Born as Leslie William Nielsen in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Leslie Nielsen is a Canadian-American actor whose career spans over six decades in which he had more than two hundred roles on TV and in films. His uncle was actor Jean Hersholt, and his brother Erik deputy Canadian prime minister in the 1980s. After graduating from high-school, he enrolled in the Canadian Royal Air Force. After WW II (in which he did not take active part because of his hearing problems), he worked as a radio DJ in Calgary. He studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving to New York where he got a scholarship to continue his studies at the Neighborhood Playhouse school. In 1948, he got his first TV role. During the American “golden age of television” (late 1940s to 1960s) he had many roles in TV series which mostly aired live. By 1950, he had already starred in more than 50 series and worked as a narrator for documentaries and TV commercials. His first feature film role was in the musical The Vagabond King (1956) by Michael Curtiz, which did not have much success but enabled Nielsen to get a permanent contract with MGM studio. Afterwards, he got the leading role in the sci-fi Forbidden Planet (1956), then the drama Ransom! (1956), musical The Opposite Sex (1956), crime drama Hot Summer Night (1957) and romantic drama Tammy and the Bachelor (1957). Nevertheless, he was dissatisfied with those films and decided to leave MGM. From the late 1950s to the 1980s he acted in many TV series and sometimes in films such as the thriller Night Train to Paris (1964), biography Harlow (1965), horror Dark Intruder (1965), crime drama Dayton's Devils (1968), thriller The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (1971), adventure drama The Poseidon Adventure (1972), drama Grand Jury (1976), and action drama City on Fire (1979). In 1980, he played a doctor in the parody Airplane! (1980) and was recognized for his comedic talent. The film was a huge success and thanks to it he got cast as the clumsy detective Frank Drebin in the TV series Police Squad! (1982). He played the same character in the trilogy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), which permanently marked him as a deadpan comedian, famous for being completely unaware of absurd situations that happen around him. During the last two decades of his life he mostly played in parodies such as Repossessed (1990), Mel Brooks’ Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), Spy Hard (1996), Wrongfully Accused (1998), 2001: A Space Travesty (2000), and Stan Helsing (2009), but those films were not so successful with either critics or audiences. Some of his more successful later films were Scary Movie 3 (2003) and its sequel Scary Movie 4 (2006). He also did voiceovers for several animated films for children.


Filmography:
The Waterman Movie (animated, voiceover) (u production, 2011)
Stonerville (2010)
Spanish Movie (2009)
Stan Helsing (2009)
Slap Shot 3: The Junior League (video) (2008)
Superhero Movie (2008)
Music Within (2007)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
The Nutcracker and the Mouseking (animated, voiceover) (2004)
Noël Noël (animated short, narrator) (2003)
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Men with Brooms (2002)
Kevin of the North (2001)
Camouflage (2001)
Santa Who? (TV film) (2000)
2001: A Space Travesty (2000)
Pirates: 3D Show (short) (1999)
Wrongfully Accused (1998)
Safety Patrol (TV film) (1998)
Mr. Magoo (1997)
Family Plan (1997)
National Geographic Video: The Savage Garden (video) (1997)
Spy Hard (1996)
Harvey (TV film) (1996)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (TV, short) (1995)
Rent-a-Kid (TV film) (1995)
Digger (1994)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
S.P.Q.R.: 2,000 and a Half Years Ago (1994)
Surf Ninjas (1993)
Chance of a Lifetime (TV film) (1991)
All I Want for Christmas (1991)
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
Repossessed (1990)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police
Squad! (1988)
Dangerous Curves (1988)
The Railway Dragon (animated TV film, narrator) (1988)
Home Is Where the Hart Is (1987)
Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (TV movie) (1987)
Nuts (1987)
Nightstick (TV film) (1987)
Soul Man (1986)
The Patriot (1986)
Striker's Mountain (TV film) (1985)
Blade in Hong Kong (TV film) (1985)
Reckless Disregard (TV film) (1985)
Murder Among Friends (TV film) (1985)
The Creature Wasn't Nice (1983)
Cave In! (TV film) (1983)
The Night the Bridge Fell Down (TV film) (1983)
Creepshow (1982)
Wrong Is Right (1982)
Twilight Theater (TV film) (1982)
Foxfire Light (1982)
A Choice of Two (1981)
Prom Night (1980)
Airplane! (1980)
OHMS (TV film) (1980)
City on Fire (1979)
Riel (TV film) (1979)
Institute for Revenge (TV film) (1979)
The Albertans (TV film) (1979)
Little Mo (TV film) (1978)
The Amsterdam Kill (1977)
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) (unaccredited)
Viva Knievel! (1977)
Day of the Animals (1977)
Sixth and Main (1977)
Project: Kill (1976)
Brinks: The Great Robbery (TV film) (1976)
Grand Jury (1976)
Can Ellen Be Saved? (TV film) (1974)
The Return of Charlie Chan (TV film) (1973)
Amanda Fallon (TV film) (1973)
The Letters (TV film) (1973)
Snatched (TV film) (1973)
...And Millions Die! (TV film) (1973)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
They Call It Murder (TV film) (1971)
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (1971)
Incident in San Francisco (TV film) (1971)
Hauser's Memory (TV film) (1970)
The Aquarians (TV film) (1970)
Night Slaves (TV film) (1970)
Four Rode Out (1970)
Change of Mind (1969)
How to Commit Marriage (1969)
Trial Run (TV film) (1969)
Companions in Nightmare (TV film) (1968)
Dayton's Devils (1968)
Shadow Over Elveron (TV film) (1968)
Rosie! (1967)
Counterpoint (1967)
The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
Gunfight in Abilene (1967)
Code Name: Heraclitus (TV film) (1967)
Beau Geste (1966)
The Plainsman (1966)
Dark Intruder (1965)
Harlow (1965)
See How They Run (TV film) (1964)
Night Train to Paris (1964)
The Sheepman (1958)
Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)
Hot Summer Night (1957)
The Opposite Sex (1956)
Ransom! (1956)
Forbidden Planet (1956)
The Vagabond King (1956)