Leslie Nielsen Passes Away at Age 84

Treasured film and TV star Leslie William Nielsen passed away Nov. 28, 2010, after being admitted to a Florida hospital for pneumonia, according to his nephew Doug Nielsen as told to radio station CJOB. Nielsen had a career that spanned six decades that included starring roles in films such as "Forbidden Planet" and the "The Poseidon Adventure." It was in 1980 that Nielsen's career as a comic actor exploded and overshadowed all of his previous dramatic work, thanks to his portrayal of Dr. Rumack in the airport disaster spoof film "Airplane!. Nielsen returned to TV in 1982 in "Police Squad," where he took on the role of Detective Frank Drebin, a character that would launch three successful films and immortalize Nielsen as one of the great comedic actors of our time.

While many people look to Nielsen's work in "Airplane!" or the "Naked Gun" movies as their favorites, for me it has always been his performance in the "Police Squad!" series. The low budget, cheesy special effects, and jokes that were already old by the second episode but still repeated over and over again throughout the series made it a camp classic. "Police Squad!" was a show that could have easily been forgotten, but Nielsen's ability to act serious in the most absurd situations not only ensured the series would live on with a cult following, but also helped spawn three high-grossing (for comedy) films.

Detective Drebin was a no-nonsense cop with a strong sense of justice and dogged determination to see every case through to its end. While he might not have been the smartest cop, or the best with a gun, or the greatest in a fist fight, he never backed down. He would look danger in the face without blinking and never let a chance to woo a pretty lady slide. Nielsen was able to portray all of these qualities perfectly and made Drebin a believable character.

Some people believe that being a good comic actor is far more difficult than being a good dramatic actor. This is because the player often has to portray emotions or behaviors that are far out of sync with how a "normal" person would behave in the same situation. In "Police Squad!," Nielsen mastered the art of talking like a hard-boiled cop while chaos and absurdity raged around him. He could deliver punch lines and silly wordplay with a face as stone-cold serious as someone delivering Hamlet's soliloquy.

On the surface, Nielsen appeared to be just another one of "those guys" you see in films; the guys who get the supporting roles as a doctor or a lawyer to the star but never get to shine on their own. But Nielsen proved in the last half of his life that he was so much more than that. He was a comic genius who will always be remembered anytime someone says "Yes I am, and don't call me Shirley."