Without a doubt, Leslie Nielsen was one of the funniest men to ever find himself surrounded by craziness on a movie set.  It wasn’t because he could crack a joke, although he could.  It was because he could read even the craziest of lines, or get involved in the craziest of situations, without mugging.  He played everything straight-faced, which is why Leslie Nielsen was scene-stealingly hilarious in movies like Airplane! (alongside Peter Graves) and when starring as Lt. Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun franchise and Police Squad! tv series.  Yesterday, Leslie Nielsen passed away at a hospital near his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from complications of pneumonia.  He was 84.

Nielsen’s entire life is an incredible one.  His abusive father beat his mother and his children, forcing Nielsen to run away from home and join the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 17.  Despite being legally deaf in both ears, and wearing hearing aids for most of his adult life, Nielsen made it into the armed forces and after that, took his act to Hollywood where he signed a 7-picture deal with Paramount and starred in the iconic sci-fi picture Forbidden Planet.  That lead to a long string of steady work, culminating in Nielsen’s roles in those Zucker-Abrams-Zucker spoof/parody flicks he became known and loved for.

Rest in peace, Leslie.  You brought laughter to billions of people, myself included.

Tags: Leslie Nielsen, Forbidden Planet, The Naked Gun, Police Squad, Leslie Nielsen dead, obituaries, Leslie Nielsen dead at 84, pneumonia, Leslie Nielsen dies of pneumonia, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, deaths, Hollywood, actors, comedy actor, Leslie Nielsen dies

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