Nearly ten years after his death, legendary actorLeslie Nielsenis remembered in a touching mini-documentary video posted online exploring his unique talents and impressive career. From Hats Off Entertainment on YouTube, the video, dubbedLeslie Nielsen: A Serious Talent, is written, edited, and compiled by Joe Ramoni. Utilizing clips from Nielsen’s various movie performances and memorable television appearances, the video sheds some light on the late comedian’s comedy style and some of the other things about him that made him truly a one of a kind actor. you may watch the complete video in full below.
As noted in the video, Nielsen is particularly known for his effective delivery of deadpan comedy as seen in theNaked Gunfranchise. Typically, Nielsen’s characters would often wind up in the most ridiculous of situations, but the serious way Nielsen always played off of these situations made all of those moments just that much more hilarious. Going back to the beginning of his career, the video also highlights how Nielsen had started his career as a more dramatic actor, evolving into the comedy movie star we all know and love. This was not the norm as most of the time, it was the other way around, with comedy actors later struggling to break free and be taken seriously as dramatic actors.
Of course, one of Nielsen’s best known roles is in theclassic 1980 comedy movie Airplane!, which sees the legendary actor uttering the often quoted line, “Don’t call me Shirley.” He would follow this up with the popular role of Frank Drebin for the comedy TV seriesPolice Squad!in 1982, later reprising the part for the hit movieThe Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. As one of Nielsen’s most beloved movies, the comedy classic spawned the comically-named sequelsThe Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of FearandNaked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insultand led to Nielsen getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Because he had dozens of roles over the course of his career, fans remember Nielsen fondly for many other famous performances as well. His role in the1982 movie Creepshowis also very memorable and fitting for Nielsen, even though it’s a horror film. Nielsen also appeared in the series finale ofThe Golden Girlsas a man who marries Bea Arthur’s character in the climax of the series. Some of his other best comedy movie roles include parts inMr. Magoo,Wrongfully Accused,Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and theScary Movieseries. Officially, his final role was as a character named Producer in the 2011 comedy movieStonerville, which was released posthumously after Nielsen’s death in 2010.
Created by Hats Off Entertainment, the channel behind the Nielsen tribute video has previously taken a look at the careers of several other beloved entertainers from years past as well. Other mini-docs from the channel have includedexplorations of stars like John Candy, Jim Varney, Shemp Howard, and Gene Wilder. Like the Nielsen video, all of these clips are immensely entertaining and do very well with their goal of highlighting the work of these late performers. You can watch these videos and more by checking out the official page forHats Off Entertainment on YouTube.
