Leslie Nielsen _verified_ Jun 2026

The movie was a sensation. Suddenly, the man who had been a fixture of dramatic television was the funniest man in America. He was 54 years old.

The script required the actor to deliver lines like, "I am serious... and don't call me Shirley," with the weight of a Shakespearean tragedy. They had seen Nielsen in The Poseidon Adventure . They knew he could do "gravely sincere." So, they called him. Leslie Nielsen

The success of Airplane! led to the short-lived but brilliant TV series Police Squad! , where Nielsen introduced the world to Detective Frank Drebin. While the show only lasted six episodes, the character found a permanent home in The Naked Gun trilogy. The movie was a sensation

The Serious Business of Being Hilarious: The Legacy of Leslie Nielsen The script required the actor to deliver lines