Early life

Nielsen was born on 11 February 1926 in Regina, Saskatchewan. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (née Davies), was a Welsh immigrant, and his father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Nielsen had two brothers; the elder, Erik Nielsen (1924-2008), was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1986.

His half-uncle, Jean Hersholt, was an actor known for his portrayal of Dr. Christian in a radio series of that name and the subsequent television series and films. In a 1994 Boston Globe article, Nielsen explained, "I did learn very early that when I would mention my uncle, people would look at me as if I were the biggest liar in the world. Then I would take them home and show them 8-by-10 glossies, and things changed quite drastically. So I began to think that maybe this acting business was not a bad idea, much as I was very shy about it and certainly without courage regarding it. My uncle died not too long after I was in a position to know him. I regret that I had not a chance to know him better."

Nielsen lived for several years in Fort Norman (now Tulita), Northwest Territories where his father was with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His father was a troubled man who beat his wife and sons, and Leslie longed to escape. When he graduated from high school at 17, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force even though he was legally deaf (he wore hearing aids most of his life). Following graduation from Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts in Edmonton, Nielsen enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aerial gunner during World War II. He was too young to be fully trained or sent overseas. He worked briefly as a disc jockey at a Calgary, Alberta, radio station, before enrolling at the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio Arts, Toronto. While studying in Toronto, Nielsen received a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse. He noted, "I couldn't refuse, but I must say when you come from the land of the snow goose, the moose and wool to New York, you're bringing every ton of hayseed and country bumpkin that you packed. As long as I didn't open my mouth, I felt a certain security. But I always thought I was going to be unmasked: 'OK, pack your stuff.' 'Well, what's the matter?' 'We've discovered you have no talent; we're shipping you back to Canada.'" He moved to New York City for his scholarship, studying theatre and music at the Neighborhood Playhouse, while performing in summer stock theatre. Afterward, he attended the Actors Studio, until making his first television appearance in 1948 on an episode of Studio One, alongside Charlton Heston, for which he was paid $75.

Career

Early career

"It was a strange era, the tail end of the golden age. A time when the Tiffany's of filmmakers was burying its head in the sand and trying to pretend that this new medium (television) was not happening."

Nielsen reflecting on the era when he started acting.

Nielsen's career began in dramatic roles on television during "Television's Golden Age", appearing in almost 50 live programs in 1950 alone. He said there "was very little gold, we only got $75 or $100 per show." He narrated documentaries and commercials and most of his early work as a dramatic actor was uneventful. Hal Erickson of Allmovie noted that "much of Nielsen's early work was undistinguished; he was merely a handsome leading man in an industry overstocked with handsome leading men." In 1956 he made his feature film debut in the Michael Curtiz-directed musical film The Vagabond King. In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nielsen remembered Curtiz as "a sadist, a charming sadist, but a sadist". Nielsen called this film "The Vagabond Turkey". Though the film was not a success, producer Nicholas Nayfack offered him an audition for the science fiction film Forbidden Planet, resulting in Nielsen's taking a long contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).

Forbidden Planet became an instant success, and roles in other MGM films such as Ransom! (1956), The Opposite Sex (1956) and Hot Summer Night (1957) followed. In 1957 he won the lead role opposite Debbie Reynolds in the romantic comedy Tammy and the Bachelor, which, as a Chicago Tribune critic wrote in 1998, made people consider Nielsen a dramatic actor and handsome romantic lead. However, dissatisfied with the films he was offered, calling the studios "a Tiffany, which had forgotten how to make silver", Nielsen left MGM after auditioning for Messala in the 1959 Ben-Hur. Stephen Boyd got the role. After leaving the studios, Nielsen landed the lead role in the Disney miniseries The Swamp Fox, as American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. In a 1988 interview he reflected on the series, saying, "That was a great experience, because the Disney people didn't do their shows like everyone else, knocking out an episode a week. ... We only had to do an episode a month, and the budgets were extremely high for TV at that time. We had location shooting rather than cheap studio backdrops, and very authentic costumes." Eight episodes were produced and aired between 1959 and 1961.

His television appearances include Justice, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Virginian, and The Wild Wild West. In 1961, he was the lead in a Los Angeles police drama called The New Breed. He guest-starred in a 1964 episode of Daniel Boone with Fess Parker in a minor but credited role. In 1968, he had a major role in the pilot for the police series Hawaii Five-O, and appeared in one of the seventh-season episodes. In 1969, he had the leading role as a police officer in The Bold Ones: The Protectors.

In 1972, Nielsen appeared as the ship's captain in the The Poseidon Adventure. He also starred in the William Girdler's 1977 action film, Project: Kill. His last dramatic role before mainly comedy roles was the 1979 Canadian disaster film City on Fire, in which he played a corrupt mayor. In 1980, he guest-starred as Sinclair on the CBS miniseries The Chisholms.

Airplane! and The Naked Gun

Main articles: Airplane! and The Naked Gun

Nielsen's supporting role of Dr. Rumack in Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker's 1980's Airplane! was a watershed in his career. The film, a parody of disaster films such as Zero Hour! and Airport, was based on building a comedy around the actors known for dramatic roles. Other stars included Robert Stack, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges. Nielsen's deadpan delivery contrasted with the absurdity surrounding him. When asked, "Surely you can't be serious?", he responded with a curt, "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." In several interviews he reflected on the line: "I thought it was amusing, but it never occurred to me that it was going to become a trademark. It's such a surprise ... the thing comes out, people say, 'What did he say?!'" Nielsen said he was "...pleased and honored that had a chance to deliver that line." The comedic exchange was at #79 on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes. The American Film Institute included the film in its list of the top ten comedy films of all time in 2008, and a 2007 survey in the United Kingdom judged it the second greatest comedy film of all time, while in 2012 Empire magazine voted it No. 1 in The 50 Funniest Comedies Ever poll. Critics praised the film, which also proved a long-term success with audiences. In 2010 Airplane! was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The directors cast Nielsen for his ability to play like "a fish in water", saying "You could have cast funny people and done it with everybody winking, goofing off, and silly... we wanted people to be oblivious to the comedy." For Nielsen, Airplane! marked a shift from dramatic roles to deadpan comedy. When it was suggested his role in Airplane! was against type, Nielsen protested that he had "always been cast against type before", and that comedy was what he always wanted to do. The same directors cast Nielsen in a similar style, in their TV series Police Squad!. The series introduced Nielsen as Frank Drebin, the stereotypical police officer modelled after serious characters in earlier police series.

Police Squad's opening sequence was based on the 1950s show M Squad, which starred Lee Marvin, which opened with footage of a police car roving through a dark urban setting with a big band playing a jazz song in the background. The voice-over and the show's organization into acts with an epilogue was homage to Quinn Martin police dramas including The Fugitive, The Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, The F.B.I., and Cannon. Nielsen portrayed a serious character whose one-liners appeared accidental next to the pratfalls and sight gags around him. Although the show lasted only six episodes Nielsen received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Six years after cancellation of Police Squad!, the film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! returned Nielsen to his role as Frank Drebin. It involved a ruthless drug king trying hypnosis to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II. Drebin, like the doctor in Airplane!, seemed unaware of the absurdity around him even when contributing to it. Nielsen did many of his own stunts: "You have an idea of how you're going to do something, and it's your vision... unless you do it, it really doesn't stand a chance." This movie grossed over $78 million and was well received by critics. Ebert's 3½-star review (out of four) noted, "You laugh, and then you laugh at yourself for laughing."

The Naked Gun spawned two sequels: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). Naked Gun 2½ grossed more than the original, with $86.9 million, while Naked Gun 33⅓ grossed $51.1 million. Nielsen remained open to a fourth Naked Gun film, although he doubted that it would be produced — "I don't think so", he said in 2005. "If there hasn't been one by now, I doubt it. I think it would be wonderful."

Nielsen briefly appeared on the World Wrestling Federation program in the summer of 1994 on WWF Monday Night Raw; capitalizing on Frank Drebin. Nielsen (and George Kennedy) were hired as sleuths to unravel the mystery of The Undertaker who had disappeared at January's Royal Rumble event. At SummerSlam 1994, in a Naked Gun parody, they were hot on the case (in fact, they were standing on a case). Although they did not find The Undertaker, the case had been closed (the literal case had been shut) and thus, they solved the mystery. In 1990, Nielsen appeared as a Frank Drebin character in advertisements in the United Kingdom for Red Rock Cider.

Non-comedic roles after Airplane! included Prom Night (1980) and Creepshow (1982), both horror films, and as a dramatic and unsympathetic character in the 1986 comedy Soul Man. His last dramatic role was as Allen Green, a violent client of a prostitute killed in self-defence by Barbra Streisand's character, Claudia Draper, in Martin Ritt's courtroom drama Nuts (1987).

Later comedies

Subsequent to Airplane! and The Naked Gun, Nielsen portrayed similar styled roles in a number of other films. These mostly emulated the style of The Naked Gun with varying success and often targeted specific films: many were panned by critics and most performed poorly. Repossessed (1990) and 2001: A Space Travesty (2001) were parodies of The Exorcist and 2001: A Space Odyssey, respectively. Both attempted absurd comedy but were poorly received. Even a leading role in a Mel Brooks comic horror, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, failed to generate much box office excitement, although it did gain a following later release to video. Both 1996's Spy Hard and 1998's Wrongfully Accused, a parody of James Bond films and The Fugitive, were popular on video but not well received by critics.

His attempt at children's comedies met additional criticism. Surf Ninjas (1993) and Mr. Magoo (1997) had scathing reviews. Several critics were disappointed that Nielsen's role in Surf Ninjas was only "an extended cameo" and Chris Hicks recommended that viewers "avoid any comedy that features Leslie Nielsen outside of the Naked Gun series." Jeff Miller of the Houston Chronicle panned Mr. Magoo, a live action remake of the 1950s cartoon, by saying, "I'm supposed to suggest how the film might be better but I can't think of anything to say other than to make the film again."

Nielsen's first major success since The Naked Gun came in a supporting role in Scary Movie 3 (2003). His appearance as President Harris led to a second appearance in its sequel, Scary Movie 4 (2006). This was the first time Nielsen had reprised a character since Frank Drebin. In one scene, Nielsen appeared almost nude, and one critic referred to the scene as putting "the 'scary' in Scary Movie 4."

Video, stage, and celebrity productions

Nielsen also produced instructional golf videos, which were not presented in a serious style, beginning with 1993's Bad Golf Made Easier. The videos combined comedy with golf techniques. The series spawned two additional sequels, Bad Golf My Way (1994) and Stupid Little Golf Video (1997). Nielsen also co-wrote a fictional autobiography titled The Naked Truth. The book portrayed Nielsen as a popular actor with a long history of prestigious films.

In his eighties, Nielsen performed serious roles on screen and stage (such as his one-man theatre show Darrow, in which he played Clarence Darrow), as well as providing voice-overs and appearances for commercials; cartoons like Zeroman where he had the leading role/voice; children's shows, such as Pumper Pups, which he narrated, in addition to comedic film roles. The sibling relationship with his elder brother, the Honourable Erik Nielsen, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, served as the premise of an HBO mockumentary entitled The Canadian Conspiracy in which Leslie Nielsen appeared, along with other prominent Canadian-born media personalities. He was a celebrity contestant on CBS's Gameshow Marathon, where he played The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Beat the Clock, and Press Your Luck for charity.

Final acting years

Beginning in February 2007, Nielsen began playing a small role as a doctor in the humorous yet educational television show Doctor*Ology. The show chronicles real-life medical techniques and technology, on the Discovery Channel. Nielsen said: "There are any number of things that you think about when you ponder if you hadn't been an actor, what would you be, and I've always said I'd like to be an astronaut or a doctor. I have such admiration for doctors. I just don't know how you go around to thank them enough for coming up with the world's most remarkable new discoveries."

In 2007, Nielsen starred in the drama Music Within. In 2008, he portrayed a version of Uncle Ben for Superhero Movie, a spoof of superhero films. He then appeared in the 2008 parody An American Carol, which David Zucker directed, produced and co-wrote. He appeared in the 2009 parody Stan Helsing. Nielsen portrayed the Doctor in the Spanish horror comedy Spanish Movie, a spoof comedy like Scary Movie, but making fun of popular Spanish films.

Nielsen appeared in more than 100 films and 1,500 television episodes, portraying more than 220 characters.

Personal life

"I'm afraid if I don't keep moving, they're going to catch me ... I am 81 years old and I want to see what's around the corner, and I don't see any reason in the world not to keep working. But I am starting to value my down time a great deal because I am realizing there might be other things to do that I am overlooking."

—Nielsen reflecting on his career in 2007

Nielsen married four times: nightclub singer Monica Boyar (1950-1956), Alisande Ullman (1958-1973), Brooks Oliver (1981-1983) and Barbaree Earl (2001-2010). Nielsen had two daughters from his second marriage, Maura and Thea Nielsen.

Nielsen often played golf. He joked, "I have no goals or ambition. I do, however, wish to work enough to maintain whatever celebrity status I have so that they will continue to invite me to golf tournaments." His interest in the sport led him to comedic instructional films.

Nielsen was a practical joker, and known for pranking people with a portable hand-controlled fart machine: "he always had that fart machine with him." His epitaph read: "Let 'er rip", a final reference to his favourite practical joke.

Nielsen was legally deaf and wore hearing aids for most of his life. Because of this impairment, he supported the Better Hearing Institute. Later in life, Nielsen had knee osteoarthritis. He participated in an educational video from The Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC), demonstrating the physical examination of a patient with knee osteoarthritis.

Death

In November 2010, Nielsen was admitted to a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital with pneumonia. On 28 November, Doug Nielsen, Nielsen's nephew, told the CJOB radio station that 84-year-old Nielsen had died in his sleep from pneumonia around 5:30 pm EST surrounded by family and friends. He was interred in Fort Lauderdale's Evergreen Cemetery. As a final bit of humor, Nielsen chose "Let 'er rip" as his epitaph.

Achievements

Among his awards, in 1995 Nielsen received UCLA's Jack Benny Award. In 1988, he became the 1,884th personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6541 Hollywood Blvd. In 2001 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. The following year he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, although he was also a naturalized US citizen. With his American status, he maintained his Canadian heritage: "There's no way you can be a Canadian and think you can lose it ... Canadians are a goodly group. They are very aware of caring and helping." On 19 May 2005, during the centennial gala of his birth province, Saskatchewan, Leslie Nielsen was introduced to HM Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1997, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

On 20 February 2002, Nielsen was named an honorary citizen of West Virginia and an Ambassador of Mountain State Goodwill. Nielsen visited the state many times to speak and visit friends. In 2003, in honour of Nielsen, Grant MacEwan College named its school of communications after him. Also in 2003, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists awarded him the ACTRA Award of Excellence.

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1955	The Battle of Gettysburg	Narrator
1956	Ransom!	Charlie Telfer	Film debut, as an actor
	Forbidden Planet	Commander John J. Adams	First starring role
	The Vagabond King	Thibault
	The Opposite Sex	Steve Hilliard
1957	Hot Summer Night	William Joel Partain
	Tammy and the Bachelor	Peter Brent
1958	The Sheepman	Col. Stephen Bedford / Johnny Bledsoe
1964	See How They Run	Elliot Green	First television movie
	Night Train to Paris	Alan Holiday
1965	Dark Intruder	Brett Kingsford
	Harlow	Richard Manley
1966	The Plainsman	Col. George Armstrong Custer
	Beau Geste	Lieutenant De Ruse
1967	Code Name: Heraclitus	Fryer
	The Reluctant Astronaut	Major Fred Gifford
	Gunfight in Abilene	Grant Evers
	Rosie!	Cabot Shaw
1968	How to Steal the World	General Maximilian Harmon	The Man from U.N.C.L.E. film
	Counterpoint	Victor Rice
	Dayton's Devils	Frank Dayton
	Companions in Nightmare	Dr. Neesden
1969	Trial Run	Jason Harkness
	Deadlock	Lieutenant Sam Danforth
	How to Commit Marriage	Phil Fletcher
	Change of Mind	Sheriff Webb
1970	Night Slaves	Sheriff Henshaw
	The Aquarians	Official
	Hauser's Memory	Joseph Slaughter
1971	Incident In San Francisco	Lieutenant Brubaker
	Four Rode Out	Mr. Brown
	They Call It Murder	Frank Antrim
	The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler	Harry Walsh
1972	The Poseidon Adventure	The Captain
1973	And Millions Will Die	Jack Gallagher
	Snatched	Bill Sutting
	Amanda Fallon	Mr. Cummings
	The Return of Charlie Chan	Alexander Hadrachi
1975	Can Ellen Be Saved	Arnold Lindsey
	Threshold: The Blue Angels Experience	Narrator
1976	Grand Jury	John Williams
	Project Kill	Jonathan Trevor
	Brinks: The Great Robbery	Agent Norman Houston
1977	Sixth and Main	John Doe
	Day of the Animals	Paul Jenson
	Viva Knievel!	Stanley Millard
	The Kentucky Fried Movie	Man in Feel-O-Rama Movie	Uncredited cameo; Feel-O-Rama segment.
	The Amsterdam Kill	Riley Knight
1978	Little Mo	Nelson Fisher
1979	Institute for Revenge	Counselor Hollis Barnes
	The Albertans	Don MacIntosh
	Riel	Major Crozier
	City on Fire	Mayor William Dudley
1980	OHMS	Governor
	Airplane!	Dr. Rumack	First comedy role.
	Prom Night	Mr. Raymond Hammond
1981	A Choice of Two	Unknown
1982	Twilight Theater	Various Characters
	Foxfire Light	Reece Morgan
	Wrong Is Right	Mallory
	Creepshow	Richard Vickers	"Something To Tide You Over" segment
1983	Prime Time	Unknown
	The Night the Bridge Fell Down	Paul Warren
	Cave-In!	Joseph 'Joe' Johnson
	The Creature Wasn't Nice (Spaceship)	Capt. Jamieson
1985	Murder Among Friends	Unknown
	Reckless Disregard	Bob Franklin
	Blade in Hong Kong	Harry Ingersoll
	Striker's Mountain	Jim McKay
1986	The Patriot	Admiral Frazer
	Soul Man	Mr. Dunbar
1987	Nightstick	Thad Evans
	Nuts	Allen Green	Final non-comedy role
	Home Is Where the Hart Is	Sheriff Nashville Schwartz
1988	Dangerous Curves	Greg Krevske
	The Railway Dragon	Narrator	First animated film.
	The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!	Lt. Frank Drebin
1990	Repossessed	Father Jedediah Mayii
1991	All I Want for Christmas	Santa Claus	Family holiday film
	The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear	Lt. Frank Drebin	Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
	Chance of a Lifetime	Lloyd Dixon
1993	Digger	Arthur Evrensel
	Surf Ninjas	Colonel Chi
1994	S.P.Q.R.: 2,000 and a Half Years Ago	Lucio Cinico
	Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult	Lt. Frank Drebin
1995	Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree	Willowby's butler
	Rent-a-Kid	Harry Haber
	Dracula: Dead and Loving It	Count Dracula
1996	Spy Hard	Dick Steele, Agent WD-40
1997	Mr. Magoo	Mr. Magoo
1998	Safety Patrol	Mr. Penn
	Family Plan	Harry Haber
	Harvey	Dr. Chumley
	Wrongfully Accused	Ryan Harrison
1999	Pirates 4-D	Captain Lucky	4D Cinema Show presented at various Busch Gardens amusement parks
2000	Santa Who?	Santa Claus
	2001: A Space Travesty	Marshal Richard 'Dick' Dix
2001	Camouflage	Jack Potter
	Kevin of the North (Chilly Dogs)	Clive Thornton
2002	Men with Brooms	Gordon Cutter
2003	Scary Movie 3	President Harris
	Noël Noël	English Narrator
2006	Scary Movie 4	President Harris
2007	Music Within	Bill Austin
2008	Superhero Movie	Uncle Albert
	An American Carol	Grampa / Osama Bin Laden
	Slap Shot 3: The Junior League	Mayor of Charlestown
2009	Spanish Movie	Doctor
	Stan Helsing	Kay
2011	Stonerville	Producer
Unknown	The Waterman Movie	Ready Espanosa	Voice acting

Television

Year	Title	Role	Other Notes
1953	Jukebox Jury	Himself
1958-1961	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Lloyd Ashley & DA Rudolph Cox	Two episodes
1959	The Swamp Fox	Colonel Francis Marion
1960	Thriller	Alan Patterson (lead role)	Episode "The Twisted Image"
1960, 1964	Wagon Train	Jeremy Dow, Brian Conlin	Two episodes
1960	The Untouchables	Tom Sebring	Episode "Three Thousand Suspects"
1960	Route 66 (TV series)
1961	The Islanders	Howard Cavanaugh	Episode "Willy's Millionaire"
1961	The New Breed	Lt. Price Adams	Regular
1963	Channing	Professor Paul Stafford	Single episode
1963-1965	Kraft Suspense Theatre	Dr. David Cord & Paul Maytric	Two episodes: "One Step Down" & "The Green Felt Jungle"
1963-1964	The Fugitive (TV series)	Martin C. Rowland & Harold Cheyney	Two episodes
1964	Your First Impression	As himself	Single episode
1964	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	Steven Grainger	Single episode
1964-1969	The Virginian	Ben Stratton	Five episodes
1965	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea	Capt. Wayne Adams	One episode "The Creature"
1965	Peyton Place	Vincent and Kenneth Marham (twins)	19 episodes
1965	The Wild Wild West	General Ball	Single episode
1967	Bonanza	Sheriff Paul Rowan	One episode
1968	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	General Maximillian Harmon	Single episode "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair Pt 1 & 2"
1969	The Bold Ones: The Protectors	Deputy Police Chief Sam Danforth	Seven episodes
1969	The Big Valley	Sgt. Maj. Earl Conway	One episode "Town of no Exit"
1969-1974	Hawaii Five-O	Brent & Colonel Faraday	Two episodes
1970	Bracken's World	John Bracken	Fifteen Bracken's World episodes total
1971	Columbo: Lady in Waiting	Peter Hamilton	Two Columbo episodes total
1971	Bearcats!	Col. Ted Donovan	Single episode
1971	Night Gallery	The Phantom, Col. Dennis Malloy	Two episodes: "Phantom of What Opera?" and "A Question of Fear"
1973	M*A*S*H	Col. Buzz Brighton	Episode "The Ringbanger"
1973-1974	The Streets of San Francisco	Ofc. Joe Landers, Insp. John T. Connor, & Big Jake Wilson	Three episodes
1974	Cannon	Eric Strauss	Single episode
1974	Kojak	Michael Hagar	Single episode "Loser Takes All"
1975	Kung Fu	Vincent Corbino	Four episodes
1975	Columbo: Identity Crisis	Geronimo	Two Columbo episodes total
1975-1976	S.W.A.T.	Larry Neal/Vince Richie	Three episodes
1978	The Love Boat	Dan	Episode "Parents Know Best; A Selfless Love; The Nubile Nurse"
1979	Backstairs at the White House	Ike Hoover	Three episodes
1980	The Littlest Hobo	Mayor Chester Montgomery	Episode "Romiet and Julio"
1982	Police Squad!	Det. Frank Drebin	Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1984	Shaping Up	Buddy Fox
1985-1986	Murder, She Wrote	Captain Daniels & David Everett	Two episodes
1987	Highway to Heaven	Richard R. Benson
1988	Who's the Boss?	Max
1988	Day By Day	Jack Harper	Episode "Harper and Son" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
1989	Saturday Night Live	Himself	Single episode
1992	The Golden Girls	Lucas Hollingsworth	Series finale
1993	Herman's Head	God	Single episode
1994-1999	Due South	Sgt. Buck Frobisher	Four episodes
1994-1996, 2001-2002	Katie and Orbie	Narrator
1995	Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree	Mr. Willowby's Butler, Baxter	Television Christmas special
2000	Santa Who?	Santa Claus	Television film
2001	Liocracy	Terrence Brynne McKennie
2003	Chilly Beach	Santa Claus	Single episode
2004	Zeroman	Les Mutton / Zeroman
2007	Doctor*Ology	Himself, Host
	Lipshitz Saves the World	Lipshitz's mentor	Pilot
	Robson Arms	Cado Vasco

Video

• 1993: Bad Golf Made Easier
• 1994: Bad Golf My Way
• 1997: Stupid Little Golf Video
• 1997: National Geographic Video: The Savage Garden
• Nielsen also appeared in a promotional video for Layman Allen's mathematics game called "Equations" and in the Seaworld San Antonio Summer Nights 4-D show "Pirates 4-D".

Writing

• 1993: The Naked Truth
• 1995: Leslie Nielsen's Stupid Little Golf Book with Henry Beard
• 1996: Bad Golf My Way with Henry Beard

[ Source: Wikipedia ]