Canadian-American actor whose long career as a dramatic lead was reinvented in late life through the Airplane! and Naked Gun comedies.
Background
Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Nielsen served in the Royal Canadian Air Force before studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.
Career
He was a steady dramatic lead through the 1950s and 1960s, including Commander John J. Adams in MGM’s “Forbidden Planet” and the captain in Irwin Allen’s “The Poseidon Adventure.” Then the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team cast him in “Airplane!” and “Police Squad!” launching an unexpected late-career comedy run including the “Naked Gun” trilogy.
Style
Nielsen’s deadpan delivery, used straight-faced in absurd contexts, defined a comic mode that influenced parody filmmaking for decades.
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