SLASH Remembers The Late Comic Genius Leslie Nielsen
November 29, 2010, 13 years ago
SLASH (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) has paid tribute to veteran actor Leslie Nielsen, who died yesterday (Sunday, November 28th) at the age of 84 at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he was being treated for pneumonia.
"RIP Leslie Nielsen, one of my all-time favorite comedians," Slash tweeted, before referring to Nielsen's famous saying "and don't call me Shirley."According to Wikipedia, Nielsen appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying over 220 characters.
Born in Saskatchewan, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to Neighborhood Playhouse. Beginning with a television role in 1948, he quickly expanded to over 50 television appearances two years later. Nielsen appeared in his first films in 1956 and began collecting roles in dramas, westerns, and romance films. Nielsen's lead roles in the science fiction film Forbidden Planet (1956) and disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) for which he received positive reviews as a serious actor.
Although his acting career crossed a variety of genres in both television and films, Nielsen's deadpan delivery as a doctor in 1980's Airplane! marked a turning point in his career. Nielsen enjoyed further success with The Naked Gun and its sequels, based on a brief television series he starred in.
