Biography for
Leslie Nielsen More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

11 February 1926, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Birth Name

Leslie William Nielsen

Height

6' 0½" (1.84 m)

Mini Biography

Leslie Nielsen was raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories. His father was a mountie and a strict disciplinarian. His mother was Welsh. Leslie studied at the Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto before moving on to New York's Neighborhood Playhouse. His acting career started at a much earlier age when he was forced to lie to his father in order to avoid severe punishment. Leslie has starred in over fifty movies and many more TV films. One of his two brothers became the deputy prime minister of Canada.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Rob Hartill

Spouse

Barbaree Earl Nielsen	(2001 - present)
Brooks Oliver	(13 November 1981 - 5 December 1984) (divorced)
Alisande Ullman	(10 September 1958 - 1974) (divorced) 2 children
Monica Boyer	(1950 - 1956) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Delivering sophomoric punchlines with a deadpan expression.

"Whoopee cushion" gags

Appearing oblivious to everything that's happening around him.

Trivia

Nephew of the late actor Jean Hersholt.

Born at 5:00 am MST.

Brother was a high-ranking Canadian politician. Eric Nielsen was the Government Leader of the Yukon Territory before becoming a Member of Parliment and the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada.

His grandfather on father's side was Danish.

While in Winnipeg, Canada, to promote their movie Men with Brooms (2002), he and co-star Paul Gross received Honorary Citizenships from Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray at the Granite Curling Club.

Naturalized U.S. citizen.

Attended Victoria Composite High School in Edmonton, Alberta.

He has a half brother named Gilbert Nielsen who lives in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Was made an "Honorary West Virginian and Ambassador of Mountain State Goodwill" on February 20, 2002, by then-Secretary of State of West Virginia Joe Manchin, now the Governor (elected 2004).

In the Fall of 2003, the Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada opened the Leslie Nielsen School of Communications, with the actor on hand for the ceremony.

He was awarded an O.C. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on October 10, 2002 for his services to entertainment.

Has two daughters: Maura Nielsen Kaplan and Thea Nielsen Disney.

At age 17 1/2 enlisted in the Royal Canadian AirForce and trained as an aerial gunner.

Tested for the role of "Messala" in Ben-Hur (1959).

Film critic Roger Ebert once called him "the Laurence Olivier of spoofs".

Was considered for the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

His father was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer for Northwest Territory and Saskatchewan.

Avid Motorcylist.

Attend the Chiller Theater Expo in Parsippany, NJ along with actress Jamie Luner of Profler, John Schneider, Angie Dickinson, Brian O'Halloran, Danny Woodburn, David Hedison, Erik Estrada, Audra Lynn, Barry Williams, on October 24, 2008.

Was considered for the role of Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980).

Personal Quotes

Doing nothing is very hard to do . . . you never know when you're finished.

The reason they call it 'golf' is that all the other four-letter words were used up.

[on the part of his career when he played almost exclusively bad guys] The best part is always the heavy. And the meaner and crueler and the worse you are, the more vicious you are as the heavy, the better the hero looks when he whips you. So, the heavy is liable to be a very dramatic, fine acting part. I told my agent at that time, "I want to play heavies who are really vicious and cruel and terrible. I want them to know that they're terrible and I want them to enjoy it."

[on his wrestling a "wild grizzly bear" (it was actually a docile honey bear] in Day of the Animals (1977)] I had to weave and play around with a honey bear, and I could wrestle with him a little bit, but there's no way you can even wrestle a honey bear, let alone a grizzly bear that's standing ten feet to eleven feet tall! Can you imagine? But it was fascinating to work that close to that kind of animal.

Where Are They Now

(June 2007) Paradise Valley, Arizona

(September 2008) Chiller Theater Expo in Parsippany, New Jersey, signing autographs for fans.

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