Canadian-born actor Leslie Nielsen died at the age of 84 on Sunday after suffering from pneumonia. This beloved comedian and icon has appeared in over 100 films, 1,500 television programs and portrayed over 200 characters.
One of the turning points in his career was his role as Dr. Rumack in the 1980 comedy Airplane! In this film, he delivered one of his famous lines. Dr. Rumack says to Ted Striker, “can you fly this plane and land it?” And Striker replies, “surely you can’t be serious.” Dr. Rumack interjects, “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley!”
Then there was his famous part in The Naked Gun series as Lt. Frank Drebin, where he proved that one his best talents was delivering witty responses. In one scene, Quentin Hapsburg asks, “Que sera sera… You do speak French, don’t you?” Lt. Frank Drebin replies, “unfortunately no, but I do kiss that way.”
In case you have not had the pleasure of watching any of Nielsen’s contributions to Hollywood, catch this tribute below.