Leslie Nielsen

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Birthday:

11 February 1926, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Birth Name:

Leslie William Nielsen

Height:

187 cm

Leslie William Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (Davies), was Welsh. His father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born Mountie and a strict disciplinarian. Leslie studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving on to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. His acting career started at a much earlier age when he was forced to lie to his father in order to avoid severe punishment. Leslie starred in over fifty films and many more television films. One of his two brothers became the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the film and television industries. Leslie Nielsen died at age 84 of complications from pneumonia on November 28, 2010. Show less «

Doing nothing is very hard to do... you never know when you're finished.

The reason they call it 'golf' is that all the other four-letter words were used up.

[on the part of his career when he played almost exclusively villains] The best part is always the heavy. And the meaner and crueler and the...Show more »

[on the part of his career when he played almost exclusively villains] The best part is always the heavy. And the meaner and crueler and the worse you are, the more vicious you are as the heavy, the better the hero looks when he whips you. So, the heavy is liable to be a very dramatic, fine acting part. I told my agent at that time, "I want to play heavies who are really vicious and cruel and terrible. I want them to know that they're terrible and I want them to enjoy it.". Show less «

[on his wrestling a "wild grizzly bear" (it was actually a docile honey bear) in Day of the Animals (1977)] I had to weave and play around w...Show more »

[on his wrestling a "wild grizzly bear" (it was actually a docile honey bear) in Day of the Animals (1977)] I had to weave and play around with a honey bear, and I could wrestle with him a little bit, but there's no way you can even wrestle a honey bear, let alone a grizzly bear that's standing ten feet to eleven feet tall! Can you imagine? But it was fascinating to work that close to that kind of animal. Show less «

When people are laughing, they don't beat up on you. You're secure and safe. It's when they stop laughing that it's dangerous.

[on touring in Ireland with Robert Goulet]: That was a wonderful time. Halfway through, we were joined by a friend, a mad Armenian. We were ...Show more »

[on touring in Ireland with Robert Goulet]: That was a wonderful time. Halfway through, we were joined by a friend, a mad Armenian. We were enjoying ourselves so much, with a drink here and a drink there, what we should have done - like mountaineers - was to tie ropes around our waists, so if anybody fell, we would know. Show less «

[on using his famous "farting machine"]: You have to have some body movement, some wiggling of legs and hips in rhythm with the sound of bre...Show more »

[on using his famous "farting machine"]: You have to have some body movement, some wiggling of legs and hips in rhythm with the sound of breaking wind. Actually in the north, in Fort Norman, that used to be the way we said goodnight, although, of course, then we did it naturally. Show less «

[on Lorne Greene]: The hair would stand up on my arms, his voice was so magnificent. When I met him, Lorne looked exactly the way he sounded...Show more »

[on Lorne Greene]: The hair would stand up on my arms, his voice was so magnificent. When I met him, Lorne looked exactly the way he sounded, the patriarch. I could never have imagined him riding the range, herding the cattle, as he did in Bonanza (1959). But he became a friend who was always there, always gentle, always friendly. Show less «

[on specializing in serious roles in his early years]: Actually, I always wanted to do comedy, but I never made the effort because I was a c...Show more »

[on specializing in serious roles in his early years]: Actually, I always wanted to do comedy, but I never made the effort because I was a coward. I didn't have the courage. I was a closet comedian. I was too self-conscious and lacking in confidence. Show less «