Leslie Nielsen, Star of the Naked Gun Movies, Dead at Age 84

Leslie Nielsen died on November 28, 2010 according to PopEater.com. With his passing America has lost a star best known for his comedic roles but whose career spanned decades and numerous genres.

Leslie Nielsen first entered my consciousness when I was a young girl in the late 1980s ad would repeatedly watch "Tammy and the Bachelor" on cable television. In this first "Tammy" film, Debbie Reynolds starred in the title role and Leslie Nielsen played Peter Brent, the bachelor. I would wish I were I Tammy, so I could catch the eye of the bachelor. Leslie Nielsen was exceedingly handsome in his younger years and was a very convincing and romantic leading man.. He was also a highly talented actor, both in this romantic comedy and in the other roles he tackled during the decade.

For instance, the movie "Forbidden Planet" was released in 1956, a year before "Tammy." The movie was a sci-fi drama starring Leslie Nielsen as the Commander of a starship investigating the disappearance of an expedition that landed on the planet 20 years prior. In the film Nielsen was a combination of stern, unflinching, romantic, restrained, and wise despite facing technology with unknown powers. The film "Forbidden Planet" remains a sci-fi classic.

By the 1990s, Leslie Nielsen had become famous all over again for his comedic roles in spoof films. His first such appearance was in the previous decade in the now classic movie "Airplane." Nielsen's "Don't call me Shirley," line in the film earned him a place in deadpan history, and led him to star in a similar role in the six episode TV show "Police Squad." The show was canceled before it took off the ground, but Nielsen's character, Frank Drebin went on to star in three feature films.

"Naked Gun,""Naked Gun 2-1/,2" and the "Naked Gun 33-1/3" all starred Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin and featured recurring performances by Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O.J. Simpson. In these films Leslie Nieslen was a master of deadpan and double entendres. The first film remains the most uproariously funny film of the series, but both sequels contain humor not to be missed. In particular, look for Nielsen "filling in" for Phil Donahue alongside Raquel Welch at the Academy Awards!

Leslie Nielsen's career encompassed nearly every genre possible as he played every possible character - romantic lead, deadpan funnyman, and sci-fi commander. While his talent will live on long after his death in celluloid, the world has still definitely lost a great actor with the passing of Leslie Nielsen.