Culture: Leslie Nielsen: surely dead too soon (and don’t call me Shirley)
- If Mel Brooks is the king of parody, Leslie Nielsen was the clown prince, playing it straight even as he was saying the most absurd things and found himself in the most absurd of situations. But Neilsen, who died today at 84, didn’t start out that way – a TV actor at the very dawn of the medium, he was known for his leading man roles until 1980, when a role in the low-budget farce “Airplane!” turned him into a major star and made him a funnyman du jour, something only reinforced by the multiple “Naked Gun” movies (and, oh yeah, the latter part of the “Scary Movie” series, the fifth of which will be his last role). We grew up with this guy. A lot of people did. Protip: If you haven’t seen the short-lived “Police Squad” TV series, you’re missing out. source