Canadian comedian Leslie Nielsen dies at age 84

Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen died yesterday afternoon at the age of 84 in a Florida hospital due to complications from pneumonia. Nielsen, who is perhaps best known for his roles in Airplane! and The Naked Gun, was born in Regina (his father was a Mountie) and moved to Hollywood in the ‘50s. Of his earlier career, Nielsen once remarked, “I played a lot of leaders, autocratic sorts; perhaps it was my Canadian accent.” Roger Ebert has posted a terrific piece on the Chicago Sun-Times’ Web site about Nielsen’s career, which includes four clips of highlights from The Naked Gun, Airplane!, Forbidden Planet and his unsuccessful screen test for Ben Hur. Take a look at them here.

• Leslie Nielsen, Actor, Dies at 84 [New York Times] • Actor Leslie Nielsen dead at 84 [Globe and Mail] • Leslie Nielsen, RIP. “And don’t call me Shirley” [Roger Ebert’s Journal]