen soon found himself starring in other comic works, most notably ''Series/PoliceSquad'' and ''Film/TheNakedGun''. All together, he appeared in over a hundred films and 1,500 television programs, and was so well-loved as a comedy actor that Creator/RogerEbert gave him the AffectionateNickname "the Creator/LaurenceOlivier of spoofs". (To which Nielsen reportedly responded, "Wouldn't that make Olivier the Leslie Nielsen of Shakespeare?")

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[{{Film/Airplane}} I just want to tell you both good luck, we're all counting on you.]]"]]

Leslie William Nielsen [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever OC]] (11 February 1926 – 28 November 2010) was a Canadian-born actor and comedian. Originally trained at Toronto's Neighborhood Playhouse, he first became known as a dramatic lead debuting in ''The Vagabond King''. Though the movie wasn't a success, Nielsen soon achieved fame as Commander John J. Adams in ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'', and subsequently starred in many films and television shows as a romantic or dramatic leading man.

He is, however, best known for [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome his comedic career]], starting with a CastingGag role in ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', where [[TheComicallySerious his deadpan delivery in the face of nonstop absurdity stole the film.]] The film's success rejuvenated his career, and Nielsen soon found himself starring in other comic works, most notably ''Series/PoliceSquad'' and ''Film/TheNakedGun''. All together, he has appeared in over a hundred films and 1,500 television programs, and was so well-loved as a comical actor that Creator/RogerEbert gave him the AffectionateNickname "Creator/LaurenceOlivier of spoofs". (To which Nielsen reportedly responded, "Wouldn't that make Olivier the Leslie Nielsen of Shakespeare?")

In many of his comedic roles, he grew somewhat notorious for keeping his fellow actors (and even the directors) on their toes by concealing and manipulating a whoopee cushion, making farting noises with it at unexpected times, often cracking the whole cast and crew up.

He died of complications from pneumonia in November 2010, at the age of 84.