If the content you are seeing is presented as unstyled HTML your browser is an older version that cannot support cascading style sheets. If you wish to upgrade your browser you may download Mozilla or Internet Explorer for Windows.

Nielsen, Leslie

CTE photo
Leslie Nielsen in his one-man show about lawyer Clarence Darrow by David W. Rintels

American-based actor born in Regina, Saskatchewan , in 1926. He is the brother of politician Erik Nielsen (deputy prime minister in the goverment of Prime Minister Joe Clark).

He grew up in Fort Norman, Yukon, his father serving with the RCMP. Mr. Nielsen served with the RCAF as a tail-gunner in WWII and, on his return to Canada, worked in radio before studying at Lorne Greene 's Aacademy of Radio Arts in Toronto. He received a scholarship to go to New York and perform with the Neighbourhood Playhouse. He studied with Sanford Meisner and at the Actors Studio before beginning his career in television (he says that in his first year of television he performed in 46 live shows and received the sum of $5,000). He was the heavy in a raft of B movies until he began to perform in comedy, breaking through with 1980's Airplane. He has since been seen in several screwball comedies, notably in the Police Squad series, giving occasionally inspired performances.

He has occasionally performed in Canada, notably in the CBC TV version of John Coulter 's Riel .

On stage, he has been seen in his one-man show Clarence Darrow (which he still tours, notably to the Royal Alexandra Theatre , National Arts Centre and to Citadel Theatre and more recently - 1999 - to Vienna's English Theatre) and played opposite Carol Burnett in AR Gurney's Love Letters (1990).

He has two daughters, Thea and Maura, from his first marriage and lives with his second wife in Beverly Hills.

(Additional information provided by Jan McCourt)

Viewings: Life and Times: Leslie Nielsen, CBC, 2000, dir: Ken Jurenvill

Last updated 2009-05-05