Leslie Nielsen- More Than the Naked Gun

I first saw The Naked Gun in college, someone in my dorm had rented it, and I found it hilarious. I loved Nielsen's poker faced humor. Somehow Police Squad had escaped me, as it did many - the show only lasted six episodes, but thankfully Frank Drebin survived in not one, but three Naked Gun movies. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988), The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear (1991), The Naked Gun 33 1/13 : The Final Insult (1994).. Despite the title of the third movie, the next Naked gun movie was in the early stages of production when Leslie Nielsen died on November 28, 2010 at the age of 84.

While the Naked Gun movies were the first place I took notice of Leslie Nielsen, seeing him as a sort of goofier version of Paul Newman, it was far from the beginning of his career. In fact, in 1950 alone, he appeared in nearly 50 live programs, and over the span of his career, he appeared in over a hundred films, 1500 television programs, and portrayed over 220 characters.

Like many actors, Nielsen followed a family role model into the business, his uncle Jean Hersholt, a film actor in the 1930s is credited as inspiring Nielsen to become and actor. In the 1936 film, His Brother's Wife, Hersholt played a doctor, and it was Nielsen's role as a doctor in the 1980 movie Airplane! That would change the way Hollywood viewed Leslie Nielsen. Nielsen played a supporting role, but still his line, "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley," ( In response to being asked, "Surely, you can't be serious.") Nielsen never expected the line to become the icon that is has.

Nielsen's first feature film role was in the 1956 musical film, The Vagabond King, which was not successful at the box office, but led to Nielsen being cast in the science fiction film, Forbidden Planet which co-starred Ann Francis.

Nielsen's televison work, as well as being the son of an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seemed to prepare Nielsen more for his recurring role as Frank Drebin. In 1961 he played the lead in a Los Angeles police drama The New Breed. In 1968 he had a major role in the pilot film for what would later become the police series Hawaii Five-O, and he played a police officer again in 1969 in The Bold Ones: The Protectors.

Of course, there is no way to know for sure what Leslie Nielsen brought with him as he portrayed Frank Drebin, but there is little doubt that he did it brilliantly. We were lucky to have his career to enjoy for so many years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naked_Gun#Naked_Gun_4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Nielsen#Early_career