Canadian-born actor Leslie Nielsen, 84, died yesterday (November 28) from complications due to pneumonia. His agent John S. Kelly confirmed the actor died at 5:34 pm Sunday, at a hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, surrounded by family and friends.
“Just in this last 48 hours, the infection has gotten too much," said his nephew Doug Nielsen "He just fell asleep and passed away."
Born in Regina, Saskatchewan to Welsh immigrant Mabel Davies and Danish-born Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable, Ingvard Nielsen, the actor spent several years in the Northwest Territories where his father was stationed. His brother Erik (1924-2008) went on to become Deputy Prime Minister of Canada.
Nielsen trained in Toronto and New York and began his career in the 1950s, eventually landing dramatic roles on TV shows like Bonanza and The Fugitive, and as ship’s captain in the 1972 blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure. In 1980 marked Nielsen’s first comedic role in the hit movie Airplane! He went on to even greater comedic success starring in the Naked Gun film series.
He is survived by his fourth wife, Barbaree Lee Nielsen and his two daughters, Maura Nielsen Kaplan and Thea Nielsen Disney, both of whom appear with their father in Dracula: Dead and Loving It and Wrongfully Accused.
In the last 62 years, Nielsen appeared in over 100 films and 1,500 TV programs and will be remembered for one of the American Film Institute’s top 100 movie quotes, "I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley,” from the movie Airplane!, which is also listed by the institute as one of the top ten comedy films of all time.